[Wikipedia-l] Sample ASL/English entry

[Gerard Meijssen]

Kelly Martin wrote:

>On 9/16/05, HHamilto at doe.k12.ga.us <HHamilto at doe.k12.ga.us> wrote:
>  
>
>>Videos could be stored on the Commons and linked to from the English text
>>page but the video file size limit would need to be increased dramatically
>>from 2MB. The sample video in the link above is about 1.5 minutes and is
>>16MB.
>>    
>>
>
>You are kidding, right?  You want a 16MB video attached to each
>article in enwiki?  That would take up, what, about 10TB?  Are you
>going to pay for that storage array?  How about the added bandwidth?
>
>ASL (like all sign languages) should be a text encyclopedia written in
>a generally accepted orthography for ASL; users who cannot read the
>orthography (illiterate users) may utilize tools to generate
>computer-generated signed videos from the text, the same way that an
>illiterate English-speaking person may use a speech synthesis tool to
>have an article in English read to him.
>
>Kelly
>
Hoi,
The question of cost is something that is something that should be 
seperate from this discussion. In the past I have informed the Wikimedia 
community that Kennisnet would be willing to undertake the streaming of 
content for Wikimedia. I did ask Jan-Bart if Kennisnet would be willing 
to host signed content. I have not had an answer yet.

Many organisations are willing to spend a considerable sum of money to 
help people like the deaf to have the resources that other people take 
for granted. The idea that because of the "cost of video" we would not 
be able to do these things is therefore premature. The conclusion that a 
signed language needs to have an orthography is not necessarily correct. 
Mark has informed us quite correctly that many deaf people do not know 
how to write their signed language in one of the representations of 
signed languages. Technically I am not sure that you can call them 
orthographies.

There is *no* generally accepted orthography for any of the signed 
languages. Even the computer generated videos are not generally 
accepted. Calling people who cannot read one of the "orthographies" 
illeterate is a bit of a stretch. Typically illitereate is used for the 
inability to understand the pervasive written language. Typically this 
would be written English in America. When you require people to write 
one of the "orthographies" in order to contribute to an ASL wikipedia, 
you will disqualify most of the people who can sign ASL. This means that 
what you want a Wikipedia to be (the ability of everyone to contribute) 
a dream. "I have a dream ...."

Thanks,
    GerardM