In this paper, we will present problems that arise when trying to render legible signed texts containing mathematical discourse in Finnish Sign Language. Calculation processes in sign language are carried out using fingers, both hands and the three-dimensional neutral space in front of the signer. Specific hand movements and especially the space in front of the body function like a working memory where fingers, hands and space are used as buoys in a regular and syntactically well-defined manner when retrieving, for example, subtotals. As these calculation processes are performed in fragments of seconds with both hands that act individually, simultaniousity and multidimensionality create problems for traditional coding and notation systems used in sign language research. Conversion to glosses or translations to spoken or written text (e.g. in Finnish or English) has proven challenging and what is most important, none of these ways gives justice to this unique concept mapping and mathematical thinking in signed language. Our proposal is an intermediary solution, a simple numeric animation while looking for a more developed, possibly a three-dimensional representation to visualise the calculation processes in signed languages.
@inproceedings{raino:14025:sign-lang:lrec,
author = {Rain{\`o}, P{\"a}ivi and Huovila, Marja and Seilola, Irja},
title = {Visualizing the spatial working memory Visualizing the spatial working memory Visualizing the spatial working memory in mathematical discourse in {Finnish} {Sign} {Language}},
pages = {149--152},
editor = {Crasborn, Onno and Efthimiou, Eleni and Fotinea, Stavroula-Evita and Hanke, Thomas and Kristoffersen, Jette and Mesch, Johanna},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the {LREC2014} 6th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Beyond the Manual Channel},
maintitle = {9th International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation ({LREC} 2014)},
publisher = {{European Language Resources Association (ELRA)}},
address = {Reykjavik, Iceland},
day = {31},
month = may,
year = {2014},
language = {english},
url = {https://www.sign-lang.uni-hamburg.de/lrec/pub/14025.pdf}
}