Wolfgang Georgsdorf, Fischerfilm, Vienna - Linz

MUDRA SIGN ANALYZER (MSA) - A Database/ Processing Tool for the Project MUDRA

Data Design, Technical Supervision: Kurt Hennrich, MA - Production: Markus Fischer, Fischerfilm

Introduction

MUDRA, a multi media dictionary and package of different user-applications for learners of sign languages, preliminarily for learners of Austrian Sign Language (OeGS) is to be described seperately. An illustrated description of the Beta version MUDRA is available at www.fischerfilm.com/fifi/mudra-e/.

The MSA has been created merely for research and SL analyses, to gather and store linguistic and technical data required for MUDRA: A tool used to survey and describe signs and sign phrases in sign languages; for collecting, comparing, selecting and editing various informations about signs, to be then processed and implemented into the actual MUDRA databases, which are again of a different data format than the data in the MSA.

This has to be mentioned, since many of the listed fields and functions in the different modules/subdatabases of the MSA serve rather technical than only lexicographic purposes related to the job of transferring data into MUDRA.

The current MSA is a relational database system made with FileMaker Pro 3.0.

The version described here is the MSA 3.0, which is under construction now, as we are going to use it for the work on MUDRA 1.0, the first final version of MUDRA. The screenshots are some of the former MSA 2.0, which we were using in our work on the Beta version of MUDRA, since the MSA 3.0 is not finalized at this state of the project, particularly not its layout and interfaces. These interfaces and additional field-relations will have to be updated in this site, as soon as they are set ready.

The MSA as a tool is bound to undergo changes, extensions and upgrades while being used, as the ongoing work continuously brings up new requirements and demands with respect to fields, categories and the way they are linked and related to each other. As soon as a change is indicated, the work with the particular module pauses for the time of the upgrading intervention.

The necessity to stay flexible for these changes was one of the most obvious experiences in the first two phases of the project.

Fields which can be assumed as obvious in their function through their name remain undescribed here.

Structure and Description of the MSA

The input fields of each record are structured in sections:

The MSA consists of the following databases:

According to the graphic environment possibilities of FileMaker Pro, the operation panels are designed with buttons for the usual operation commands as to scroll, mark, sort, choose, etc., various multiple choice fields (pull-down and pop-up menus) and checkbox fields as an input aid for recurring data inputs.

Specific technical fields, particularly those that do not show up in the surface of the tool, are listed in angular brackets and serve no linguistic purpose. The data in many of those fields serve computations (e.g. in operations of exporting, importing or processing data for transfer into Mudra) and aren't even saved when closing the application.

All phonological parameter fields and their pop-up-charts are designed as icons in the choice menues and in the display fields, along with their terms.

The modules and their fields

Mudra_DB(00):

The main screen refers to this module. It contains frequently used linguistic and editorial fields and leads to the other modules.

Mudra_DB_Glosses:

Mudra_DB_Meanings:

MUDRA_DB_examples/instances

Mudra_DB_Persons (Informants and participants of sessions):

To retrace the way, signs and informations about signs have been collocated, and to maintain the integrity of data, various informations about all individuals which are involved in the process of survey, are stored here. This module allows to review, which informants testified a particular sign; Together with the module DB_sessions and the work remarks in DB(00), it is also possible to retrace the procedure and circumstances, that led to the recorded informations and conclusions about a sign. At times questions about certein signs and informations arise and rechecks are required, which happens partly by also contacting informants or participants of those sessions that led to the respective informations.

Mudra_DB_Sessions:

Session: Any crucial and recorded meeting with informants. Mostly gatherings of little groups. The first filming/ recording date is also considered as a session (no matter if signs were stimulated by prompts or gained through analyses of signed corpora).

Mudra_DB_QTsteps:

To set and store the crucial single frame stills of each sign, which are used for the printing mode of the MUDRA dictionary.

Mudra_DB_Phonological parameters:

Many of the parameters can be checkmarked in multiple ways in the sense of several multiple conditions of one parameter, not excluding each other, since a sign might allow to be be performed in more than one condition of a feature, without change of its meaning.

1 = one-handed or two-handed?

2 = do both hands move?

3 = non-dominant hand/ handshape

4 = non-dominant hand/ class of handshape

5 = non-dominant hand/ orientation (side of the hand)

6 = non-dominant hand/ orientation (palm)

(Dominant hand):

7 = start of sign/ handshape

8 = start of sign/ class of handshape

9 = start of sign/ orientation (side of the hand)

10 = start of sign/ orientation (palm)

11 = start of sign/ starting point

12 = start of sign/ starting zone

13 = start of sign/ contact

14 = course of sign/ type of movement

15 = course of sign/ direction of movement

16 = course of sign/ plane of movement

17 = course of sign/ contact

18 = end of sign/ handshape

19 = end of sign/ class of handshape

20 = end of sign/ orientation (side of the hand)

21 = end of sign/ orientation (palm)

22 = end of sign/ final point

23 = end of sign/ final zone

24 = end of sign/ contact

25 = unused

FEATURE STATES/ PARAMETER ASSIGNMENT:

1 = one-handed or two-handed? 01 = one-handed
02 = two-handed
03 = one-handed and/or two-handed
xx = "?" (not decided)
(if two-handed):

2 = do both hands move?

