How can I improve my finger spelling speed?

[amandaraemay]

Hello! I'm a hearing student, just saying.

I'm interested in improving my fingerspelling speed! I try to practice as much as possible. Sometimes, I'll read things (for example, on the board) and just fingerspell what others write to get more used to it. Also, I have a tough time understanding when others fingerspell. When watching videos, I always have to rewind. Sometimes, I miss out on letters.

The only conversations I've ever had with someone who had signed before were with a teacher. Sometimes, it's a little embarassing always having to ask if they can please sign slower :|

What are some ways that I can improve my fingerspelling speed, as well as understand fingerspelling more accuratly? I greatly appreciate any advice!

EDIT: Here are some videos to show how I'm slowly, yet surly (at least I like to tell myself that haha) progressing with my signing. I'm becoming more comfortable doing so.

1st video for class:

4th or 5th video for class, 6 months later:

Please excuse all my errors

 

[Bottesini]

Fingerspelling Quiz for American Sign Language (ASL)

Practice at this link.

 

[O*I*C]

Something I see a lot of hearing people do when they are trying to read fingerspelled words is to see each letter and then attempt to put them together as a word in thier head. By the time they figure out what the word is the other person has already signed quite a few other things.

The best way to do it is to sound out each letter in your head as they're spelling it, the same way you learned to read as a child. That way you're stringing the word together phonetically. If you keep practicing soon you will have the same instant recognization of fingerspelled words that you do with the words you are reading right now in this post

 

[Smithtr]

lots of practice everyday important to memory skills lots role ASL better focus on your skills, If supposed practice repeat to spelling, try best not easy many people notice hard finger spelling I tell you I am experience, I courage to people help better improve patient normal hard to see on finger spelling I suggest to you practice hold your mind improve skills lots of finger spelling, try best hard changelle!

 

[KStiletto]

Hello! I'm a hearing student, just saying.

I'm interested in improving my fingerspelling speed! I try to practice as much as possible. Sometimes, I'll read things (for example, on the board) and just fingerspell what others write to get more used to it. Also, I have a tough time understanding when others fingerspell. When watching videos, I always have to rewind. Sometimes, I miss out on letters.

The only conversations I've ever had with someone who had signed before were with a teacher. Sometimes, it's a little embarassing always having to ask if they can please sign slower :|

What are some ways that I can improve my fingerspelling speed, as well as understand fingerspelling more accuratly? I greatly appreciate any advice!

EDIT: Here are some videos to show how I'm slowly, yet surly (at least I like to tell myself that haha) progressing with my signing. I'm becoming more comfortable doing so.

1st video for class:
YouTube - ‪ASL Autobiography‬‏

4th or 5th video for class, 6 months later:
YouTube - ‪A Fishy Story - ASL‬‏

Please excuse all my errors

Your signing is off the chain! That means good, lol. I couldnt help but look at that gorgeous ginger cat in the background.

Any faster and your hand would look like a big blur. I'm a novice so..lol. Id like to be able to sign like you very soon.

 

[Smithtr]

Your signing is off the chain! That means good, lol. I couldnt help but look at that gorgeous ginger cat in the background.

Any faster and your hand would look like a big blur. I'm a novice so..lol. Id like to be able to sign like you very soon.

I fast on sign languages I am very lots of experience visual on sign language and fingerspelling, I had visual on lots of social on the hands sign language!

 

[Lavender]

wrong signs for fish, place & snorkel not very clear description abt wear a scuba diving equipment.

 

[amandaraemay]

wrong signs for fish, place & snorkel not very clear description abt wear a scuba diving equipment.

Thank for the critique, honestly. I know it's no where near perfect. We had to re-sign this story just by mocking a video of someone else signing the story, so many signs weren't very clear to me, or were simply signed too fast.

 

[Smithtr]

wrong signs for fish, place & snorkel not very clear description abt wear a scuba diving equipment.

True I know on interpreter It is very pretty I hard to see visual on scuba, I was scuba driving equipment lots of sound I think so lots of complication visual sign language

Thank for the critique, honestly. I know it's no where near perfect. We had to re-sign this story just by mocking a video of someone else signing the story, so many signs weren't very clear to me, or were simply signed too fast.

I agree you that is right!

 

[coolgirlspyer90]

What I would do is I would practice the ABCs fingerspelling. Like I would go slow at first to get used to moving your fingers around your hands. I tutor some ASL students in school during my study hall during the day and sometimes I'll go with my hearing friends and help them out with ASL stuff whenever they need to do a paper for an ASL class.

like there's a few tricks to learning some fingerspelling signs, and I don't know if some deaf people would agree with me or not.
When you're doing the letter "K" in ASL, put the "K" upside down, and it becomes a "P". When you're doing the letter "G" put it upside down again and it becomes a "Q".

Sometimes there are some ways on remembering how to fingerspell. Just go slow at first and watch your hands and see if you can find any tricks to remembering them. Then As you're getting more comfortable with the fingerspelling, try to go a little bit faster. And it's okay if you mess up by fingerspelling sometimes, I mean i mess up fingerspelling too, you're not going to get in trouble for it. So, just start out slow, then try go faster if you're getting used to it. Then challenge yourself fingerspelling a word.

Here's a word i want you to try and challenge yourself fingerspelling: COCONUT

good luck!

