SignWriting List
February 18, 2007


QUESTION 0096

GENERAL MOVEMENT ARROWHEAD
How do you define the General Movement Arrowhead?

The General Arrowhead is used to write OVERLAPPING MOVEMENT PATHS.

What is an Overlapping Movement Path?

WHEN TWO MOVEMENT PATHS WRITE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.

The two paths overlap and blend together, becoming one path in space.

The Movement Path of the right hand, writes on top of the Movement Path of the left hand, creating a blend of the two arrows. This creates a General Arrowhead. The blended arrow is neither right nor left...it is both.

Imagine placing your right hand in a can of black paint. It is now dripping with black paint.

Imagine placing your left hand in a can of white paint. It is now dripping with white paint.

Your two hands move in space. As they move, they paint Movement Paths in space. The left hand paints white Movement Paths. The right hand paints black Movement Paths.

But what happens when the Right Movement Path paints on top of the Left Movement Path? In those cases, you write a General Arrowhead.

Please see diagram below...

 

Number 1 above shows two Movement Paths that are very wide apart from each other. Each path is very clearly separated by a great deal of space. There is a Right Path (black arrowhead) and a Left Path ( white arrowhead.

Numbers 2 & 3 show the hands and Movement Paths moving closer to each other. The reader can tell how close by the amount of space between the Movement Paths.

Number 4 shows the thumbs contacting each other, but the Movement Path of the hands are still separate, although very close to each other.

Numbers 5 shows the hands and Movement Paths starting to move on top of each other.

Number 6 & 7 are the same. They use the General Movement Arrowhead because the Movement Paths blended together. The left hand is on top of the right hand. Number 6 shows the Surface Symbol stating that the left is on top of each other, but technically, because of the General Arrowhead, the Surface Symbol is not needed. Number 7 is clear that both hands move on the same path, so the left hand would have to be on top.






Questions? Write to:

Valerie Sutton

Sutton@SignWriting.org