# SignWriting

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/SignWriting
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/SignWriting.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SignWriting
> Source revision: 1355132682
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Writing system for sign languages

For the design, manufacture and installation of signs, see [Signwriter](/source/Signwriter).

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "SignWriting" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

SignWriting Script type Iconic featural script Period 1974–present Direction Vertical (top-to-bottom, left-to-right) or horizontal (left-to-right, top-to-bottom) Languages Sign languages ISO 15924 ISO 15924 Sgnw (095), ​SignWriting Unicode Unicode alias SignWriting Unicode range U+1D800–U+1DAAF

**Sutton SignWriting**, or simply **SignWriting,** is a [writing system](/source/Writing_system) for [sign languages](/source/Sign_language). It can be used to write any sign language.[1]

SignWriting is the only international writing system for sign languages.[2] It has been used to publish young adult fiction,[3] translate the Bible,[4] caption YouTube videos,[5] and study sign language literacy.[6]

The SignWriting system is visually iconic: its symbols depict the hands, face, and body of a signer. Unlike most writing systems, which are written linearly, the symbols of SignWriting are written two-dimensionally, to represent the [signing space](/source/Signing_space).[7]

SignWriting was invented in 1974 by [Valerie Sutton](/source/Valerie_Sutton), a [ballet](/source/Ballet) dancer who eight years earlier had developed a [dance notation](/source/Dance_notation) named [Sutton DanceWriting](/source/DanceWriting).[8] The current standardized form of SignWriting is known as the **International Sign Writing Alphabet** (ISWA).[9]

## History

Sutton originally created SignWriting in [Denmark](/source/Denmark) in the fall of 1974, at the request of professor [Lars von der Lieth](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_von_der_Lieth) and others on his research team in the Audiology Research Group at the [University of Copenhagen](/source/University_of_Copenhagen).[10]

Sutton was asked to work on a research project, transcribing the gestures made by Danish hearing and [Deaf](/source/Deaf_culture) people while they speak or sign. The project, part of a dissertation by Jan Enggaard Pedersen, showed that [Danish Sign Language](/source/Danish_Sign_Language) was a rich language, while the gestures of hearing people were unconnected with language.[11]

Sutton's experience transcribing Danish sign language inspired her to work with Deaf people worldwide, helping them to write their own sign languages. She named the new writing system “SignWriting”.[8]

SignWriting has since been used to write the sign languages of 40 countries.[1] However, it is not clear how widespread its use is in each country.

Between 1986 and 1994 Sutton worked with a software developer to create *SignWriter*, a [word processor](/source/Word_processor) for SignWriting which runs on [MS-DOS](/source/MS-DOS) computers. SignWriter included an integrated sign dictionary, and support for multiple languages and countries.[12]

In 1996, Antonio Carlos da Rocha Costa, a professor at the [Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul](/source/Pontifical_Catholic_University_of_Rio_Grande_do_Sul) (PUCRS), discovered SignWriter and introduced it to his colleagues, beginning Brazil's institutional use of SignWriting.[13]

In 2001, SignWriting was used in a Brazilian Sign Language dictionary containing more than 9,500 signs, which was published by the [University of São Paulo](/source/University_of_S%C3%A3o_Paulo).[14][15]

SignWriting displayed on the wall of a Deaf school in Brazil

In 2005, the Brazilian government issued Federal Decree 5626, which specified that Brazilian Sign Language be taught in universities and public schools, so it could serve as the primary language of instruction for Deaf students.[16]

SignWriting is used to teach Brazilian Sign Language in 18 Federal Universities and 12 public schools in Brazil.[17] In Germany, it is taught to deaf adults to improve their ability to read and write spoken German.[18] There is also a German website dedicated to SignWriting.[19]

## Symbols

SignWriting represents the positions and movements of your body. Because of this, the SignWriting symbols can be used to write any sign language, or even non-linguistic gestures.[20]

SignWriting has 652 symbols, which are grouped into seven symbol classes: hands; movement; dynamics; head and faces; body; punctuation; and detailed location.[21][9]

SignWriting includes so many symbols because it is designed to work with all sign languages, not just a single language. For instance, SignWriting has 261 hand symbols, but American Sign Language uses only 83 of them.[22][23]

SignWriting has ten basic hand symbols, with all the remaining hand symbols being variations on the basic symbols.[24]

The hand and movement symbols can be modified to show additional information:[24]

- Hand symbols can be filled in to show which direction the palm of the hand is facing.

