Earlier quoted context omitted.
SignWriting is closer in purpose to the International Phonetic Alphabet for spoken languages. It attempts to allow detailed recording of the actual signing as it is signed for any sign language. It has a lot of the disdvantages of IPA as a practical writing system as well. Sign languages are not the same as spoken languages used in the same countries, as is very apparent if you look at transliterations of ASL using l…
Interestingly, one advantage SignWriting may have over IPA is that while you cannot easily represent sounds in a visual medium (thus letters are mostly arbitrary) movement and hand depictions in SW are highly iconic. Also, just as you can drop many IPA symbols and just get the basic set needed to represent a particular language, I guess you could use "simplified" SW ignoring the fine differences.
Re: Sutton SignWriting is a writing system for sign languages
#11Though a sign-writing still has to contend with lack of a third dimension, it's still a projection like IPA from one medium to another. Certainly an easier to visualize projection, but still a bit like a map projection not entirely capturing the globe.