How to Learn Letter Recognition in Sign Language

Learning letter recognition in sign language is usually the first step in learning to speak with the hands. With practice, learning the letter in sign language can be easy, as most of the hand movements for each letter have been designed to look like the respective letter. It is important to know, according to "The Pocket Dictionary of Signing," that the right hand is the one usually chosen to make letters with, although the left hand can also be used.

Instructions

• 1

  View each of the letter hand positions first, seeing exactly what they look like. This is important to see how close they may look to the letter they represent. It gets easier with practice, though some letters may be harder to remember. The closed hand with the thumb around the side for "A" is an easy one to remember, but a closed hand with the thumb between the pointer finger and middle for a "T" is a little more difficult.

• 2

  Practice each letter, using visual aids to remember each letter. As you learn each letter, it will be easier to transition more smoothly through the letters. Although "T" (described in step 1) does not seem to fit the letter itself, it does flow smoothly from "S," which is made with the closed hand with the thumb folded across the pointer finger with its tip at the middle finger.

• 3

  Spell out words, making sure to use proper hand movements. Start with shorter words to get the hang of it until the letters are more easily recognized. This manual alphabet is used for fingerspelling, which is used to spell out words when using sign language letter hand gestures.