- Movement symbol arrowheads can be filled in to show which hand is performing the movement.

The SignWriting symbols are described in the standard textbook *Lessons in SignWriting*.[24]

## Signs

In SignWriting a [sign](/source/Sign_language) is a group of symbols, arranged two-dimensionally to represent the gestures made by a person signing the sign.[24]

SignWriting has a number of rules for writing the symbols in a sign. These rules ensure that common patterns of gestures get written consistently across signs.[24]

Sign box

Each written sign exists in a *sign box*, which is an invisible box just large enough to contain all the symbols in the sign. Just as a word consists of a line of letters, a sign consists of a box of symbols.[25]

The size of a sign box is variable, and depends on the size and placement of the symbols in the box. This size can change when symbols are added to, deleted from, or moved within a sign.[25]

Sign boxes are used by SignWriting software to align the signs that appear in a line of SignWriting text.[25]

## Writing direction

SignWriting text written vertically in columns

While SignWriting symbols are written two-dimensionally within each sign, the signs themselves are written in lines, either vertically in columns or horizontally in rows.[1]

Vertical SignWriting is written top to bottom, with the columns written left to right. Horizontal SignWriting is written left to right, with the rows written top to bottom.[1]

SignWriting text was originally written only horizontally. But after [Deaf](/source/Deaf_culture) users reported that it felt more natural to write signs down the page, SignWriting was changed to conventionally write signs vertically.[20]

This change yielded two benefits. First, the midline used to align vertically-written signs mimics the center line of the depicted signer's body, making the signs easier to read. Second, writing signs vertically simplifies the representation of body-shifting in sign language.[20]

## Alphabetical order

SignWriting defines rules for how to sort signs in [alphabetical order](/source/Alphabetical_order). But because the SignWriting alphabet contains so many symbols, and the symbols are arranged spatially in signs, SignWriting's ordering rules are more complex than those of the Roman alphabet.[26]

SignWriting defines two sets of rules for alphabetical ordering: the *Sign Spelling Sequence*, and the *Sign Symbol Sequence*.[26]

The **Sign Spelling Sequence** defines a linear order for the individual symbols in a sign. This order is specified manually by the sign author, and it remains with the sign as a non-visible attribute.[27][1]

The **Sign Symbol Sequence** defines a sort order for lists of signs that have already been assigned individual Sign Spelling Sequences. This order is determined by various symbol properties, and the sign sorting is performed automatically by software.[28][27][1]

## Handwriting

SignWriting was invented before personal computers, and for many years was written solely by hand. Various forms of hand-written SignWriting were created, including *Block Printing*, *Handwriting*, and *Cursive*.[29]

When handwriting in **Block Printing** form, each SignWriting symbol is drawn as it appears in the textbook. Of the various hand-written forms, Block Printing is the easiest to read, and the most difficult to write. This difficulty is why some people consider SignWriting to be a cumbersome writing system.[29]

**Handwriting** form is similar to Block Printing, but has been simplified to be more easily written by hand. Once Block Printing has been mastered, the Handwriting form can be learned quickly. Note that this form varies among writers, just as handwriting does in other languages.[29]

**Cursive** form further simplifies Handwriting form to make writing even faster, by omitting certain symbols (such as the non-dominant hand) from each written sign.[29]

Hand-written SignWriting continues to be taught and used, especially in educational settings based on chalkboards and paper.[30]

## Software

While SignWriting can be written by hand, it is easier to use with software specifically designed for writing it.[1]

*SignPuddle* and *SignMaker* are the standard software applications for using SignWriting. They work as [web applications](/source/Web_application) which run in a web browser.[1]

SignMaker application

**SignPuddle** is a document and dictionary editor for SignWriting. SignPuddle documents and dictionaries are stored in the [cloud](/source/Cloud_computing) and can be shared among SignPuddle users. Documents and dictionaries can be exported from SignPuddle as PDF files. Signs can be exported as graphics files.[31]

**SignMaker** is an editor for signs and dictionaries. Signs can be exported as graphics files, and dictionaries as text or JavaScript files. The SignMaker application run locally on a computer without an Internet link.[32]

## Unicode

Main article: [Sutton SignWriting (Unicode block)](/source/Sutton_SignWriting_(Unicode_block))

[Unicode](/source/Unicode) is a [character encoding](/source/Character_encoding) standard which was created so all of the world's writing systems could be used in any software application that supports the standard.[33]

