FOUNDATION OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE
EDUCATION
SIGN LANGUAGE ALPHABET
RHEA B. ABERGOS
Assistant Professor
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL)
• American Sign Language or ASL as it’s
popularly called by its acronym, is a fascinating
language and many people have started to see
its value and purpose outside the Deaf
community.
• It is a visual language formed by organized
hand gestures, body movements, and facial
expressions
• The ASL alphabet (a.k.a fingerspelling) is one
of the easier challenges when learning sign
language and it’s a sign language basic
necessary to know in order to succeed.
• Note: ASL uses only one hand to form the
letters in the alphabet.
TIPS FOR ASL FINGERSPELLING
• 1.) KEEP A STEADY HAND
• Keeping your hand steady will call for less
confusion and more conversation.
• Your signs are easier to read when your hand
is not shaking.
• In sign language, your hand is your face
talking.
• If you’re struggling to keep a steady hand, try
placing your other hand under your elbow to
stabilize your hand
2.) DON’T BOUNCE YOUR LETTERS!
• When you’re switching between letters, it’s
really important to keep your whole arm steady
so the person reading your signs doesn’t have
to make that bouncing motion with their eyes.
3.) SLOW DOWN!
• Slow and steady wins the race, remember?
• Try not to speed through a word, the person
reading your hands need time to process!
4.) PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
• Like with anything new you learn, repetition
helps us to recall and remember what we have
learned.
• You can start practicing with small letter words
and as you build your confidence you can
move your way up to longer words or even
sentences.
• Different sign languages throughout the world
have their different manual alphabets used to
fingerspell spoken/written words of spoken
languages, including people's names, some
titles, etc. that don't have signs.
Baby signing M
• The form of M is one of a large number of some
marked or unnatural handshapes. In language
acquisition of a signed language, ASL-speaking
children don't acquire this handshape until much
later after many other handshapes in ASL words.
Aside that, there aren't many ASL words with the
handshape M, nevertheless.
• By the age 3.5 to 4 or so, ASL-speaking
preschoolers may be able to form the letter M
when fingerspelling the ABCs.
• This image illustrates the letter M in the two-
handed British manual alphabet that is used by
Deaf signers in British Sign Language (BSL) in
the U.K., Australian Sign Language (Auslan),
and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).
• American Sign Language (ASL) in North
America and French Sign Language (FSL) in
France share the similar one-handed manual
alphabet with minor differences.
• Because, Old ASL is descended from Old
French Sign Language (Old LSF) in the early
1800s, even though, both modern languages
naturally developed by Deaf people are very
different today.
• Notice the difference of sign language for the
letter M and N in the pictures.
• Both are acceptable
References
• https://www.handspeak.com/learn/408/
• american-sign-language-alphabet-for-
beginners-in-asl/
