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.
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 main screen refers to this module. It contains frequently used linguistic and editorial fields and leads to the other modules.
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.
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).
To set and store the crucial single frame stills of each sign, which are used for the printing mode of the MUDRA dictionary.
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
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 |