The [SignWriting symbol set](https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1D800.pdf) was added to the Unicode standard in 2015. The added symbols conform to the SignWriting ISWA standard.[34][9]

However, the Unicode support for SignWriting is incomplete, because when the SignWriting symbols were added to Unicode, the Unicode system itself was not also updated to support writing systems that arrange their symbols two-dimensionally, as SignWriting does.[35]

Because of this, SignWriting currently cannot be used in software that supports the Unicode standard, and existing SignWriting software uses an [alternative standard](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-slevinski-formal-signwriting) for encoding SignWriting symbols.[25]

A technical proposal has been submitted to the [Unicode Consortium](/source/Unicode_Consortium), detailing how to update the Unicode standard to fully support SignWriting.[36]

## Advantages and disadvantages

SignWriting offers several advantages as a [writing system](/source/Writing_system):

- It is simple enough to be learned and used by children.[30]

- It is precise enough to be used by linguists as a [transcription system](/source/Transcription_(linguistics)).[37]

- It can be used to write any sign language.[1]

However, it has a few disadvantages as well:

- It is harder to write than other writing systems, due to the large number of symbols, and the need to write them spatially. Using software simplifies writing, but entering signs into a computer is still slower than typing in other writing systems.[38]

- It requires special software – because SignWriting is written spatially, it cannot be used in ordinary word processors and other applications that normally support multiple languages.[35]

- Lack of institutional support – Brazil is the only country where SignWriting is taught in public schools and universities as part of the official curriculum.[17]

## Research

SignWriting has served as both a tool in language research, and an object of study in educational research.

Here is a partial list of PhD theses on (or using) SignWriting:

- Abushaira, Mohamed (2007). "[The Effect of SignWriting on the Achievement and Acquisition of Vocabulary by Deaf Students at](https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.4097.8883) ['Al-Amal School for the Deaf' in the City of Amman-Jordan](https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.4097.8883)" (PhD thesis). King Abdulaziz University.

- Bianchini, Claudia Savina (2012). "[Metalinguistic analysis of the emergence of a sign language writing system: SignWriting and its application in Italian Sign Language (LIS)](https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3817.4563)" (PhD thesis). University of Paris VIII * Vincenne Saint-Denis.

- Borgia, Fabrizio (2015). "[Computerization of a graphic form of sign languages: application to the SignWriting writing system](https://theses.fr/2015TOU30030)" (PhD thesis). Toulouse 3 * Paul Sabatier University.

- Bózoli, Daniele Miki Fujikawa (2021). "[Bilingual education for the deaf: the use of SignWriting in learning Portuguese as a second language](https://repositorio.ufsc.br/handle/123456789/227006)" (PhD thesis). Universidade Federal Santa Catarina.

- Brito, Ronnie Fagundes de (2013). "[Reference model for developing artifacts to support deaf access to audiovisual media](https://bdtd.ibict.br/vufind/Record/UFSC_7bdd92665aeea4d57bb94cfdc54aba27)" (PhD thesis). Universidade Federal Santa Catarina.

- Flood, Cecilia Mary (2002). "[How do Deaf and hard-of-hearing students experience learning to write using SignWriting, a way to read and write signs?](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs5/sw0476-CeciliaFlood-Dissertation2002.pdf)” (PhD thesis). University of New Mexico.

- Galea, Maria (2014). "[SignWriting (SW) of Maltese Sign Language (LSM) and its development into an orthography: Linguistic considerations](https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3842.5924)*"* (PhD thesis). University of Malta.

- Gan, Lu (2011). "[Real-time immersive human-computer interaction based on tracking and recognition of dynamic hand gestures](https://core.ac.uk/outputs/340565/?source=2)" (PhD thesis). University of Central Lancashire.

- Moryossef, Amit (2023). "[Real-time multilingual sign language processing](https://biu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9927075697205776&context=L&vid=972BIU_INST:972BIU&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Moryossef&pfilter=rtype,exact,dissertations&offset=0)" (PhD thesis). Bar-Ilan University.

- Pinto, Jorge Manuel Ferriera (2015). "[SignWriting as a writing system appropriate to sign languages: a contribution to the development of writing skills of the deaf student?](https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/104983)" (PhD thesis). Universidade do Porto.

