ISWA 2008

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The ISWA 2008 has been superceeded by the ISWA 2010. It is available under the Open Font License.

[edit] Symbol Name

Each symbol of the ISWA has a unique name called the symbol ID. Every symbols does not have a unique glyph.

The symbol ID is a six part number formatted for zero padding with a mask of "xx-xx-xxx-xx-xx-xx-xx". The six individual numbers of the symbol ID listed by order are: category, group, base, variation, fill, rotation.

The first number by itself identifies the Category, together with the second number identifies the SymbolGroup ID.

The third number identifies the BaseSymbol place, usually with an "01" for the fourth number: variation. When more than one BaseSymbols share the first three numbers, the fourth number will order these BaseSymbols with variation numbers starting from 1.

The fifth and six numbers uniquely define an individual symbol. They are used to place symbols on a 6 by 16 palette. Each BaseSymbol has a unique symbol palette that lists the symbols on a 6 by 16 grid with valid columns and valid rows. Any cell on a valid column and a valid row is valid and must identify a symbol. Any cell on an invalid column or an invalid row does not represent a symbol and is invalid.

[edit] Structures

You can build 2 structures with the ISWA 2008: signs and punctuation.

[edit] Sign

A sign structure is a combination of a Spatial SignSpelling with an optional SignSpelling Sequence.

[edit] Punctuation

Punctuation structures are composed of a single punctuation symbol.

[edit] Symbol Type

The ISWA 2008 identifies 3 main types of symbols.

[edit] Writing

Writing symbols are used in both the Spatial SignSpelling and the SignSpelling Sequence of a sign.

[edit] Sorting

Detailed location symbols can only be used in the SignSpelling Sequence and may enhance sorting for large lists.

[edit] Punctuation

Punctuation symbols are always used alone.

[edit] Categories

The ISWA 2008 identifies 7 categories for the symbols.

Writing Symbols

Category 1: Hands

Handshapes from over 40 Sign Languages are placed in 10 groups based on the numbers 1-10 in American Sign Language.

Category 2: Movement

Contact symbols, small finger movements, straight arrows, curved arrows and circles are placed into 10 groups based on planes: The Front Wall Plane includes movement that is “parallel to the front wall” and the Floor Plane includes movement that is “parallel to the floor”.

Category 3: Face Head

Starting from the top of the face and moving down, Groups 21-24 include detailed facial expressions and movement of parts of the face and neck. Group 25 includes head movement and views of the head.

Category 4: Body

Torso movement, shoulders, hips, and the limbs are used in Sign Languages as a part of grammar, especially when describing conversations between people, called Role Shifting, or making spatial comparisons between items on the left and items on the right. The symbols of the body that are in Category 4 are important when writing sign language storytelling and poetry. All sign languages have some signs that point below the hips, or touch the torso, or hunch the shoulders, or touch the arms and wrists.

Category 5: Dynamics

Dynamics Symbols are used mostly with Movement Symbols and Punctuation Symbols, to give the "feeling" or "tempo" to movement. They also provide emphasis on a movement or expression, and combined with Puncuation 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.

Punctuation Symbols

Category 6: Punctuation

Punctuation Symbols are used when writing complete sentences or documents in SignWriting. The Punctuation Symbols do not look like the symbols for punctuation in English, but they do have similar meanings. SignWriting punctuation symbols include a period, comma, colon, semicolon, exclamation point and so forth.

Sorting Symbols

Category 7: Advanced Sorting

Detailed Location Markers that are used in the SignSpelling Sequence and not in the Spatial SignSpelling. Often used in computer software to assist in giving further details for sorting large sign language dictionaries. Detailed location markers help decide which sign should come first and which should come second for collation.

[edit] SymbolGroups

The ISWA 2008 identifies 30 SymbolsGroups.

Category 1: Hands

Group 01: Index

Group 02: Index Middle

Group 03: Index Middle Thumb

Group 04: 4 Fingers

Group 05: 5 Fingers

Group 06: Baby Finger

Group 07: Ring Finger

Group 08: Middle Finger

Group 09: Index Thumb

Group 10: Thumb

Category 2: Movement

Group 11: Contact

Group 12: Finger Movement

Group 13: Straight Wall Plane

Group 14: Straight Diagonal Plane

Group 15: Straight Floor Plane

Group 16: Curves Wall Plane

Group 17: Curves Hit Wall Plane

Group 18: Curves Hit Floor Plane

Group 19: Curves Floor Plane

Group 20: Circles

Category 3: Faces & Head

Group 21: Brow, Eyes, Eyegaze

Group 22: Cheeks Ears Nose Breath

Group 23: Mouth Lips

Group 24: Tongue Teeth Chin Neck

Group 25: Head

Category 4: Body

Group 26: Shoulders Hips Torso

Group 27: Limbs

Category 5: Dynamics

Group 28: Dynamics & Timing

Category 6: Punctuation

Group 29: Punctuation

Category 7: Advanced Sorting

Group 30: Location for Sorting

[edit] BaseSymbols

The ISWA 2008 identifies 639 BaseSymbols.

[edit] Symbols

The ISWA 2008 uses 35023 symbols. Each symbol has a unique name and non-unique glyph. The glyphs of the ISWA 2008 use 3 colors: line, fill, and back. The line color is the positive drawing of the glyph and represents the shape. The fill color is an optional negative drawing for the inside of a symbol that can cover the line of symbols placed underneath. Only category 1 and 2 use fill color. Back color is used for the background of the symbols. The back color defaults to transparent so that symbols can be written in a cluster.

[edit] Token Reference

w: Writing token

Category 1, Category 2, SymbolGroup 27, Category 4

c: Centering token

Category 3 & SymbolGroup 26

P: Punctuation token

Category 6

s: Sorting token

Category 7

[edit] History

[edit] Version 1.0.0

Completed in 2008,

[edit] Version 1.0.1

The names of 2 BaseSymbols were updated. Completed in 2009.

[edit] Version 1.0.2

Slight update to 576 symbols due to a palm facing irregularity. This will be coming soon in 2010.

[edit] Successor

The ISWA 2010 supersedes the ISWA 2008. The ISWA 2010 is a focused refactor to the ISWA 2008.

The specific changes are documented in the ISWA Conversion Package.

[edit] Detailed Location Symbols

The Sorting symbol type has been renamed Sequence symbol type and is listed before the Punctuation symbol type. The Advances Sorting category has been renamed the Detailed Location category and moved before the Punctuation category. The Location for Sorting SymbolGroup has been renamed the Detailed Location SymbolGroup.

[edit] Dynamics Move

The Dynamics category has been moved after the Movement and before the Faces & Head category.

[edit] Head Move

The Head SymbolGroup has been moved before the other SymbolGroups in the Faces & Head category.

[edit] More movement symbols

The movement symbols have been filled out and completed. New movement symbols were added to existing BaseSymbols. No new BaseSymbols were added.

[edit] Variation defect fix

The following BaseSymbols of the ISWA 2008 have different sized symbol palettes. This was fixed by making the symbol palettes the same size or by renaming the BaseSymbols so they are no longer variations.

02-03-008
03-01-007
03-01-008
03-03-005
03-04-001
03-04-004
03-04-005
03-04-006
04-02-002
07-01-002

[edit] Remove hand shape variations

Hand shape variations were used to pack extra hand shapes into the existing list without changing the name of existing symbols. For the ISWA 2010, the variations were removed from the hand shapes and they were renumbered, always with a variation value of "01".

[edit] New hand shapes

11 new hand shapes were added. While the list of possible hand shapes is endless, these new hand shapes were discussed since the release of the ISWA 2008.