1. Issues with SignWriting in Unicode 8 Prepared for UTC # 144
/ L2 # 241 (July 27-31, 2015) a Unicode Technical Committee meeting
in Redmond, WA by Stephen E Slevinski Jr in association with the
Center for Sutton Movement Writing
2. My Background Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Raised two
kids with sign language Started collaboration with Valerie Sutton
from 2004 until today Complete symbol encoding model on PUA Plane
16 (37,811 characters) Complete script encoding model on PUA Plane
15 (1,179 characters) Argued with Unicode in 2011 and then walked
away Released the ISWA 2010 symbol set in 2010 Finalized Formal
SignWriting in ASCII on Jan 12, 2012 5 Years of stability with the
symbol set and fonts design 3 1/2 Years of stability with the
character encoding models Involved with dozens of sign languages
around the world Foundation for all online use and modern
publishing efforts
3. SignWriting in Software All major SignWriting editors and
viewers are compatible. SignPuddle Online Primary source of written
sign language Delegs Editor Educational software from Germany for
bilingual education. SignWriter Studio General purpose SignWriting
editor, integrated dictionary, and printing. SWift SignWriting
improved fast transcriber that aims to simplify the editing
process. JSPad SignWriting editor for Japanese sign language based
in the Gifu University. Tunisigner interact with SignWriting
notations through a 3D virtual signer able to reproduce the exact
gestures represented within the sign language transcription.
SignTyp a linguistic coding system developed by Rachel Channon
through an NSF grant that is being integrated with
SignWriting.
4. http://www.signbank.org/signmaker.html Code Breakdown 0 KB 7
KB 14 KB 21 KB 28 KB 35 KB 42 KB 49 KB 56 KB 63 KB 70 KB
Configuration Support Libraries Custom HTML, JS, and CSS SignMaker
2015 Cross-browser, drag-and-drop sign editor, with dictionary and
advanced sign searching SignWriting in Software
5. Bookmarklet Javascript-based SignWriting Keyboard
Keyboarding editing has returned to SignWriting Wikimedia Incubator
The keyboard editor is enabled on Wikimedia Incubator for the
American Sign Language Wikipedia and every other sign language
project. Store JavaScript in a bookmark and you can use SignWriting
on any web page in any text fields. Any Website Add a few KB of
JavaScript and the keyboard editor can be enabled on any website
using standard edit boxes and visual presentation.
http://www.signwriting.org/symposium/presentation0041.html
SignWriting in Software
6. What about Unicode? PUA Plane 15 design (1,179 characters)
The symbol only design removed 2-D layout by dropping 5 structural
markers and 500 number characters N4015 Preliminary Unicode (674
characters) N4090 Revised Unicode (672 characters) N4342 Unicode
Proposal (672 characters) A new inherent design removes 2
characters (F1 and R1) and breaks collation as stated in proposal A
new facial diacritic design is proposed that is unsupported and
untested The original design is still compatible with the community
efforts.
7. Issues with SignWriting in Unicode 8 The Unicode 8
specification will not be used for any SignWriting project around
the world. The Unicode 8 specification for SignWriting is
politically valuable, but unhelpful for developers.
8. Issues with SignWriting in Unicode 8 The issue of the moment
is sorting, but there are three main issues. If we address all of
the issues for SignWriting, the existing International community of
SignWriters is ready, able, and willing to embrace the
standard.
9. Issue 1: Unicode 8 is incomplete
http://signbank.org/SignWriting_Character_Viewer.html Unicode 8
only encodes the symbols and ignores the issue of layout. Unicode 8
is missing the structural markers and number characters required
for 2-D Layout. Unicode 8 requires SVG for the visual presentation.
Unicode 8 requires additional characters/markup to write a
sign.
10. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed The idea of Inherent
characters breaks from the community use of today and historically.