- Stumpf, Marianne Rossi (2005). "[The learning process of sign language writing through the SignWriting system: sign languages on paper and in the computer](https://lume.ufrgs.br/handle/10183/5429)" (PhD thesis). Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

- Wanderley, Débora Campos (2017). "[Classification of verbs with agreement in Brazilian Sign Language: an analysis based on SignWriting](https://repositorio.ufsc.br/handle/123456789/194005)" (PhD thesis). Universidade Federal Santa Catarina.

## Development

The [SignPuddle](#Software) and [SignMaker](#Software) applications are built on a set of JavaScript packages which manage SignWriting text, including display, searching, sorting, text flow, and other processing.[39]

To support researchers and software developers who wish to build custom SignWriting applications, these packages are freely available under the [MIT Open Source License](/source/MIT_License).[39]

The package *@sutton-signwriting/core* provides the following sign-processing commands:[40]

- Complex feature-level searches of SignWriting text in documents and dictionaries, to support research in [corpus linguistics](/source/Corpus_linguistics).

- Tokenizers, to support [machine learning](/source/Machine_learning) models for SignWriting text, enabling applications such as sign language recognition and translation.[41]

The package *@sutton-signwriting/font-ttf* includes the SignWriting symbol fonts, which are TrueType fonts distributed under the [SIL Open Font License](/source/SIL_Open_Font_License). Separately, Google distributes *Noto Sans SignWriting*, an OpenType font containing the Unicode SignWriting symbol set.[42][43]

*Formal SignWriting* is the [character encoding](/source/Character_encoding) for SignWriting text, which provides the logical foundation for the JavaScript packages.[25]

## See also

- [Stokoe notation](/source/Stokoe_notation)

- [Hamburg Notation System](/source/Hamburg_Notation_System) (HamNoSys)

- [International Movement Writing Alphabet](/source/International_Movement_Writing_Alphabet) (IMWA)

- [ASL-phabet](/source/ASL-phabet)

