Fingerspelling

(A.K.A Using The Manual Alphabet)

 One of the most common mistakes of new sign language students is the practice of using the manual alphabet any time they do not know the sign for a word. This is not a good idea! Fingerspelling is exhausting to watch. Even more important is that it is one of the most difficult skills to learn and smooth and readable fingerspelling doesn’t usually emerge until well into the learning of the language. The key, if you do not know a specific sign, is to try to describe it, use a different word, gesture, point, mime, write…anything but fingerspell. Fingerspelling should be used as a last resort as well as for proper nouns, and concepts that do not have a particular sign. The exception to this rule is some rare places that still use the Rochester method of communication. This is the practice of fingerspelling every word (except AND). This is not a widely popular or liked way of communicating though.

SEE BELOW FOR PICTURE GUIDE

1. Use the hand you write with. That is your dominant hand. The only time you would use the other hand is for emphasis when you are much more advanced. If you are ambidextrous, pick which hand you will use to fingerspell and consistently use that hand. Do not go back and forth.
2. For practice, hold your right wrist with your non-dominant hand to make sure that your palm is facing out.
3. Do NOT bounce your hand/arm. Holding it (#2) should help you.
4. Palm should ALWAYS face out towards the receiver except for the letters “H” and “G.” With these letters, the palm faces the signer.
5. Pause briefly between words.
6. If you mess up, sign WRONG or “wipe,” then start back from the beginning of the word. Do not start where you left out.
7. Speed is not important. Do NOT make it a goal to fingerspell fast. Work on being smooth and on making the letters of the word you are spelling flow together without being choppy. Speed will just naturally develop much later.
8. When you have a double letter, slide the hand slightly to the right (if right-handed) or sign the letter twice. With time, you’ll know which letters work best with which technique.
9. Do NOT say the letters you are fingerspelling as you spell – whether it is to yourself or to the receiver. This is a TERRIBLE habit that is very hard to break. When you fingerspell, especially when you’re new and not fluid, it may be necessary that the deaf person watch both your hands AND read your lips. Deaf people cannot lipread letters. Say the word as you sign it. Also, saying it to yourself creates a mind-set of each letter individually, instead a word as a whole.
10. Fingerspelling is NOT a substitute for a vocabulary word you don’t know. Always use fingerspelling as a last resort. Mime, gestures, using other words, and writing are all better alternatives that fingerspelling everything you don’t know.
11. When reading someone’s fingerspelling, try to see the whole word instead of looking for letters. When we read print we don’t look at each letter. The same thing applies here.

When indicating a word is fingerspelled, dashes are placed between letters (example: D-E-A-F)

For a THE BEST site to help you practice your receptive fingerspelling (you actually reading someone else's fingerspelling), click here!

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