The International Movement Writing Alphabet (IMWA) is a set of symbols that can be used to describe and record movement. Its creator,
Valerie Sutton
Valerie Sutton (born February 22, 1951) is an American developer of movement notation and a former dancer.
Early life
She was born in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City, the daughter of a physicist father and a poet/model mother. She ha ...
, also invented MovementWriting, a writing system which employs IMWA. It in turn has several application areas within which it is specialised:
*
SignWriting
Sutton SignWriting, or simply SignWriting, is a system of written sign languages. It is highly featural and visually iconic: the shapes of the characters are abstract pictures of the hands, face, and body; and unlike most written words, which ...
, for
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...
s, the most developed so far.
* DanceWriting, a form of
dance notation
Dance notation is the symbolic representation of human dance movement and form, using methods such as graphic symbols and figures, path mapping, numerical systems, and letter and word notations. Several dance notation systems have been invent ...
.
* MimeWriting, for classic
mimestry
A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium o ...
.
* SportsWriting, for the
kinesiology
Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...
of
ice skating
Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...
and
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
.
Identification numbers
The IMWA has more than 27,000 elements that are represented by unique identification numbers. Each identification number specifies six attributes——as dash-separated values. The symbol is specified with a three-digit value whereas all other attributes use a two-digit value (e.g., 01-01-001-01-01-01).
There are eight categories: hand, movement, face, head, upper body, full body, space, and punctuation.
There are 40 groups. The are based on the 40 groups.
History
Valerie Sutton
The IMWA was originally designed for describing sign language and consequently was named ''Sutton's Sign Symbol Sequence'' (SSS) by its inventor, Valerie Sutton. The original symbol set, SSS-95, was limited in size due to memory constraints in personal computers at the time. The SSS-99 symbol set expanded the number of symbols, and the SSS-2002 set was the first to use the current identification numbering system. The final version, SSS-2004, was renamed ''International Movement Writing Alphabet'' (SSS-IMWA) to reflect its usefulness in applications beyond sign language.
References
{{reflist
External links
MovementWritingIMWA Design DocumentsIMWA Keyboard Design
Writing systems
Constructed scripts