- [Si5s](/source/Si5s)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:6_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:6_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:6_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:6_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:6_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:6_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:6_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:6_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:6_1-8) Slevinski, Steve (May 2016). ["The SignPuddle Standard for SignWriting Text"](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-slevinski-signwriting-text). *tools.ietf.org*. Retrieved July 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Kato, Mihoko (2008). ["A Study of Notation and Sign Writing Systems for the Deaf"](https://www.sciltp.com/journals/ics/articles/2008244008). *Intercultural Communication Studies*. **17** (4): 97–114 – via Scilight.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Almeida, Rubens Ramos de (2023). *Telasco e sua turma em: A Lenda Da Manguda - Recontada em libras (linguagem de escrita Sutton Signwriting)* (in Brazilian Portuguese). Viegas Editora (published November 9, 2023). [ASIN](/source/Amazon_Standard_Identification_Number) [6585399145](https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/6585399145).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Romero, Nancy. ["ASL GOSPEL: Gospels and Selected Scriptures Written in American Sign Language (ASL)"](https://www.aslgospel.org). *ASL Gospel*. Retrieved July 5, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Brito, Ronnie Fagundes de (June 6, 2012). ["Previsão do tempo com SW Signwriting"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvtdzaOVj-I). *YouTube*. Retrieved July 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Stumpf, Marianne Rossi (2005). [*The learning process of sign language writing through the SignWriting system: sign languages on paper and in the computer*](http://hdl.handle.net/10183/5429) (PhD thesis). Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[10183/5429](https://hdl.handle.net/10183%2F5429). Retrieved July 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Sutton, Valerie (2022). [*Read and Write Sign Language with SignWriting*](https://archive.org/details/read-and-write-sign-language-with-sign-writing_202212) (2nd ed.). Valerie Sutton. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-940361-03-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-940361-03-4).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:12_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:12_8-1) Sutton, Valerie (January 1999). ["SignWriting: On the occasion of its 25th anniversary"](https://doi.org/10.1075/sll.2.2.12sut). *Sign Language & Linguistics*. **2** (2): 271–282. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1075/sll.2.2.12sut](https://doi.org/10.1075%2Fsll.2.2.12sut) – via John Benjamins e-Platform.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_9-2) Slevinski, Stephen (2012). ["ISWA 2010 HTML Reference"](https://signbank.org/iswa/). *ISWA 2010*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250503115556/https://signbank.org/iswa/l) from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Sutton, Valerie (July 3, 2024). ["SIGNWRITING HISTORY: Video 2. SignWriting in the 1970s?"](https://youtube.com/watch?v=twdi9C5n-qY?si=SPGVaaIAKGOj6Ffm). *YouTube*. Retrieved July 16, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Pedersen, Jan Enggaard (1978). *Hearing Danes' Gesture-Repertoire* (PhD thesis). University of Copenhagen.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Gleaves, Richard; Sutton, Valerie (2004). ["SignWriter"](https://www.sign-lang.uni-hamburg.de/lrec/pub/04003.html). *Proceedings of the LREC2004 Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: From SignWriting to Image Processing. Information techniques and their implications for teaching, documentation and communication*. ELRA. pp. 7–12. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-2-9517408-1-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-2-9517408-1-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Quadros, Ronice Müller de (1999). ["Um capítulo da história do SignWriting"](https://moodle3.ifsc.edu.br/pluginfile.php/162265/mod_resource/content/1/SignWriting%20History.pdf) (PDF). *Instituto Federal Santa Catarina*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250721235627/https://moodle3.ifsc.edu.br/pluginfile.php/162265/mod_resource/content/1/SignWriting%20History.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Capovilla, F.C.; Raphael, W. D., eds. (2001). *Dicionário encicopédico ilustrado trilingüe da Língua de Sinais Brasileira: Vol. 1. Sinais de A a L*. Edusp, FAPESP, Fundação Vitae, Feneis, Brasil Telecom. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [85-314-0600-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/85-314-0600-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Capovilla, F.C.; Raphael, W. D., eds. (2001). *Dicionário encicopédico ilustrado trilingüe da Língua de Sinais Brasileira: Vol. 2. Sinais de M a Z*. Edusp, FAPESP, Fundação Vitae, Feneis, Brasil Telecom. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [85-314-0603-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/85-314-0603-X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Quadros, Ronice Müller de (2012). ["Linguistic Policies, Linguistic Planning, and Brazilian Sign Language in Brazil"](https://doi.org/10.1353/sls.2012.0010). *Sign Language Studies*. **12** (4): 543–564. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1353/sls.2012.0010](https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fsls.2012.0010) – via Project Muse.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:8_17-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:8_17-1) Barbosa, Gabriela Otaviani (2017). [*A arte de escrever em libras*](https://repositorio.ufsc.br/xmlui/handle/123456789/177791) (Master's thesis). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Retrieved July 17, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["delegs – "Learn German with GebärdenScript"](https://delegs.de). *delegs*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250712055736/https://www.delegs.de/) from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Woehrmann, Stefan. ["Hallo, herzlich willkommen bei GebärdenSchrift in Deutschland"](https://www.gebaerdenschrift.de). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250616083903/http://gebaerdenschrift.de/) from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_20-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_20-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_20-2) Thiessen, Stuart M. (2011). [*A Grammar of SignWriting*](https://commons.und.edu/theses/4458/) (Master's thesis). University of North Dakota. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Sutton SignWriting"](https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1D800.pdf) (PDF). *unicode.org*. 2024. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250523005738/https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1D800.