Because of Inherent modifiers, sorting is broken, searching is
ambiguous, and replacements can be destructive. w s P Symbol Bases
Tokens i oSymbol Modifiers Tokens identified with a string of 3
tokens. w i o Writing Symbol P i o Punctuation Symbol Fill Rotation
Triadic Symbol
11. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed Sorting is broken 1D800
SIGNWRITING HAND-FIST INDEX (HFI) 1DAA1 SIGNWRITING ROTATION
MODIFIER-2 (R2) 1DA9B SIGNWRITING FILL MODIFIER-2 (F2) 1. HFI F1 R1
5. HFI F1 R1 HFI F1 R1 2. HFI F1 R2 6. HFI F1 R2 HFI F1 R1 3. HFI
F2 R1 7. HFI F2 R1 HFI F1 R1 4. HFI F2 R2 1. HFI 5. HFI HFI 3. HFI
F2 7. HFI F2 HFI 4. HFI F2 R2 2. HFI R2 6. HFI R2 HFI Correct
sorting with F1 & R1 Incorrect sorting without F1 & R1
http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2015/15184-signwriting-ducet.txt
http://signpuddle.net/15184-signwriting-ducet-response.txt
http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2015/15202-signwriting-ducet-aux.txt
13. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed Searching is ambiguous 1D800
SIGNWRITING HAND-FIST INDEX (HFI) 1DAA1 SIGNWRITING ROTATION
MODIFIER-2 (R2) 1DA9B SIGNWRITING FILL MODIFIER-2 (F2) 1. HFI F1 R1
5. HFI F1 R1 HFI F1 R1 2. HFI F1 R2 6. HFI F1 R2 HFI F1 R1 3. HFI
F2 R1 7. HFI F2 R1 HFI F1 R1 4. HFI F2 R2 1. HFI 5. HFI HFI 3. HFI
F2 7. HFI F2 HFI 4. HFI F2 R2 2. HFI R2 6. HFI R2 HFI Searching
with F1 & R1 Searching without F1 & R1 Searching for the
symbol HFI F1 R1 correctly finds 4 matches Searching for the symbol
HFI incorrectly finds 10 matches without negative lookaheads
14. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed Searching is ambiguous Query
String: QS10000S20500 Searching for signs that include 2 exact
symbols will return these results from the ASL Dictionary.
15. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed Searching is ambiguous Plus 6
more pages of signs. Query String: QS100uuS205uu In Unicode 8,
searching for a symbol base without fill or rotation modifiers will
return 6 times as much noise as signal.
16. Issue 2: Unicode 8 is flawed Replacements can be
destructive sub uFD830 uFD810 uFD820 by S10000; sub uFD830 uFD810
uFD821 by S10001; sub uFD830 uFD810 uFD822 by S10002; sub uFD830
uFD810 uFD823 by S10003; sub uFD830 uFD810 uFD824 by S10004; sub
uFD830 uFD810 uFD825 by S10005; sub uFD830 uFD810 uFD826 by S10006;
sub uFD830 uFD810 uFD827 by S10007; sub u1DA8B u1DAA7 by S38b07;
sub u1DA8B u1DAA6 by S38b06; sub u1DA8B u1DAA5 by S38b05; sub
u1DA8B u1DAA4 by S38b04; sub u1DA8B u1DAA3 by S38b03; sub u1DA8B
u1DAA2 by S38b02; sub u1DA8B u1DAA1 by S38b01; sub u1DA8B by
S38b00; https://github.com/Slevinski/signwriting_2010_tools The
TrueType Fonts use Ligatures to support multiple character sets.
Plane 15 Characters Unicode 8 Characters Increasing symbols keys or
decreasing works without issue. Decreasing symbol keys to avoid
destruction.
17. Issue 3: Unicode 8 is fictional Facial diacritics do not
exist. There is no font support, no software support, and no data.
Facial diacritics are described in one document, using 177 words.
