Finger spelling
Finger spelling is the act of spelling out words with the hands, using a manual alphabet. In sign languages, it is mostly used for proper names, although it is merely one tool among many. Different sign languages (they are not universal) use different manual alphabets - some one-handed and others two-handed.Finger spelling is used in sign language for words and names for which there is no sign. Although, some words are preferably finger spelt even when there is an equivalent sign. Finger spelling can also be used for emphasis, clarification, or (sometimes extensively) when teaching or learning a sign language.
Finger spelling is often rapid so that the individual letters become difficult to distinguish, and the word is grasped from the overall hand movement.
When persons fluent in sign language read finger spelling, they do not look at the signer's hand, but maintain eye contact and look at the face of the signer because facial expressions and body language are such an important part of sign language. People who are just learning finger spelling often find it impossible to understand it using just their peripheral vision and must look directly at the hand of someone who is finger spelling. Often, they must also ask the signer to fingerspell slowly. For people who did not learn sign language as their first language, it frequently takes years of expressive and receptive practice to become skilled with finger spelling.
The manual alphabet
A manual alphabet is a system of representing all the letters of an alphabet, using only the hands. Making words using a manual alphabet is called finger spelling. Manual alphabets are a part of sign languages.The two main manual alphabets used for representing the Roman alphabet are:
the one-handed manual alphabet - used (with some variations) in most European Sign Languages, American Sign Language, Japanese Sign language, and International Sign Language.
the two-handed manual alphabet - used in British Sign Language as well as in the related languages of Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language.