by Lisa Stephens

Created on: July 19, 2009

Fingerspelling is an important part of many forms of sign language worldwide. It involves the process of spelling out words by using signs that correspond to the letters of the word. In American Sign Language, or ASL, one would use the American Manual Alphabet which consists of 22 hand shapes. These hand shapes when held in certain positions, along with certain movements, represent the 26 letters of the American alphabet.

Fingerspelling is one of the first forms of sign language that many people learn, although it can be one of the hardest aspects to master. Fingerspelling is mainly used for spelling out names, people, places and things that don't have their own unique sign. It is also commonly used for spelling out titles of books and movies, as well as signing the brand name of various items. Another common use for fingerspelling is when one needs to sign out an acronym, such as ASL.

It is important to note that fingerspelling varies from country to country, where most countries have their own unique fingerspelling alphabet. Some forms of fingerspelling use a two-handed alphabet, as seen in British Sign Language, however most only use a one-handed alphabet including both American and Ireland Sign Language.

When I was learning to teach my son sign language, I came across several books and videos that served their purpose well. One of the videos was titled, Fingerspelling: Expressive and Receptive Fluency, with Joyce Groode. In this video Groode introduces the 3 C's of fingerspelling; configuration, closure and context. If you keep these in mind when learning and signing using a finger alphabet, they can serve to be of considerable help. Fingerspelling is more than just signing specific letters, but rather it is an art of using the alphabet to elegantly communicate a specific word or words.

Configuration is about understanding the fingerspelled word by its shape. Learn to focus on viewing the word as a whole unit, and not just individual letters. Closure is a technique of understanding a fingerspelled word by filling in the missing letters. We can use our knowledge of the English language to fill in the blanks if we only catch some of the fingerspelled letters. For example, you may have only caught the letters "okahma," in the conversation. You can then use your knowledge to fill in the blanks, and provide closure with the word "Oklahoma." In many ways this is a natural response, as our brains make closure automatically. Context is a process

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