01 = both hands move
02 = only one hand moves
xx = "?" (not decided)
3 = non-dominant hand/ handshape 01 - 68
xx = "?" (not decided)
4 = non-dominant hand/ class of handshape 01 = flat hand
02 = fist
03 = finger combinations without thumb
04 = thumb-finger-combination
xx = "?" (not decided)
5 = non-dominant hand/ orientation (side of the hand) 01 = towards inside
02 = towards outside
03 = down
04 = up
05 = to front
06 = to back
07 = towards inside / inclined
08 = towards outside / inclined
09 = down / inclined
10 = up / inclined
11 = to front / inclined
12 = to back / inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
6 = non-dominant hand/ orientation (palm) 01 = towards inside
02 = towards outside
03 = down
04 = up
05 = to front
06 = to back
07 = towards inside / inclined
08 = towards outside / inclined
09 = down / inclined
10 = up / inclined
11 = to front / inclined
12 = to back / inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
for the dominant hand:
7 = start of sign/ handshape
01-68 (pop-up-chart/multiple choice)
xx = "?" (not decided)
8 = start of sign/ class of handshape 01 = flat hand
02 = fist
03 = finger combinations without thumb
04 = thumb-finger-combination
xx = "?" (not decided)
9 = start of sign/ orientation (side of the hand) 01 = towards inside
02 = towards outside
03 = down
04 = up
05 = to front
06 = to back
07 = towards inside / inclined
08 = towards outside / inclined
09 = down / inclined
10 = up / inclined
11 = to front / inclined
12 = to back / inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
10 = start of sign/ orientation (palm) 01 = towards inside
02 = towards outside
03 = down
04 = up
05 = to front
06 = to back
07 = towards inside / inclined
08 = towards outside / inclined
09 = down / inclined
10 = up / inclined
11 = to front / inclined
12 = to back / inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
11 = start of sign/ starting point 01 = above the head
02 = forehead
03 = temple
04 = eyebrow
05 = eye
06 = nose
07 = ear
08 = cheek
09 = mouth
10 = corner of the mouth
11 = chin
12 = below chin
13 = neck
14 = shoulder left
15 = shoulder right
16 = chest left
17 = chest center
18 = chest right
19 = abdomen
20 = hip
21 = upper thigh
22 = upper arm
23 = elbow outside
24 = elbow inside
25 = forearm
26 = side of hand next to wrist
27 = side of hand far from wrist
28 = ball of the thumb/ palm next to wrist
29 = palm
30 = back of the hand
31 = wrist inside (pulse)
32 = wrist outside (back of the hand)
33 = thumb
34 = index finger
35 = middle finger
36 = ring finger
37 = pinky finger
38 = tumb tip
39 = thumb nail
40 = thumb base
41 = thumb side
42 = index finger / tip
43 = index finger / nail
44 = index finger / base
45 = index finger / side
46 = middle finger / tip
47 = middle finger / nail
48 = middle finger / base
49 = middle finger / side
50 = ring finger / tip
51 = ring finger / nail
52 = ring finger / base
53 = ring finger / side
54 = pinky Finger / tip
55 = pinky Finger / nail
56 = pinky Finger / base
57 = pinky Finger / side
xx = "?" (not decided)
12 = start of sign/ Ausführungszone 01 = head
02 = body
03 = hand
04 = leg
05 = neutral space
06 = head side
07 = body / side
08 = hand / side
09 = neutral space / side
xx = "?" (not decided)
13 = start of sign/ contact 01 = contact
02 = proximate (no contact)
xx = "?" (not decided)
14 = course of sign/ type of movement 01 = straight line
02 = bow
03 = circle
04 = spiral / screw
05 = wave
06 = rectangle
07 = triangle
08 = turn on point
09 = single angle
(+) 11 = finger wiggling
(+) 12 = repetition
(+) 13 = opening and closing of the hand
xx = "?" (not decided)
15 = course of sign/ direction of movement 01 = forward
02 = back
03 = up
04 = down
05 = towards right side
06 = towards left side
07 = forward / inclined
08 = back / inclined
09 = up / inclined
10 = down / inclined
11 = towards right side / inclined
12 = towards left side / inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
16 = course of sign/ plane of movement 01 = vertical
02 = horizontal
03 = inclined
xx = "?" (not decided)
17 = course of sign/ contact: as in 13
18 = end of sign/ handshape: as in 3 and 7
19 = end of sign/ class of handshape: as in 8
20 = end of sign/ orientation (side of the hand): as in 9
21 = end of sign/ orientation (palm): as in 10
22 = end of sign/ final point: as in 11
23 = end of sign/ Ausführungszone: as in 12
24 = end of sign/ contact: as in 13
25 = unused


List of workshop papers