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Sutton, Valerie; Frost, Adam (2014). [*SignWriting Hand Symbols*](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs10/sw0935_SignWriting_Hand_Symbols_ISWA2010_Sutton_Frost_2014.pdf) (PDF). SignWriting Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-914336-86-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-914336-86-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Sutton, Valerie; Frost, Adam (2013). [*American Sign Language Hand Symbols*](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs9/sw0827_American_Sign_Language_Hand_Symbols_Frost_Sutton_2013.pdf) (PDF). SignWriting Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-914336-82-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-914336-82-2).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_24-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_24-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_24-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_24-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:2_24-4) Sutton, Valerie (2022). [*Lessons in SignWriting*](https://archive.org/details/lessons-in-sign-writing) (5th ed.). SignWriting Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-940361-00-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-940361-00-3).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_25-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_25-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_25-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_25-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_25-4) Slevinski, Steve (October 2025). ["Formal SignWriting"](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-slevinski-formal-signwriting). *tools.ietf.org*. Retrieved October 18, 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_26-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_26-1) Sutton, Valerie (2008). [*SignSpelling Guidelines 2008*](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs6/sw0534-SignSpellingGuidelines-2008.pdf) (PDF). SignWriting Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-914336-85-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-914336-85-3).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:5_27-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:5_27-1) Slevinski, Steve; Sutton, Valerie (2007). [*SignPuddle Reference Manual*](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs5/sw0485-US-SignPuddle15Manual.pdf) (PDF). SignWriting Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-914336-66-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-914336-66-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** ["SignBank: How To Look-Up Signs By Sign-Symbol-Sequence in SignWriting Dictionaries"](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs2/sw0115-Lookup-Signs.pdf) (PDF). *signwriting.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240701235011/https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs2/sw0115-Lookup-Signs.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:7_29-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:7_29-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:7_29-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:7_29-3) Frost, Adam (2014). ["Ways to Write Sign Languages by Hand with SignWriting"](https://www.signwriting.org/symposium/archive/sws0003_Slides_SignWriting_Handwriting_Adam_Frost.pdf) (PDF). *signwriting.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240804083829/https://www.signwriting.org/symposium/archive/sws0003_Slides_SignWriting_Handwriting_Adam_Frost.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 4 Aug 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:9_30-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:9_30-1) Shepard-Kegl, James (2002). ["Teaching Literacy to Deaf Students in Nicaragua: A Common Sense Two-Step Approach"](https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs2/sw0162-NI-Teaching-Literacy.pdf) (PDF). *Nicaraguan Sign Language Projects, Inc*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240505230711/https://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs2/sw0162-NI-Teaching-Literacy.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** ["SignPuddle"](https://signbank.org/signpuddle/). *signwriting.org*. Retrieved July 24, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** ["SignMaker"](https://www.signbank.org/signmaker.html). *signwriting.org*. Retrieved July 26, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** ["Unicode – The World Standard for Text and Emoji"](https://home.unicode.org). *unicode.org*. Retrieved July 26, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** ["Unicode 8.0.0"](https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode8.0.0/). *unicode.org*. 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:10_35-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:10_35-1) Slevinski, Stephen (July 2015). ["Issues with SignWriting in Unicode 8"](https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/signwriting-in-unicode-8-issues-2015-by-stephen-e-slevinski-jr/51236854). *slideshare.net*. Retrieved July 26, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** Slevinski, Stephen (July 12, 2017). ["L2/17-220: Design Options for Sutton SignWriting with examples and fonts"](https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17220-signwriting-design-opt.pdf) (PDF). *unicode.org*. Retrieved August 11, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** Costa, Roberto C. R. (2012). [*Proposta de instrumento de avaliação fonológica da Língua Brasileira de Sinais: FONOLIBRAS*](https://repositorio.ufba.br/handle/ri/17216) (Master's thesis). Universidade Federal da Bahia. Retrieved August 8, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** Iatskiu, C. E.; Garcia, L. S.; Antunes, D. R.; Canteri, R. (2015). "The Low Use of SignWriting Computational Tools from HCI Perspective". In Antona, M.; Stephanidis, C. (eds.). [*Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Access to Interaction*](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280879315). Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 9176. pp. 373–382. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/978-3-319-20681-3_35](https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-319-20681-3_35). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-319-20680-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-319-20680-6) – via ResearchGate.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:11_39-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:11_39-1) Slevinski, Steve. ["Sutton SignWriting"](https://www.sutton-signwriting.io). *sutton-signwriting.io*. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-40)** Slevinski, Steve. ["@sutton-signwriting/core"](https://github.com/sutton-signwriting/core). *github.com*. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-41)** Moryossef, Amit. ["Sign Language Processing"](https://github.com/sign-language-processing). *github.com*. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** Slevinski, Steve. ["@sutton-signwriting/font-ttf"](https://github.com/sutton-signwriting/font-ttf). *github.com*. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** ["Noto Sans SignWriting"](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+SignWriting). *fonts.google.com*. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [SignWriting](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:SignWriting).

