French manual alphabet

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The French manual alphabet is an alphabet used for French Sign Language (LSF), both to distinguish LSF words and to sign French words in LSF.[1]

The alphabet has the following letters:

  • A fist with thumb extended to the side
    A
  • An ASL 'B'
    B
  • An ASL 'C'
    C
    (seen from the side)
  • A formal ASL 'D', with the fingers rounded
    D
    (seen from the side)
  • A 'claw' hand; thumb does not touch fingers
    E
  • Like an ASL 'F', but fingers are splayed, and the thumb touches the outside of the index finger at the middle joint
    F
    (seen from the side)
  • Like an ASL 'G', but pointed upward
    G
  • An ASL 'horns' hand pointed upward: Extended index and pinkie, thumb lies over other fingers
    H
  • An ASL 'I'
    I
  • A Hawaiian 'hang ten' sign: Like an ASL 'J', but with the thumb extended
    J
  • An ASL 'K'
    K
  • An ASL 'L'
    L
  • A flat hand (like an informal ASL 'M') pointed to the side rather than down. Palm faces speaker.
    M
  • A flat hand (like an ASL 'U' or informal 'N') pointed to the side rather than down. Palm faces speaker.
    N
  • An ASL 'O' (rounded)
    O
    (seen from the side)
  • Like an ASL 'P', but the hand nods downward
    P
    (seen from the side)
  • As ASL 'Q'
    Q
    (seen from the side)
  • An ASL 'R'
    R
  • An ASL 'S'
    S
  • Like the French 'F', but with the thumb on the inside of the index finger
    T
    (seen from the side)
  • An ASL 'U'
    U
  • An ASL 'V'
    V
  • An ASL 'W'
    W
  • A flexed ASL 'V': Like an ASL 'X', but with two flexed fingers
    X
  • An ASL 'Y'
    Y
  • An ASL 'Z'
    Z

These are largely similar to the letters of the American manual alphabet. A few letters (upward G, sideward M and N) are oriented differently, with the result that D and G depend on a difference in hand shape that has been lost from informal ASL, and N looks like an ASL H. Several letters (hitchhiker-thumb A, clawed E, splayed F, nodding P, etc.) have minor differences that suggest a different "accent"; the thumb on A makes it more distinct from S than is American A. Four letters are radically different: H (the ASL '8'/'horns' handshape), J (a swiveling Y rather than I), X (uses two fingers, like a flexed ASL V), and T (just like the French F, but with the thumb on the inside of the index finger instead of on the outside).[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Padden, Carol; Gunsauls, Darline Clark (2003-10-16). "How the Alphabet Came to Be Used in a Sign Language". Sign Language Studies. 4 (1): 10–33. doi:10.1353/sls.2003.0026. ISSN 1533-6263.