ASL Interpreting: American Sign Language Fingerspelling 101
by: Lisa Hendrickson, CI - NIR Coordinator
An integral part of American Sign Language is the use of hand shapes, known as the “manual alphabet”, to represent each letter in the English alphabet. Fingerspelling is the process of spelling out words, by using hand shapes from the “manual alphabet” that correspond to the letters of the word.
Fingerspelling is utilized in ASL for a variety of reasons:
- Proper nouns: Names, locations, book/magazine titles, name-brands, business names, etc.
- Words that do not have a specific ASL sign associated
- Fingerspelling for emphasis or clarification
- Technical or other specific terminology
- Lexicalized fingerspelling (aka: loan signs)
Hope you have enjoyed the contents of this blog, and that you find the above chart useful!
If you are an interpreter in the Southeast Florida area, interested in freelance work and have availability days, nights, or weekends, we have a variety of assignments throughout the community (medical appointments, evening/overnight hospital shifts, day/evening college classes, school districts, legal, etc.). Please visit our website and submit our New Interpreter Questionnaire:
https://interpreterresource.com/freelance-interpreters/new-interpreter-questionnaire