[Sw-l] Dynamics and their meaning

Valerie Sutton sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG
Fri Jan 28 21:08:25 UTC 2022


SignWriting List
January 28, 2022

Dynamic Symbols

The Fast Symbol shows speed.... a "quick movement", but there is no tension involved - it is "evenly done but at a fast speed”. See attached the sign for MUST in ASL:


The Tension Symbol has no connection with "fast" or "slow"...the speed is normal, but there is a feeling of tension with the movement, or position.

In ASL, (and in other sign languages too), we write Possessives, such as YOURS, HIS, HERS, THEIRS, with Tension Symbols. It has become a standard way of writing “the feeling of possession". A Tension Symbol is placed at the end of the movement to show the feeling of tension that is establishing where the person is located, at the end of the movement.  This is accompanied with a Tension Symbol on the lips to show the feeling of pressed lips at the end of the movement. The combination of the Tense movement and Tense lips tells the reader quickly that this is a “possessive" (ownership). See diagram attached.





Tension Symbols are also used to "place classifiers"...The Tension Symbol next to a handshape means "a position held in space” (it takes tense muscles to hold a hand in space). Because of this, the Tension Symbol became a "classifier marker" when writing ASL and other sign languages too…

Here are two examples of classifiers by Adam Frost (thank you Adam)





There is so much more to discuss! Hope this is a little helpful, even if it is for later, when writing sign language sentences and storytelling, it is good to realize the enormous value of these symbols.

Next I will try to summarize the Timing symbols -

Val ;-)

---------



> On Jan 27, 2022, at 9:42 AM, Valerie Sutton <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG> wrote:
> 
> SignWriting List
> January 27, 2022
> 
> Hi Uta and Steve, and everyone on the SignWriting List:
> 
> Thank you for bringing Dynamic Symbols into discussion. They are very important symbols. And Steve has described them so well that you probably don't even need more input but I could tell you a little bit about why the symbols were developed the way they are.
> 
> Plus there are many documents on the web created by writers discussing Dynamic Symbols. For example if you go to signwriting.org, on the front page, you will notice a search field. Put in the word “dynamics" and search signwriting.org and you will find a long listing of documents discussing the use of Dynamic Symbols.
> 
> For example here is a document by Natasha Escalada Westland. Thank you, Natasha!
> 
> https://www.signwriting.org/archive/symposium/sws0009_Lesson_11_SignWriting_in_Classrooms_2003-2014_Escalada_Westland.pdf
> 
> I will create a lesson on the Tension Symbol and post it soon. You may feel you already know it well, but actually the Tension Symbol is one of the most dynamc and versatile symols in SignWriting. And its versatility is what makes it so useful, for all movement writing...
> 
> Val ;-)
> 
> --------
> 
>> On Jan 27, 2022, at 6:00 AM, Stephen Slevinski <slevin at SIGNPUDDLE.NET> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Uta,
>> 
>> I'm making a new thread for this discussion and opening it up to the group.
>> 
>> Category 3 of the ISWA 2010 is the dynamics.
>> Here is the text used to describe this category.
>> 
>> 'Dynamics Symbols are used to give the "feeling" or "tempo" to movement. They provide emphasis on a movement or expression, and combined with Punctuation Symbols become the equivalent to Exclamation Points. The Tension Symbol, combined with Contact Symbols, provides the feeling of "pressure", and combined with facial expressions can place emphasis or added feeling to an expression. Timing symbols are used to show alternating or simultaneous movement.'
>> 
>> <Screen%20Shot%202022-01-27%20at%207.43.39%20AM.png>
>> 
>> The "Tense" symbol adds a feeling to the sign.
>> 
>> The whole sign would need to be considered to understand if the hand stops after movement, or if the hand is moved under tension, or if the hand doesn't move.
>> 
>> -Steve
>> 
>> On 1/26/22 11:51 PM, Uta Meißner wrote:
>>> To the sign ~
>>> 
>>> I know that ~ has several meanings:
>>> 
>>> - Hand stops after movement
>>> - Hand is moved under tension
>>> - Hand doesn't move
>>> 
>>> And I don't like 
>>> 
>>> I don't like this fact because it's important because of the sign search that each symbol has only one meaning. Therefore we decided to choose the 3rd meaning because that seems to us to be the most important. For 2-hand. There are 5 properties. One of them is a resting hand. Since the information is unimportant for own but right hand, we have agreed that symbol ~  property "resting recessive hand" to order. 
>>> 
>>> So, now you know my motivation for why we solved it this way. 
>>> My feeling tells me it's not a good way to make our own rules. 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Therefore, take a step back:
>>> Why does a symbol have multiple meanings? What are the advantages? 
>>> 
>>> Best regards
>>> Uta
>>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________________________
>> 
>> SIGNWRITING LIST INFORMATION
>> 
>> Valerie Sutton SignWriting List moderator sutton at signwriting.org
>> 
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>> 
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> 
> ________________________________________________
> 
> SIGNWRITING LIST INFORMATION
> 
> Valerie Sutton SignWriting List moderator sutton at signwriting.org
> 
> Post Messages to the SignWriting List: sw-l at listserv.valenciacollege.edu
> 
> SignWriting List Archives & Home Page http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist
> 
> Join, Leave or Change How You Receive SW List Messages http://listserv.valenciacollege.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SW-L&A=1
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Valerie Sutton
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sutton at signwriting.org

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