[Sw-l] Head Positions: Face Direction Lines

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
August 15, 2021

Hello Josenilson, Ae, Suzanne, and everyone -

It is good we are talking about this. Thank you, Ae, for posting DanceWriting documents. A new topic of discussion has emerged: Writing Head Positions and Head Movements, which are needed when we write mime, dance, sign languages, and sports and body language too.

The symbols that are in the attached diagram are Head Positions. They are static positions, written with a little line, called the “Face Direction Line”, placed on the Shoulder Line, showing the direction of the nose.

Head Movements are written differently, usually with Head Circles. We can discuss Head Movements in another thread.

Face Direction Lines (Head Positions) are explained on these links:

1. Lessons in SignWriting Textbook, page 176.
https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs2/sw0116-Lessons-SignWriting.pdf

2. Writing Full Body Movement: Face Direction Line
https://www.movementwriting.org/lessons/fullbody/fullbody07.html

3. Learn To Transcribe Sign Language in SignWriting
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe003.html
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe004.html
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe005.html
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe006.html (Face Direction Lines)
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe007.html (Face Direction Lines)
https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/transcribe/scribe008.html (Face Direction Lines)

…and then I never finished the lessons… but more can always be added…


4. ISWA 2010 Reference Manual
Category 4: Head and Face
https://www.signbank.org/iswa/2ff_sg.html
Scroll down to see BaseSymbols 520, 521 and 522. So many symbols!

Keep asking questions!

Val ;-)

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> On Aug 14, 2021, at 5:46 PM, Josenilson da Silva Mendes <jsm88b at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Valerie and everyone on SignWriting List!
> 
> This is very good!
> 
> 
> 
> Where can I find out more about facial directions and head position with illustrations?
> 
> Josenilson Mendes
> 
> 
> Em sáb., 14 de ago. de 2021 às 14:25, Suzanne Pach <suzannepach at gmail.com <mailto:suzannepach at gmail.com>> escreveu:
> Thanks Val and Ae for the explanation. Very interesting :)
> 
> Suzanne
> 
> On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 11:06 PM Valerie Sutton <0000001342802f5f-dmarc-request at listserv.valenciacollege.edu <mailto:0000001342802f5f-dmarc-request at listserv.valenciacollege.edu>> wrote:
> SignWriting List
> August 9, 2021
> 
> Thank you, Suzanne and Ae, for this discussion. It is fun to think about why this happened. To explain:
> 
> Ae is correct. DanceWriting started first, and at that time, in the early 1970s, ballet was and is still very stylized. Facial expressions and even head movements were not as important as the rest of the body, and so, by placing the Head Circle to the left or right of the rest of the body on the 5-lined staff, we could write classical ballet on a 5-lined staff, under the music notes or counts, without our Head Circle in the way of the rhythm.
> 
> I realize this is surprising to those who write sign languages, like we do today, but here are some examples of the writing at that time, in Denmark in the 1970s. There were no personal computers yet, no cell phones, no digitizing fast, and so by hand it was easier to write this way: See diagrams attached. We used wax transfer sheets. The Facial Direction Line was easy to write by hand like a little line crossing the shoulders showing the direction of the nose:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________


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