AW: Writing Head and Face in Punctuation

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
October 9, 2010

On Oct 9, 2010, at 10:10 AM, Stefan Wöhrmann wrote:
> In this spider example eyes and mouth(gesture?!) change while the spider is
> coming down. One problem I see is that without any shoulder line the visual
> information says the spider is coming down (arrow information) but on the
> other hand it keeps at height of the head circle ... Know what I mean?
> Stefan ;-)

Hello Stefan!
Thanks for this comment...here are the same kind of sign...one written by Cherie with three faces, and I did another verison with two faces...in both cases, I would not read it the way you mention above...

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For me, when I read and write vertically, and there are multiple faces down in a vertical column, as a part of a sign that is being placed in a vertical column, I read the top facial expression first, and the facial expression below it second and the next one below that third, and so forth...and it is assumed that the faces are really staying in one place and changing expression, but they are not actually moving down (we are not bending our knees more and more...just as when you write faces from left to right, you are still staying in one place, and not walking to the side ;-)))

So then, in this sign, there is only one handshape, so the handshape begins the sign, and wherever you place that handshape, in relation to the first facial expression in the vertical stack, is how high the hand is, in relationship to the head, when the sign starts...

Then it is assumed, that the other heads are staying in one place, while the movement arrow drags the hand down...

That is how I automatically read these signs...I am not sure how other people read them...

Regarding adding a shoulder line...that can be done too...but that brings up other issues...

Anyway, I enjoy reading these signs, just as I enjoy reading yours too going horizontally ;-))

Val ;-)