Talk:WikiSigns

Wiktionary

I believe this should be part of Wiktionary. wikt: OpenB@Chest-PalmBack_CirclesSurface#American_Sign_Language PiRSquared17 (talk) 12:37, 28 February 2014 (UTC)

Not sure about that. Wikisigns is a bilingual/multilingual translation dictionary and not a definition dictionary. Also, users of different sign languages may use the same written language. --Snecci (talk) 07:07, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

We could enhance each lexicon entry on Wiktionary by including sign language GIFs. However, it is essential to provide a link directing users to WikiSigns.org, where they can fully immerse themselves in the world of sign language. Sign language is a unique and distinctly visual linguistic system, requiring careful focus and attention to detail for accurate representation. It possesses its own rich history and language family roots, separate from spoken languages. For example, while English belongs to the Germanic language family, American Sign Language (ASL) originates from French Sign Language (LSF), placing it within an entirely different linguistic lineage.

By connecting these platforms, we can foster a greater understanding and appreciation of sign language as a vital and complex form of human communication. Insolera (talk) 18:28, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

Is MediaWiki really the right platform for building a translation dictionary for written language to sign language and vica versa? There are better software platforms for this purpose, some of these which could be improved and putting under a free license (at least I know one platform who could be used). But WMF didn't accept any other software platforms than MediaWiki except for special internal purposes (Bugzilla, OTRS). If WMF is willing to accept other platforms, it would be super, but I have doubt in it. --Filzstift (talk) 13:10, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

I firmly believe that the creation and existence of Wikisigns is both essential and foundational. As a deaf individual from a deaf family, an activist, and a polyglot fluent in various languages, I have firsthand experience with the challenges of finding local signs. This often requires personal connections within the Deaf community and access to native signers.

Although some apps exist, they are frequently disconnected from one language to another, offering only limited signs. These tools are often designed with hearing people in mind, aiming to teach them sign language rather than serving the needs of native users. There is a lack of detailed signs and no open-source platform where native signers can collaborate online, share knowledge, and engage in comparative linguistics.

Wikisigns could revolutionize this space by providing a comprehensive, accessible database. It could allow users to explore variations of the same sign, track their evolution over time (as sign languages naturally evolve), and conduct in-depth linguistic analysis. Imagine a platform where you could simply type a word and see the corresponding sign appear in GIF format.

This project has been a dream of mine, and I am confident it would attract academic researchers and native signers eager to contribute. Please approve this initiative—it has the potential to become a transformative resource for the global Deaf community and beyond. Insolera (talk) 18:17, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

As stated, all Wikimedia projects – including Wiktionary, as well as WikiSigns if it becomes a Wikimedia project – run on MediaWiki. If signs can be fit in MediaWiki (maybe with some software development), they can be fit in Wiktionary as well; if they can’t, they can’t be fit in WikiSigns as a Wikimedia project either, and it’ll have to be hosted somewhere else. (If they can be fit in MediaWiki but need software development, I’m positive that someone will do that development, since one of the main goals of the Wikimedia movement is knowledge equity, and this would be a step towards that.)

By the way, I’m not sure if GIF is the best format: I haven’t tried to learn a sign language yet, but I think I’d want to look at the sign at my own pace to be able to understand and memorize it – GIFs don’t allow that (the GIF sets a speed, and the individual pictures display at that speed, without the user having a way to slow it down or stop it), but videos do. —Tacsipacsi (talk) 20:23, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

Would it be acceptable for users to upload sign language videos for each lexicon entry on Wiktionary? Insolera (talk) 08:31, 9 December 2024 (UTC)