Fingerspelling

prisca

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So I'm constantly practicing fingerspelling and as each day goes by, it gets easier and there's a flow to my fingers forming the next letter. The problem I'm having right bow though is seeing others sign to me. I'm constantly being told to just watch each shape of the letters and to read the word rather than say the letters. How do I train my eyes to see each letter as a shape that I can recongize?
 
It helps to use a slide rule. :)
Just forget it and you will get it.
 
^^ ditto.. I'm getting back into being able to understand fingerspelling better again though it helps that most of my interpreters do fingerspell a leeettle slower lol. It's my own fingerspelling that needs a lot of practice!
 
Thank you guys very much! I've been using @mikemike method of seeing the first and last letter of the word and understanding the context around it and it's helped a lot so thank you for that!
 
I've been told before that in sign language fingerspelling is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master. I try to catch the first and last letters and grab as many as I can in the middle. And then squeeze them all together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've also found that it will take my brain a second to clue into what I've seen. So I'll see the fingerspelling and then a few seconds later get the word. Using context clues is important. I also try to say the sounds of the letters in my head as they're happening instead of saying the letter. When you see a word happen letter by letter at the end you'll have all the letters, but your brain won't be able to put those back together to make a word. I don't know why that happens but it's ridiculous. You could watch someone sign U - N - D - E - R - S - T - A - N - D, and you could see and understand every letter, but not be able to put that back together to make understand. I don't get how that works, but it happens to me all the time.
 
I've been told before that in sign language fingerspelling is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master. I try to catch the first and last letters and grab as many as I can in the middle. And then squeeze them all together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've also found that it will take my brain a second to clue into what I've seen. So I'll see the fingerspelling and then a few seconds later get the word. Using context clues is important. I also try to say the sounds of the letters in my head as they're happening instead of saying the letter. When you see a word happen letter by letter at the end you'll have all the letters, but your brain won't be able to put those back together to make a word. I don't know why that happens but it's ridiculous. You could watch someone sign U - N - D - E - R - S - T - A - N - D, and you could see and understand every letter, but not be able to put that back together to make understand. I don't get how that works, but it happens to me all the time.
YES I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT. I only see the letters signed rather than the word itself too. I think overtime with practice, it'll become second nature just like how we see words normally as words rather than individual letters
 
How do I practice? I can practice fingerspelling myself but I get very few opportunities as a hearing person to watch fingerspelling. Does anyone have any resources? Ideas?
 
How do I practice? I can practice fingerspelling myself but I get very few opportunities as a hearing person to watch fingerspelling. Does anyone have any resources? Ideas?

For me, I tried teaching my (hearing) friends how to sign because of a difficulty in communication and they finger spelled a lot because they were learning and didn't know certain words. It helped me read finger spelling.

Maybe try getting friends or acquaintances that are hearing to learn and fingerspelling is the first thing to learn.
 
So I'm constantly practicing fingerspelling and as each day goes by, it gets easier and there's a flow to my fingers forming the next letter. The problem I'm having right bow though is seeing others sign to me. I'm constantly being told to just watch each shape of the letters and to read the word rather than say the letters. How do I train my eyes to see each letter as a shape that I can recongize?
I have found a couple of apps that have very good finger spelling practice....one is at Life print...dr. Bill vickers. Highly recommend it. You can select speed..how many letters in a word and work up from there.
 
Hey. I've been learning ASL for a short while too and have found fingerspelling tricky I found a great online app a few days ago that has actually helped me quite a lot already.
 
Sorry, I don't seem to be allowed to post a link to it but if you Google for "ASL fingerspelling challenge" then it should be the top result (not the ads).
 
I guess it's just a matter of practicing. I use a communication system called the deaf blind manual which is based on British sign language alphabet.
 
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