There are a few “rules” for fingerspelling, both expressive and receptive that make it more fluid to produce and easier to read.
When do we fingerspell?
People’s names
Names of places
Titles of People, Places or Things (books, movies, restaurants, stores)
Brands and Products
When we don’t know a sign
For emphasis
Expressive(Production) Rules:
Mouth the whole word NOT the individual letters
Keep your hand just below your chin and over your shoulder
Keep your elbow down and close to your body, with your arm relaxed
DO NOT BOUNCE YOUR HAND/LETTERS
Do not move your hand horizontally
Do not look at your hand while fingerspelling
Receptive(Comprehension) Rules:
Use your DOMINANT hand while fingerspelling, if you write with both hands, pick a hand to sign with and stick to it.
Focus on the shape of the letters being formed and the word that it’s making. Try to not focus on the individual letters that you see.
Focus on the signers face while still watching the signers hand
Helpful Hints for Understanding Fingerspelling:
Don’t say each letter, say the sound it makes
Look for context clues – i.e., furniture, animals, places – to help you make the choice of what the word could be.
Use your closure skills, using the context of the conversation, to help put the word together. This will help you to fill in the gap so you may not need to see every letter.
Please view/review several videos related to Fingerspelling skills in ASL 1.
Review the ASL Alphabet Handshapes
To effectively communicate through fingerspelling, it's crucial to follow specific rules to maintain the correct hand position. Start by positioning your dominant hand at chest level, keeping your fingers together and slightly curved. Each letter should be clearly formed with deliberate movements, maintaining a steady pace for clarity. Remember to hold your hand steady and in the appropriate orientation, ensuring that the palm faces the viewer.
The fingerspelling technique for names with double letters involves specific movements to accurately represent the repeated letters. For names with double letters like bb, ll, rr, kk, the letters are repeated with a bounce to distinguish them. Similarly, names with double letters tt, mm, nn, ss, dd, ff require the letters to be repeated without a bounce. For names with double letters oo, ee, aa, the hand movement shifts sideways to indicate the repeated letters effectively during fingerspelling.
In learning how to correctly form the fist letters, it is essential to pay close attention to the position of the thumb. For the letter A, ensure that the thumb is straight up and aligned with the hand, avoiding bending it over the fingers. The fingers should not be tucked in, as seen in the letter S. When forming the letter E, make sure that at least two fingers rest on the thumb without the thumb overlapping the fingers. As for the letter I, the thumb should curve over the index finger and remain close to the fist. Finally, when crafting the Letter O, avoid bending the fingers to create a round shape; instead, focus on forming a flatter O shape. Proper thumb positioning is key to mastering the accurate formation of these fist letters.