- [Website](https://www.signwriting.org)

- [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@SignWritingOrg)

- [Standard textbooks](https://archive.org/details/@signwriting_press)

- [Handwriting](https://www.signwriting.org/symposium/archive/sws0003_Slides_SignWriting_Handwriting_Adam_Frost.pdf)

- [Alphabet](https://signbank.org/iswa/)

- [Symbol set](https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1D800.pdf)

- [Unicode](https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode16.0.0/core-spec/chapter-21/#G28865)

- [Google font](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+SignWriting?query=signwriting)

- [Software (document and dictionary editor)](https://signbank.org/signpuddle/)

- [Software (sign and dictionary editor)](https://www.signbank.org/signmaker.html)

- [Development (software tools and resources)](https://www.sutton-signwriting.io)

- [Formal SignWriting](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-slevinski-formal-signwriting)

- [Machine learning](https://github.com/sign-language-processing)

v t e Types of writing systems Overview History of writing Grapheme Lists Writing systems undeciphered inventors constructed Languages by writing system / by first written accounts Types Abjads Numerals Aramaic Hatran Arabic Elifba Egyptian hieroglyphs Elymaic Hebrew Ashuri Cursive Rashi Solitreo Tifinagh Mandaic Manichaean Nabataean Ancient North Arabian Pahlavi Book Inscriptional Inscriptional Parthian Psalter Pegon Phoenician Paleo-Hebrew Pitman shorthand Proto-Sinaitic Punic Samaritan South Arabian Zabur Musnad Sogdian Syriac ʾEsṭrangēlā Serṭā Maḏnḥāyā Teeline Shorthand Ugaritic Abugidas Brahmic Northern Bengali–Assamese Bhaiksuki Brahmi script Devanagari Dogri Gujarati Gupta Gurmukhi Kaithi Kalinga Khema Khojki Khudabadi Laṇḍā Lepcha Mahajani Marchen Meitei Modi Multani Nagari Nandinagari Nepalese scripts Bhujimol Golmol Himmol Kummol Kvemmol Kurukh Pachumol Newar Ranjana Tamyig Tirhuta Limbu Litumol Odia Karani ʼPhags-pa Sharada Siddhaṃ Soyombo Sylheti Nagri Takri Tibetan Uchen Umê Tocharian Zanabazar square Southern Ahom Balinese Batak Baybayin Bhattiprolu Buda Buhid Chakma Cham Fakkham Grantha Goykanadi Hanunoo Javanese Kadamba Kannada Karen Kawi Khmer Khom Thai Kulitan Lanna Langdi Lao Leke Lontara Bilang-bilang Makasar Malayalam Old Maldivian Dhives Akuru Eveyla Akuru Mon–Burmese Pallava Pyu Saurashtra Shan Sinhala Sukhothai Sundanese Old Sundanese Tagbanwa Tai Le New Tai Lue Tai Noi Tai Tham Tai Viet Lai Tay Tamil Tamil-Brahmi Tanchangya Telugu Thai Tigalari Ulu scripts Incung Lampung Lembak Ogan Pasemah Rejang Serawai Vatteluttu Kolezhuthu Malayanma Others Bharati Boyd's syllabic shorthand Canadian syllabics Blackfoot Déné syllabics Dham Fox I Geʽez Gunjala Gondi Japanese Braille Sarati Jenticha Kharosthi Mandombe Masaram Gondi Meroitic Miao Mwangwego Pahawh Hmong Sorang Sompeng Tengwar Thaana Thomas Natural Shorthand Warang Citi Rma Alphabets Linear Adlam Ariyaka Armenian Avestan Pazend Avoiuli Bassa Vah Carian Caucasian Albanian Cirth Coelbren Coorgi–Cox alphabet Coptic Cyrillic Serbian Early Deseret Duployan shorthand Chinook Eclectic shorthand Elbasan Enochian Etruscan Formosan Fox II Franklin's phonetic Fraser Gabelsberger shorthand Gadabuursi Garay alphabet Georgian Asomtavruli Nuskhuri Mkhedruli Veso Bey Glagolitic Gothic Gregg shorthand Greek (Archaic) Greco-Iberian alphabet Hangul Hanifi Hurûf-ı munfasıla Sunuwar Kaddare Kayah Li Klingon Latin Beneventan Blackletter Carolingian minuscule Fraktur Gaelic Insular IPA Kurrent Merovingian Sigla Sütterlin Tironian notes Visigothic Luo Lycian Lydian Manchu Medefaidrin Mru Mundari Bani N'Ko Ogham Ol Chiki Old Italic Old Permic Orkhon-Yenisei (Old Hungarian) Old Uyghur Mongolian Evenki Galik alphabet Manchu Oirat Vagindra Ol Onal Osage Osmanya Pau Cin Hau Phrygian Pisidian Runic Anglo-Saxon Cipher Dalecarlian Elder Futhark Younger Futhark Gothic Marcomannic Medieval Staveless Shavian Sidetic Sorang Sompeng Sunuwar Tifinagh Todhri Tolong Siki Vellara Visible Speech Vithkuqi Wancho Warang Citi Yezidi Zaghawa Non-linear Braille Flag semaphore Maritime