Facial diacritics have never been tested on any individual, let
alone an international group. Facial expressions are created using
overlap and overlay of many symbols using Cartesian coordinates for
each. Facial diacritics should be handled in software rather than
the character encoding. Facial diacritics development was quietly
abandoned the end of 2012.
18. Formal SignWriting Regular Expressions Query Strings
Community Use SVG PUA Plane 15 Graphite Font Unicode 8 PUA Plane
16TTF 10% to 50% reduction 15 to 50 times expansion process million
of characters per second search results 15 times expansion single
character per symbolligatures of 1 to 3 characters twice the size
cartesian coordinates with GPOS CSS style text Isomorphic JS ASCII
Lite Markup preferredunused prototype 6 KB zipped
19. AS18711S20500 M514x517S18711490x483S20500486x506
AS18711S20500M514x517S18711490x483S20500486x506 A S18711 S20500
M514x517 S18711490x483 S20500486x506 M 514x517 S18711 490x483
S20500 486x506 (514,517) (490,483) (486,506) Time Space Sequence
Marker Symbol Middle Lane SignBox Max Coord Spatial Symbol
Community Use Formal SignWriting Standard ASCII format is
Isomorphic to PUA Plane 15
20. Unicode 9 Regular Expressions Query Strings Ideal Solution
Graphite Font TTF 10% to 50% reduction 15 to 50 times expansion
process million of characters per second search results cartesian
coordinates with GPOS CSS style text
http://signpuddle.net/iswa/#smartfont Prototype Font uses Cartesian
coordinates for 2-D layout with Graphite JS 6 KB zipped
21. Too Late? SignWriting is spreading around the world and
exploding online. All of the SignWriting projects are using an
ASCII solution and have no plans to switch to the Unicode 8 design
for the symbols. Without a full script solution for SignWriting,
Unicode will not be used for SignWriting, especially the Unicode 8
design which complicates otherwise simple routines. Using Unicode
for SignWriting is a great idea in theory, but there are few
advantages and too many disadvantages to seriously consider
applying the Unicode 8 design, even if sorting is fixed. I left the
Unicode effort the end of 2011. In 2012, I was shown the latest
proposal (N4342). I objected privately and asked that they produce
a working font before they contact me again. In 2014, I was
contacted that SignWriting will be in Unicode 8. I reiterated my
objections, pointing out the issues, and was told it was too late
to change the design in any way.
22. Discussion Ideas 2-Color Fonts SignWriting relies on a
2-color font. Currently, SignWriting mimics a 2-color font by using
2 TrueType Fonts: one for the line and another for the filling. If
you have any experience with 2-color fonts, lets discuss the
possibilities. 2-Dimensional Layout with Graphite and Cartesian
coordinates SignWriting has a prototype font that uses Cartesian
coordinates to control the 2-dimensional layout with Graphite and
PUA Plane 15 characters. If you have any experience with
2-dimensional layout using Cartesian coordinates, lets discuss the
possibilities. Alternate designs for a 2-dimensional script This
type of discussion is interesting, but it will not effect the
SignWriting community. The standards are stable and widely used.
This would make for an interesting project, but it is not work that
I will be doing myself.
23. Discussion Ideas Unicode 9 or 10 Can we deprecate Unicode
8? The community design has been stable for 3 1/2 years. There is
an interested community and there are many possibilities for
2-Color fonts and 2-Dimensional layout. Unicode 8 I will not be
using Unicode 8. I partially support Unicode 8 with the SignWriting
2010 Fonts, but not the facial diacritics. I suggested that people
avoid use SignWriting in Unicode 8. Im willing to discuss any of
the 3 issues that I have outlined, but Im not invested in any
tweaks to the Unicode 8 design. Symbol Encoding Model PUA Plane 16
(37,811 characters) Script Encoding Model PUA Plane 15 (1,179
characters) both designs are productive and used today
24. Issues with SignWriting in Unicode 8 by Stephen E Slevinski
Jr http://slevinski.github.io [email protected]
http://www.slideshare.net/StephenSlevinski/presentations
