Proposal for Indicating the Vertical Space That the Body Occupies

Proposal for Indicating the Vertical Space That the Body Occupies
Submitted by DNB Staff - March 25, 2002

We are interested in establishing indications for the location of the body-as-a-whole in the vertical dimension, i.e., its height in space: short, medium high, tall, or very tall. For instance, in a sitting position the body is in a short space; in a normal standing position it is in a tall space.

Such locations can be defined in relation to the body’s normal standing position, as enumerated in the text and drawings below.

Short -- All or most of the body is in a space that has a roof near the ground.
Ex. 1a) The dashed lines show the boundaries of a short space.
Ex, 1b) All of the body is in a short space.
Ex. 1c) Most of the body is in a short space

Medium High -- All or most of body fills a space that has a medium high roof.
Ex. 1d) The dashed lines show the boundaries of a medium high space.
Ex. 1e and 1f) All of body fills a space that is medium high.
Ex. 1g) Most of the body fills a space that is medium high.

Tall -- All or most of the body fills a space that has a tall roof.
Ex. 1h) The dashed lines show the boundaries of a tall space.
Ex. 1i) All of the body fills a tall space.
Ex. 1j and 1k) Most of the body fills a tall space.

Very Tall -- All or most of the body is in a space that has a floor and roof that is above the body’s normal standing position.
Ex. 1l) The dashed lines show the boundaries of a very tall space.
Ex. 1m) Most of the body is in a very tall space.
Ex. 1n) Most of the supported body is in a very tall space.
Ex. 1o) All of the supported body is in a very tall space.

 

We think such locations could be shown with indications that contain pins and the sign for space. The indication for very tall would also contain a measurement sign. (Ex 2a-d)

Note that in labeling the locations we avoided terms that have been established for describing directions, such as “low level,” middle level,” and “high level.” As we see it, the concept we have been discussing and the concept of direction are different. This means they can be mixed and matched in various combinations. For example, in Ex 3a the body-as-a-whole is in an upward direction, in a tall space. In Ex. 3b the body is upward in a short space. In Ex. 3c it is backward in a medium high space. In Ex. 3d it is forward low in a tall space.

Following are three Motif Notation sequences that contain the proposed indications. (Note: Example 4c contains the “figure eight” whole body sign that Ann Hutchinson Guest and Peggy Hackney introduced in the Bulletin Board’s “Body Portions” thread, November 15, 2001.)