A human-editable Sign Language representation for software editing---and a writing system?

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new human-editable, queryable, and user-friendly sign language representation system designed for software integration, addressing limitations of video-based methods and exploring its potential as a standalone writing system.

Contribution

It introduces a novel sign language writing system that is editable, queryable, and synthesisable, filling a gap in software processing of signed content.

Findings

Proposes a new sign language representation system.

Analyzes existing writing systems for spoken and signed languages.

Suggests potential for the system to serve as an independent writing system.

Abstract

To equip SL with software properly, we need an input system to represent and manipulate signed contents in the same way that every day software allows to process written text. Refuting the claim that video is good enough a medium to serve the purpose, we propose to build a representation that is: editable, queryable, synthesisable and user-friendly---we define those terms upfront. The issue being functionally and conceptually linked to that of writing, we study existing writing systems, namely those in use for vocal languages, those designed and proposed for SLs, and more spontaneous ways in which SL users put their language in writing. Observing each paradigm in turn, we move on to propose a new approach to satisfy our goals of integration in software. We finally open the prospect of our proposition being used outside of this restricted scope, as a writing system in itself, and compare its properties to the other writing systems presented.