For Marquita - ASL Thesis project using SignWriting

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
April 16, 2013

Marquita -
Writing a sign language is much more than just the signs - there is also grammar and syntax and the way sentences are structured - this is true for all spoken languages too - where the signs or words are placed in a sentence is just as important as which signs to use -

So just using a dictionary, and then placing those dictionary signs in English word order, is not ASL - It is using ASL in English word order, but does not use ASL grammar - So that should not be called ASL - but something else - like Signed English or other names -

That is why normally for really good translation, a skilled ASL signer should make the videos - new videos - that are not individual signs but the complete sentences from scratch, because in ASL grammar facial expressions are added to the signs to make sentences that are not written in the dictionary entries…grammar is on the face as much as on the hands -

And I was really shocked at the videos you showed me - The sign for THE is awful in my opinion - I never saw that before -

the sign for "THE" does not really exist in ASL as far as I know  - the sign for THE is an English word that can be finger spelled from time to time if they are trying to repeat something someone said in English, but it is not used in true ASL - if I am wrong, let us ask ASL signers - Deaf people who use ASL daily -

And the sign for IS is not ASL either - ASL does not use English verbs! ASL is not English. There is no present tense for the verb to BE in ASL - just like in Russian spoken language - the present tense for the verb TO BE is dropped in spoken Russian, and in ASL that is true as well - the sentence in ASL would be in this word order perhaps:

CAT THERE BLACK

or

CAT BLACK

THAT CAT BLACK

ASL grammar structure is nothing like English grammar structure -

Now, how do you write this using SignPuddle? -

Use the Translate Feature in SignPuddle to create the sentence - Then you can grab the FSW of that entire sentence -

I will teach you how to use the translate feature next message -

Val ;-)

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On Apr 16, 2013, at 6:16 AM, Marquita Formosa <marquita_formosa at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> Hi Valerie,
> 
> It is me again. Just wanted to thank you for this opportunity to get to know 
> about sign writing. My tutor told me that working with the plugin is actually 
> very good since it is very straight forward to use while very helpful for my 
> demo.
> 
> Now I wanted to tell you that I need more than one sentence for my demo. In 
> fact I managed to come up with at least 10 basic sentences to be used for my 
> demo. I am using a video dictionary so in reality I do not need a person to 
> record the translation for me
> 
> I do need your help now with sign writing though.
> 
> For example I have the following:
> 
> Sentence: The cat is white.
> 
> Video links are the following:
> THE: http://cats.gatech.edu/cats/MySignLink/dictionary/html/pages/the.htm
> CAT: http://cats.gatech.edu/cats/MySignLink/dictionary/html/pages/cat.htm
> IS:http://cats.gatech.edu/cats/MySignLink/dictionary/html/pages/is.htm
> BLACK: 
> http://cats.gatech.edu/cats/MySignLink/dictionary/html/pages/white.htm
> 
> As I said earlier I am extra new to sign writing so may I ask you if you can help 
> me with it please?
> 
> Thanks and Regards
> Marquita
>