Writing Sign Languages: In Search of a Definition

Abstract

This paper critically examines the historical and technological evolution of writing systems in relation to signed languages, situating this analysis within broader reflections on the cultural functions of writing, and its evolution. Beginning with an overview of writing as a symbolic and cognitive technology—from ancient pictographic and logographic scripts to alphabetic systems and digital text—the paper explores how these developments reflect the changing relationship of humanity with language, memory, and communication. Focusing on sign languages, the study traces the emergence of early transcription systems such as Stokoe’s notation, which introduced cherology to describe the fundamental units of sign formation, and the later Hamburg Notation System (HamNoSys), which sought to represent non-manual components and achieve greater cross-linguistic applicability. The paper also assesses SignWriting, a visually intuitive system designed to capture the spatial and kinetic nature of signs, highlighting its pedagogical and cultural potential as well as its limitations. Finally, the paper analyzes the transformative impact of digital technologies and user-generated video content, which enable Deaf communities to record, archive, and share signed discourse directly. By framing signed video as an alternative form of writing, the study challenges alphabetic-centric definitions of literacy and underscores the multimodal richness of Deaf epistemologies. The paper concludes by arguing that both graphic transcription and video recording serve not only as tools for linguistic analysis and cultural transmission, but also as sites where broader questions of language, technology, and identity converge.