ASL: How to Sign the Alphabet
American Sign Language (ASL) signers use the manual alphabet all the time, especially beginners. People’s names, at first, and some words need to be fingerspelled — spelling words using the manual alphabet.
So, as a beginner, feel free to fingerspell any word you don’t know the sign for. If you want to fingerspell two or more words in a row such as a title, or first and last name of someone, pause for just a second between each word.
Don’t worry about being slow at fingerspelling. Clarity is the goal, not speed. Silently mouth the letters while you fingerspell them. Doing so helps you to control your speed, because you’re concentrating more on the letters.
Language Phrases Glossary
accusative case
When noun or pronoun is the direct object of the verb of the sentence, you are required to switch to the accusative case ending.
Language Phrases Glossary
dative case
When noun or pronoun is the indirect object of the verb of the sentence, you are required to switch to the dative case ending.
Language Phrases Glossary
genitive case
When the noun or pronoun indicates possession, you are required switch to the genitive case ending.
Language Phrases Glossary
instrumental case
A Russian grammatical term that indicates that the noun or pronoun assist in the carrying out of an action, you are required to switch to the accusative case ending.
Language Phrases Glossary
interrogative
Words used to ask questions, such as who, what, when, where, and why.
Language Phrases Glossary
macron
A small, horizontal mark above the vowel that indicates a long vowel sound. Make the vowel sound like its name.
Language Phrases Glossary
nominative case
When noun or pronoun is the subject of the sentence, you are required to switch to the nominative case ending.
Language Phrases Glossary
prepositional case
A grammatical case that indicates that the noun or pronoun is the object of a preposition, you are required to switch to the accusative case ending. Used with the Russian prepositions: v (v; in), na (nah; on), o (oh; about), and ob (ohb; about).
