Seattle Central Community College

Tips for Fingerspelling

PRODUCING

Relaxed hands
Palm-out on most letters
Elbow in near the body
Don't rush - be clear

RECEIVING

Catch the 1st and last letter
Catch any letters in between
Use context!
Guess

Note:  Accurate and complete spelling is
not usually a factor for successful communication.

Cosndir ths setncne.  The frist and lsat ltters are in tehir crrct psotions.
Thre are ltrs mssing.  Yet, you msot lkiley are albe to recnogzie the wrods.

Nat Wilson demonstrates the Do's and Don't's of producing fingerspelling in this streamed video.
You can view a VHS copy of the video in the ASL/ITP lab or in the Library.

   Click here to link to the streamed video.

More Fingerspelling Production Tips

Over many decades, Deaf people have developed a fluid and efficient system for fingerspelling.
Naturally occurring "rules" or tendencies for fingerspelling have arisen and so we have some
generally accepted DOs and DON'Ts for fingerspelling.

The most important rules of thumb are:

1.  Don't bounce or punch your hand with each letter.  Keep your hand steady in one point in space.

2.  Don't look at your hand when fingerspelling.  Keep eye contact with your viewers.

3.  Maintain the same palm orientation.  Keep the orientation facing outward as much as possible.
     There are some letters that require a different palm orientation, but keep the change minimal (G, H, J, P, Q).

4.  Use the same hand to fingerspell more than one word.  Don't switch between right and left hands.

5.  Don't mouth your letters or your words.  Use only ASL-appropriate facial expressions.

6.  Don't move your hand horizontally.  Keep it steady in one point in space.

7.  Don't fingerspell out of the assigned "fingerspelling space".  Your hand should be near your dominant-hand shoulder,
and your elbow should be close to your body.

8.  Don't block your face.  If you do you will block your facial expressions, and your eye contact with your viewer.

As with any language "rule" there are always exceptions to the rules under certain circumstances.

Words with Double Letters:  Modeling and Practice Words

Double letters in fingerspelling are treated a little differently than other letters.

   Click here to view the accompanying streamed video

1. A small, brief bounce is permitted.

2. Some signers add a short brief horizontal movement with the bounce, especially if the double-letter ends the word.

3. A double-Z often uses the "V" handshape with the "Z" movement to represent both letters.

The video contains a demonstration of each of these forms.
Several practice words are included.

You can view/copy a VHS video in the ASL/ITP Lab or view it in the Library.