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Hi James and everyone, Below, you explain potential ³rules, vocabulary, reading sections and a SW workbook² to the SW list. Do you have your material for rules, vocabulary and reading sections and a SW workbook (for Deaf children)? If so, I would like to get it. Best regards, André Le 13-12-21 12:15, « James Shepard-Kegl » <[log in to unmask]> a écrit : >Fellow Signwriters, educators, linguists and signers, > >I continue to mull over the request for materials for the little Tunisian >project. I am ignoring the notion that SignWriting will help Deaf >children with sounds (?????) or their "mother tongue" (unless their >mother is Deaf and signs and this means their "mother hand"). > >However, the request for materials to teach SignWriting is a valid >request IF the request is really to teach signing, using SignWriting as >an orthographic tool (which is what SW actually is.) I am sure that many >of us have been developing such materials in one form or another for >years. Maybe we could pool resources and efforts to produce something >that many people will find truly useful. > >Let's begin with a premise: Signed languages tend to be grammatically >similar (not the same, but not all that different, either.) Vocabulary >varies a lot, but all signed languages use classifiers and classifier >clitics a great deal. All these languages follow syntax rules using >spatial and locative verbs. This is the reason that natively fluent Deaf >signers in one country pick up other signed languages so quickly, even >when these signers themselves cannot articulate their own grammar rules. >(You don't have to know what a "predicate" is to use one properly in your >sentence structure for your own language. On the other hand, it is very >useful to know grammar labels and rules when you are trying to learn the >language of somebody else.) > >I keep making a big deal that you can't teach SignWriting unless you have >developed reading material that is FUN to read. But, what I mean is that >you want fun and engaging reading material to help teach signing -- and >not just to Deaf children, but to their hearing siblings and >parents/grandparents, as well. > >I am picturing in my mind a text, divided into sections: > >1) A RULES section that explains in detail the common grammar terms of >signed languages. This section would use illustrations from many signed >languages. And, this section would be translated into many spoken >languages. (That is, there would be an English version, a French >version, an Arabic version, and so forth. The educator then purchases or >is furnished with the specified version.) You will note that this >section is intended for literate educators. An ASL version, or >translation in other signed languages, would be really cool, too. >Publishing something that will be understandable and helpful will not be >easy. However, please bear in mind that the reason that most hearing >administrators do not accept that signed languages are bona fide >languages (and the reason that so many Deaf people don't believe it >either is that publications like this are rare.) > >2) A VOCABULARY section -- perhaps 1,000 signs -- again, specify the >signed language you want. Each sign is depicted in photos or diagrams, >SignWriting, and "the mother tongue". A cute illustration would be nice, >too. > >3) A SIGNWRITING WORKBOOK to accompany the vocabulary section. > >4) A READING section: 20 illustrated children's stories, to be >practiced and enjoyed by all. If you produce a simple illustrated >version of Little Red Riding Hood in German, it does not take a lot of >effort to reproduce the same story in English. This should be even more >true for signed languages. > >This concept will take a lot of work -- several years, I expect. But, in >the end, when someone somewhere asks for materials to teach SignWriting, >we will have something really impressive, fun and useful to offer. > >-- James > >________________________________________________ > > >SIGNWRITING LIST INFORMATION > >Valerie Sutton >SignWriting List moderator >[log in to unmask] > >Post Messages to the SignWriting List: >[log in to unmask] > >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 > ________________________________________________ SIGNWRITING LIST INFORMATION Valerie Sutton SignWriting List moderator [log in to unmask] Post Messages to the SignWriting List: [log in to unmask] 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