 

[kbnyc]

What I would do is I would practice the ABCs fingerspelling. Like I would go slow at first to get used to moving your fingers around your hands. I tutor some ASL students in school during my study hall during the day and sometimes I'll go with my hearing friends and help them out with ASL stuff whenever they need to do a paper for an ASL class.

like there's a few tricks to learning some fingerspelling signs, and I don't know if some deaf people would agree with me or not.
When you're doing the letter "K" in ASL, put the "K" upside down, and it becomes a "P". When you're doing the letter "G" put it upside down again and it becomes a "Q".

Sometimes there are some ways on remembering how to fingerspell. Just go slow at first and watch your hands and see if you can find any tricks to remembering them. Then As you're getting more comfortable with the fingerspelling, try to go a little bit faster. And it's okay if you mess up by fingerspelling sometimes, I mean i mess up fingerspelling too, you're not going to get in trouble for it. So, just start out slow, then try go faster if you're getting used to it. Then challenge yourself fingerspelling a word.

Here's a word i want you to try and challenge yourself fingerspelling: COCONUT

good luck!

Excellent suggestion on a practice word, it's actually a pretty fun one to spell lol.

Generally what I do is when I have nothing to do, I'll fingerspell things around me (to keep it random). Good luck!

 

[coolgirlspyer90]

Excellent suggestion on a practice word, it's actually a pretty fun one to spell lol.

Generally what I do is when I have nothing to do, I'll fingerspell things around me (to keep it random). Good luck!

all my friends try to challenge me on fingerspelling a very tricky word like BANANA or COCONUT or something like that. It makes fingerspelling pretty fun when you're trying to do those things. Plus I challenge this to my friends all the time

 

[KristinaB]

My son takes his old spelling lists from school, (yes, I saved them on the computer) and fingerspells those. He went to my deaf club with me for a movie night. Someone ask him (in ASL) if he signed. He mentioned fingerspelling and they asked for an example. He fingerspelled "supercalifragiliticexpialidocious". Luckily the person that asked him was an ASL instructor and she mentioned that even she could not fingerspell that one correctly or as fast as he did.

I just practice over and over, but I have to break a bad habit that I picked up. I tend to mouth out each letter and I know that's a no-no. How do I break that?

 

[Google]

I wouldn't focus on speed too much. When I was young, I liked to compete with my hearing cousins on finger spelling. When I first attended a deaf school, my normal finger spelling speed was far too fast! I was not used to other people's speeds, I got bored really fast. I had to slow myself down which was annoying.

Just go with the flow, man. Try to learn more signs to replace the need to spell out things. Everything has a sign.

I just watched the videos and you sign cute(little off topic but I had to say it). I realize in ASL classes, teachers do not want you to use your mouth. I personally believe, at least for me, mouth movement is critical to understand better. It could just be me because I mainly read lips and use signs as aid to understand lips better.

 

[KStiletto]

I wouldn't focus on speed too much. When I was young, I liked to compete with my hearing cousins on finger spelling. When I first attended a deaf school, my normal finger spelling speed was far too fast! I was not used to other people's speeds, I got bored really fast. I had to slow myself down which was annoying.

Just go with the flow, man. Try to learn more signs to replace the need to spell out things. Everything has a sign.

I just watched the videos and you sign cute(little off topic but I had to say it). I realize in ASL classes, teachers do not want you to use your mouth. I personally believe, at least for me, mouth movement is critical to understand better. It could just be me because I mainly read lips and use signs as aid to understand lips better.

I wouldnt mind having that issue.

 

[KristinaB]

Son got onto Skype with someone from m y deaf club and they were in a fingerspelling duel. He won, and this person has been using ASL for 50 years. She commented that he was far to good and needed to learn to slow down.

 

[Jiro]

Hello! I'm a hearing student, just saying.

I'm interested in improving my fingerspelling speed! I try to practice as much as possible. Sometimes, I'll read things (for example, on the board) and just fingerspell what others write to get more used to it. Also, I have a tough time understanding when others fingerspell. When watching videos, I always have to rewind. Sometimes, I miss out on letters.

when reading someone's fingerspelling - don't focus on each letter.... focus on "big picture" depending on context of conversation.

for example - if he was talking about his vacation from Hawaii and he's fingerspelling a name of fruit - "grapefruit"... you may see it as "g-r-p-f-r.... i-t". You can fill in the puzzle yourself but this takes lot of practices and time. Don't worry about it. You'll know eventually.

The only conversations I've ever had with someone who had signed before were with a teacher. Sometimes, it's a little embarassing always having to ask if they can please sign slower :|

don't be embarrassed. I tell my ASL teacher to repeat/slowdown all the times.

You signed up for this course. You paid for this course and it ain't cheap. So raise your hand as many as you want if you have any questions

What are some ways that I can improve my fingerspelling speed, as well as understand fingerspelling more accuratly? I greatly appreciate any advice!

none. only time will tell. Focus on clarity, not speed. Speed will automatically build up as the time goes on... as long as you sign frequently.

 

[Cheetah]

One thing I did to improve my finger spelling speed was to listen to talk radio and finger spell as many words as I could. After a while I was finger spelling entire sentences and almost keeping up with the pace they were talking.

This was of course before my hearing finally gave up and walked out on me.

 

[Mudkipz]

Son got onto Skype with someone from m y deaf club and they were in a fingerspelling duel. He won, and this person has been using ASL for 50 years. She commented that he was far to good and needed to learn to slow down.

fingerspelling duel?? What is this?

 

[Mountain Man]

Practice clarity. Speed will come in time.