*Names of specific people and places should be fingerspelled if a common sign name hasn’t been established.
“After work today I will meet William, Sally, Jill and Bill for happy hour.”
“We will be hanging out at Wild Wings.”
*Abbreviations, such as U.S.D.A and U.S.S.R, are spelled with a small circular motion or a slight shaking movement, while commonly used abbreviations, like ASDB and U.S. are fingerspelled like words.
“How long have you worked for A.D.O.T.?”
“Did you watch CSI last night?”
*English expressions or idioms should be fingerspelled.
“Have you heard the saying, ‘The proof is in the pudding?’”
“If you want to improve your fingerspelling, remember that, ‘Practice makes perfect.’”
*Specific nouns, such as: tools, fruit and carpet are fingerspelled.
“The farmer’s market has the most delicious apricots!”
“I need to go to Home Depot to pick up nails, pliers, and sandpaper.”
*States are sometimes spelled by using postal code abbreviations, like MT and NJ.
“When are you going back to TN?”
“Is your father from, NC or SC?”
*Medical procedures are often spelled, like angioplasty and epidural.
“My Mom was not feeling good following her dialysis.”
“The doctor said his stomach pain is probably due to appendicitis.”
*In some cases, fingerspelling is used for emphasis.
“I am NEVER going to that restaurant again!”
“That principal at the high school is STRESSED-OUT!”
*Months should be abbreviated or fingerspelled up to 5 letters (JAN, FEB, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUG, SEPT, OCT, NOV, DEC).
“The wind is always awful in NOV.”
“Will this year's AIMS be in MARCH or APRIL?”
Here's some "rules" on technique to help you both produce and receive fingerspelling in a clear fashion...Expressive Rules
1. Correct hand position
* Held approximately between the chin and the shoulder level
* Comfortable position; hand is not stiff
* Palm orientation out most of the time, or slightly
turned toward non-dominant side
* don’t bounce; keep ‘quiet’ visually
2. Mouthing
* Fingerspelled words represent English words, and the word spelled is commonly
mouthed.
3. Speed or clarity? Since clear communication is the goal, clarity is more important than speed.
4. Double letters:
* Typically double letters repeat at the beginning (Aaron) and in the middle of the word (Miller) move laterally at the end of the word (Bill)
B. Receptive Rules
1. Where to look:
* Look at the signer’s face, around the chin level.
* Never look at the signer’s hands.
2. What to look for:
*Look for the shape of the word by seeing he shape of the letters (tall, down, side or moving)
Tall letters: b, d, f, l, r, u, v, w
Down letters: p, q
Side letters: g, h
Moving letters: j, z and sometimes x
C. Strategies to Understanding Fingerspelling
1. Context
*Use clues based on context such as categories- e.g., fruit, cars, geographical locations – to narrow the word choice.
*Look for restrictive clues- such as colors of the rainbow or types of Nissan cars – to borrow word possibilities
2. Configuration
*Look for the shape of the whole word rather than concentrating on each letter.
3. Closure
*Use clues such as the configuration of the word and the context of the conversation to help “piece” the word together.
*Catch whatever letters one sees, then use the above clues. Using closure allows you to “Fill in the gap,” so it is not necessary to see every letter. This process also allows you to grasp the meaning, even when the signal is not clear or inaccurate.
Got all that? Now here's a short video to test your receptive abilities. How many words can you catch?
This is a great blog!! I hope you write more!
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