SignWriting List
September 3, 2010

Hello Gan and everyone on the List:

Yes, your statement is correct, but this would add more information:

"Sign languages do use the Front-Diagonal-Plane occasionally. SignWriting hand symbols are not written on the Front-Diagonal-Plane. They are always written parallel to the Wall or Floor Planes, and the Front-Diagonal-Plane information is written through the movement arrows."

An excellent example of this is the sign for AIRPLANE DEPARTS in ASL...the hands are written parallel to the Floor Plane, and the diagonal movement arrow gives the diagonal information:








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On Sep 3, 2010, at 4:56 AM, Gan Lu wrote:

> Hello val;
> 
>    Thank you very much for the replay. Its very clear and useful. So now I understand that in SW, it uses diagonal planes at times but not as often as other two planes. 
> 
>   Thanks you
> 
>   Gan
> 
> >>> "Valerie Sutton" <[log in to unmask]> 02/09/10 5:38 PM >>>
> SignWriting List
> September 2, 2010
> 
> > On Sep 2, 2010, at 3:36 AM, Gan Lu wrote:
> > Just a quick question. For the hand movement in sign writing, apart from the wall and floor plane, there is another diagonal plane also. How important the diagonal plane is in sign language? As there seems only a subtle information about it. Many thanks, Gan 
> 
> 
> 
> Hello Gan!
> Thank you for this question...I appreciate it, that you posted your question to the SignWriting List, as this helps all the readers on the LIst ;-)
> 
> Hands do go on Diagonal planes at times in sign languages, although not as often as the hands parallel to the Wall or Floor. The Diagonal hands are usually followed by a diagonal movement.
> 
> Regarding planes in SignWriting...
> 
> There are two things you need to know...how the Diagonal Planes relate to Movement Symbols and how they relate to Hands, because they are dependent on each other to write sign languages.
> 
> 1. The Wall Plane and the Floor Plane are used throughout all of SignWriting, for both Hand Symbols and Movement Arrows.
> 
> 2. When writing Movement Arrows, we do have the Up-Forward Diagonal Plane, the Down-Forward Diagonal Plane, the Up-Back Diagonal Plane and the Down-Back Diagonal Plane, but those Movement Arrows are not used as often as the Wall and Floor Planes.
>