flags Moon type New York Point Fingerspelling Telegraph code Ideograms Adinkra Aztec Blissymbols Dongba Ersu Shaba Emoji Isotype Kaidā Miꞌkmaw Mixtec New Epoch Notation Painting Nsibidi Anishinaabewibii'iganan Olmec Siglas poveiras Testerian Yerkish Zapotec Logograms Chinese family of scripts Chinese characters Simplified Traditional Oracle bone script Bronze scripts Seal script large small bird-worm Hanja Kanji Chữ Nôm Sawndip Bowen Chinese-influenced Jurchen Khitan large script Sui Tangut Cuneiform Akkadian Assyrian Elamite Hittite Luwian Sumerian Other logosyllabic Anatolian Bagam Cretan Isthmian Maya Proto-Elamite Tenevil Wiigwaasabak Yi (Classical) Logoconsonantal Demotic Hieratic Hieroglyphs Numerals Hindu-Arabic Abjad Attic (Greek) Muisca Roman Other Sitelen Pona Semi-syllabaries Full Linear Elamite Celtiberian Iberian Northeastern Southeastern Khom Dunging Redundant Espanca script Pahawh Hmong Khitan small script Southwest Paleohispanic Bopomofo Quốc Âm Tân Tự Sign languages ASLwrite SignWriting si5s Stokoe notation Syllabaries Afaka Bamum Bété Byblos Canadian Aboriginal Cherokee Cypriot Cypro-Minoan Ditema tsa Dinoko Eskayan Geba Great Lakes Algonquian Iban Idu Kana Hiragana Katakana Man'yōgana Hentaigana Sōgana Jindai moji Kikakui Kpelle Linear B Linear Elamite Lisu Loma Nüshu Nwagu Aneke script Old Persian cuneiform Sumerian Vai Woleai Yi Yugtun v t e Braille ⠃⠗⠁⠊⠇⠇⠑ Braille cell 1829 braille International uniformity ASCII braille Unicode braille patterns Braille scripts French-ordered Albanian Cantonese Catalan Chinese (mainland Mandarin) (largely reassigned) Czech Dutch 6-dot 8-dot English (Unified English) Esperanto French German Ghanaian Guarani Hawaiian Hungarian Iñupiaq IPA Irish Italian Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish (extended to 8-dot) Maltese Māori Navajo Nigerian Philippine Polish Portuguese Romanian Samoan Slovak South African Spanish Taiwanese Mandarin (largely reassigned) Turkish (Azerbaijani) Vietnamese Welsh Yugoslav Zambian Nordic family Estonian Faroese Icelandic Scandinavian Danish Finnish Greenlandic Northern Sámi Norwegian Swedish Russian lineage family i.e. Cyrillic-mediated scripts Belarusian Bulgarian Kazakh Kyrgyz Mongolian Russian Tatar Ukrainian Egyptian lineage family i.e. Arabic-mediated scripts Arabic Persian Urdu (Pakistan) Indian lineage family i.e. Bharati Braille Devanagari (Hindi / Marathi / Nepali) Bengali (Bangla / Assamese) Gujarati Kannada Malayalam Odia Punjabi Sinhala Tamil Telugu Urdu (India) Other scripts Amharic Armenian Burmese Dzongkha (Bhutanese) Georgian Greek Hebrew Inuktitut (reassigned vowels) Khmer Thai and Lao (Japanese vowels) Tibetan Reordered Algerian Braille (obsolete) Frequency-based American Braille (obsolete) Independent Chinese semi-syllabaries Cantonese Mainland Chinese Mandarin Taiwanese Mandarin Two-cell Chinese (Shuangpin) Japanese Korean Eight-dot Dutch Luxembourgish Kanji Gardner–Salinas braille codes (GS8) Symbols in braille Braille music Canadian currency marks Computer Braille Code Gardner–Salinas braille codes (science; GS8/GS6) International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Nemeth braille code Braille technology Braille e-book Braille embosser Braille translator Braille watch Mountbatten Brailler Optical braille recognition Perforation Perkins Brailler Refreshable braille display Slate and stylus Braigo People Louis Braille Charles Barbier Róża Czacka Valentin Haüy Harris Mowbray Thakur Vishva Narain Singh Sabriye Tenberken William Bell Wait Organisations Braille Institute of America Braille Without Borders Japan Braille Library National Braille Association Blindness organizations Schools for the blind American Printing House for the Blind Other tactile alphabets Decapoint Moon type New York Point Night writing Vibratese Related topics Accessible publishing Braille literacy RoboBraille

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SignWriting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SignWriting) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SignWriting?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.