SignWriting ListSeptember 3, 2013
Hello Fabrizio!
I am also very honored to "meet" you. Thank you for SWIFT and your ongoing developments.
Welcome you to the SignWriting List. This List includes experts from different professions, all using SignWriting in some way. There are software developers, teachers, sign language students, linguists, researchers, interpreters, and members from the Deaf Community, from 18 countries. All languages are welcome.
I feel particularly touched by the work in Italy, since Elena Pizzuto and I met years ago and her dynamic interest in SignWriting was an encouragement and inspiration for me. At a time when most linguists of the day (over a decade ago) assumed that a writing system for sign languages needed to be abstract and horizontal-linear like western spoken language writing systems, Elena asked the Deaf Community and her co-workers what they wanted (if I understand it correctly) and they chose SignWriting I believe…this was an honor for me, and it encouraged me to continue working…
So let me introduce you to some of the other software being developed...
SignPuddle is developed by Steve Slevinski. Steve and I work together as a partnership, so SignPuddle is a part of our ongoing work. Steve is also developing the software needed to write Wikipedias in SignWriting, called the SignWriting MediaWiki Plugin. Do you know about the SignWriting Wikipedia projects?
ASL Wikipedia Test Project
We hope the Symposium in 2014 will at least in part be helping SignWriting users around the world to start their own Wikipedias written in their sign languages - an Italian Sign Language Wikipedia will be awesome - the SW MediaWiki Plugin does use the ISWA 2010, but I can see by your other message, that that will not be a problem for your software and hopefully we can all coordinate.
SignWriter Studio is under development as well, designed and programmed by Jonathan Duncan:
SignWriter Studio
and Delegs software comes from Hamburg, Germany, and is an Editor that is popular among teachers - it accesses SignPuddle Online dictionaries, to create texts for students -
Delegs
Click on the Delegs International button on the left side of their web page to get an English translation of the German on the site…Some of the developers involved are the inspiring teacher of Deaf children, Stefan Woehrmann and this group of software developers:
and
C1 WPS Workplace Solutions Geschäftsführer:
Gesellschaft für DV-Beratung mbH Dr. Guido Gryczan
Vogt-Kölln-Straße 30 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Züllighoven
22527 Hamburg HRB 73999 - Amtsgericht Hamburg
Telefon: +49 40 51 32 26 82
[log in to unmask]Telefax: +49 40 51 32 26 83
http://www.c1-wps.de
By the way, everyone, I remember developers in French-Belgium informed me they are working on a new web site too.
The design of SWIFT reminds me of a Flemish-Belgian web site that has a figure that you click on to find the symbols. Go to:
Flemish Sign Language Dictionary Online
Click on a part of the figure's body and it takes you to the SignWriting symbols for that part of the body ;-)
This was not the ISWA 2010 in Flanders at that time - it was back before that - maybe IMWA 2004?
That is why we are staying with the ISWA 2010 - to get standardized with one symbol set so at least the programs can communicate with each other - that does not mean that new developments cannot be done, but it is just a bit of a job to coordinate everything -
I started to glance at your MA thesis and the document is so nice - I look forward to reading it!
Val ;-)
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Valerie,
it is indeed a honor for me to "meet" you!
I'm very glad to know there are other IT colleagues at work on the same field I am.
I'm working on a SW editor since 2010, SWift is my first achievement, and more goals will be met in the next future.
I will write a report about my work very soon, in the meantime, I can assure my presence (and I think Claudia's too) at La Jolla, on next summer!
Kind regards