A Shorthand Notation for Recording

STRING FIGURES

 

For all the reasons one might learn math or music notion, it is worth learning some system of string figure notation.

You could do math using only prose. Try this: Add the number four to the number three then multiply the resultant sum by two. Now subtract five from the result of the value obtained in the preceding step to arrive at the solution, which is nine.

But for the price of learning a few symbols you can reduce the verbosity down to: (4+3) x2-5=9

Prose is essential for those unfamiliar with a system of notation. But for anyone with more than a passing interest in math or string figures, notation is easier to use, clearer, far more concise (in the above you can read or write 11 characters much easier than 198), and uniform (everyone attempting a prose description will write something different).

 

String Figure Notation

T
F
M
R
L
N
S
P
H
W
0
DS
SS
XS
CS

Thumb(s)
Forefinger(s)
Middle finger(s)
Ring finger(s)
Little finger(s)
Noose (loop)
String(s)
Palm(s)
Hand(s)
Wrist(s)
Mouth (teeth)
Diagonal String(s)
Straight String(s)
Crossed String(s)
Center String

pu
gr
re
pt
tw
ht
kl
ls
ex
na
tr
th
fl
bt
de

pick up
grasp
remove/release
pull through
twist
hold tight/pinch
keep loose
let slip
extend
navaho
transfer (to)
(go) through
flip (over)
(go) between
depress

mr
ml
ma
mt
mo
mu
md
up
qu
ar

move right
move left
move away from you
move toward you
move over
move under
move down
move up
quickly
around

r
n
t
c

right
near
top
center

l
f
b
d

left
far
bottom
dorsal


Notes:

  1. The numbers 12345 can be used instead of TFMRL for referring to fingers. If you are not already using numbers to refer to thumb and fingers, letters are more mnemonic and will probably be preferred.
  2. Boldface indicates most common terms.
  3. Pick up (pu) means pick up on the back of your finger/thumb, while grab (gr) means to close your finger around a string and hold it in the crook of the finger (hook down). Often this move is followed by a 180-degree twist towards or away from you (hook up).
  4. Top (t) and bottom (b) are relative to your fingers, so "t" means closest to the tip of a finger (distal or upper), and "b" means closest to the base of a finger (proximal or lower).
  5. Navahoing (na) refers to removing the lower of two (rarely more) strings--a common move.
  6. Other symbols are used for common openings and endings: OA=Opening A, CE=Caroline Extension, etc.
  7. Right and left refer to your right and left as viewed by you. Likewise near means closest to you, or thumb side (radial), while far is away from you, or toward the little finger side (ulnar).
  8. Dorsal (d) refers to the backside of your hand, so a "dHS" would be a string across the back of your hand. Lowercase "p" could be used for the word "palmar," so that "pS" would mean "palmar string," but "PS" means "palm string," which conveys the same meaning.
  9. Noose (N) refers to a loop of string going around a digit, hand, or wrist. It consists of a near and far string (unless it is around your neck in which case it would have a right and left). L=Little finger, so "noose" is used in place of "loop," but carries the same meaning.
  10. Extend (ex) means to pull strings tight, hands apart, fingers up, with palms facing one another.
  11. Move over (mo) means come from above, from the finger tip side, while move under (mu) means come from below, from the base of finger side.
  12. If "F pu LN" (forefingers pick up little finger nooses) then that implies "re L" (release the little fingers by removing the little fingers from their noose) because the entire noose is picked up and not just a near (nLS) or far (fLS) little finger string.
  13. Punctuation marks are used and have their usual meaning. Some English is also used (about 4%). Trying to describe figures using 100% String Figure Notation (SFN) is neither possible nor desirable. A few figures require the use of your neck or toes, but coming up with abbreviations for rare situations wouldn't make sense.
  14. Straight string (SS) is equivalent to the term transverse (TV) string--a string that goes straight across from one side of your hand to the other.
  15. Strings sometimes go around other strings, so a "TNS" would be a string going around the thumb noose, and "TFNtS" would be the top string of a noose going around the thumb/forefinger noose (could also be written "tS ar TFN," or "the top string going around the thumb/forefinger noose.")
  16. Although forefingers are more commonly referred to as index fingers, using "index" and capital "I" would lead to confusion as "I" looks like one "1" and may be identical to lowercase "L" in many fonts, so "F" was used in preference.

 

Discussion

Some of the abbreviations given above are used infrequently and one could argue that they be omitted. It could also be argued that additional shorthand notation is desirable, so whether the above list should be shorter (32 or so) or longer (45+) is open for discussion. Like any language, SFN should be open to change and improvement.

In creating a system of notation the questions to ask are: How many nouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions are needed for a complete language describing the making of string figures? What should the syntax of this language be? For each "word," what symbol should be used to represent it? Should all "words" be assigned abbreviations, or only those used frequently with prose filling in for the rest?

The proposed string figure "language" is based on English so far as the choice of abbreviations goes, but abbreviations more meaningful to other language users could be used by them. As long as there is a one to one correspondence between abbreviation and "word," it would be easy for computers to translate from one to the other.

I hesitate to propose the use of 12345 over TFMRL, even though the 12345 convention is currently in use, because I think that most people not already familiar with 1=thumb, etc. would prefer T=thumb, etc. as letters are more mnemonic. It is no great task, however, to learn both conventions, so I propose to dispense with the hobgoblin of consistency and suggest that both 12345 and TFMRL be used and considered equally acceptable.

The size of string used is important if some figures are to turn out well. When no size is specified, a #8S will do (that would be a string that, when not doubled, could be wrapped or looped around your palm 8 times). This gives a relative size that will be correct for each individual, as one person's hand could be twice the size of another's.

I am not proposing that string figures be described only using shorthand notation, although once you learn a system of notation you'll never go back to prose! My suggestion is that those with more than a passing interest in string figures should develop and use a system of notation if only for their personal use. Once learned, it is MUCH easier to read and record figures in shorthand. You could print a small pamphlet with a hundred or so of your favorite figures to carry in your pocket, and when you forget a figure or a move, it is MUCH easier to glance over concise notation than wade through pages of prose. If string figure students could agree to use the same system of notation, it would be easier for fellow enthusiasts to communicate.

For the benefit of the more advanced students, I propose that published figures be described using String Figure Notation (SFN) and, for the uninitiated, that they should also be described in plain prose. I think it is a mistake to sprinkle prose with shorthand abbreviations as it puts off beginners (let's see, does 2 refer to the forefinger or ring finger?) and we don't want to do that. The current system of describing figures (see Arctic String Figure Project) mixes about 23% notation with 77% prose, while SFN is about 96% notation.

If the prose description follows the syntax of the SFN description, it will be easier for readers to make the transition from prose to notation. The prose description could include additional information such as discussion of technique or special string requirements (size, diameter, smoothness) omitted from the SFN version. A section containing anything else of interest such as mythological or cultural significance, distribution, who/when collected, and so forth could follow the prose description. Even experts would probably want to refer to the prose version the first time they attempt a new figure.

To discuss string figure notation issues or contribute to this collection, please feel invited to join the following special interest group:

Subscribe by email to: String Figure Contributors

 

Or visit the web site: String Figure Contributors at Yahoo Groups 

 

Critical comments welcomed by:

Eric Lee

busybee@alysion.org

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