Modern SignWriting

SignWriting is the universal script for writing any sign language. Sign languages are human languages based on visual gestures. Sign languages have proven to have many of the uses and benefits of other voiced and written languages, as well as other uses and benefits unique to sign language alone.

Modern SignWriting is a faithful encoding of SignWriting that is stable by design. It is based on the glass-box idea where all necessary information is available to understand input, processing, and output. We can faithfully predict the results of any processing without having to use a computer. The algorithms have been optimized for flexibility, accuracy, simplicity, and speed.

Revision Control

All development has moved to revision control with Git and is available on GitHub.

Status

Fonts

The font has been stable since it’s initial release on October 20th, 2010. Several compatible improvements have been added along the way. The fonts are available online at SignPuddle.net/iswa and are in the process of being moved to GitHub. The fonts are currently available in a file hierarchy. Each font will be ported to a single XML file.

Software

The software is currently under development as the SignWriting Image Server. Major version 2 is the unstable development version. It is capable of displaying and searching SignWriting text.

Major version 3 of the SignWriting Image Server will be a stable and standard compliant implementation of Modern SignWriting.

Roadmap

Vision

An extensive collection of fonts and software that makes it possible to use SignWriting online, on the desktop, and with mobile devices.

Goal

Develop standard compliant software on GitHub based on a stable design of Modern SignWriting.

Gap

The formal specification of Modern SignWriting are stable but incomplete. As the standards solidify, the software should strive to fully implement the standard.

Plan

Finalize the standards, improve and document the software, and release a stable implementation that is production ready.

Contribute

Collaboration should take place on GitHub or on the SignWriting email list.

About

The fonts of Modern SignWriting cover the International SignWriting Alphabet 2010. The symbols of the ISWA 2010 were designed by SignWriting inventor, Valerie Sutton. The symbols were transformed by Stephen E Slevinski Jr.

Special thanks to Adam Frost for his extensive work on the SVG Refinement and the Hand Photo fonts.

SignPuddle software was created by Stephen E Slevinski Jr in collaboration with SignWriting inventor, Valerie Sutton. For the past 8 years, Steve has continued with his initial conception of SignWriting using a mathamatical model.

Through trial and evaluation, several intermediate models has been successively refactored to reduce the complexity and the computation cost of the implementations. Several generations of empirical data has been created by applying the model to real world situations. The consequences of the model has been observable by the senses. Problem areas and shortcomings have been resolved to create a robust solution.