Two-handed manual alphabet
Encyclopedia
Several manual alphabets in use around the world employ two hands for some or all of the letters.
group of sign languages. It has been used in British Sign Language
and Auslan
since at least the 19th century, and in New Zealand Sign Language
since the 1970s. South African Sign Language
, on the other hand, uses a one-handed alphabet.
The sender holds the wrist of the receiver. The receiver's hand is relaxed, with the palm open and fingers slightly apart. The signer uses their dominant hand like a pen to sign on the non-dominant hand of the receiver. As a beginner, you may squeeze the wrist of the receiver between words since you will spell haltingly. Once you can spell fluently, simply put a short pause between words. AEIOU are the pads of each finger, beginning with the thumb.
A: BANZSL "A" is signed on the tip of the thumb
B: The fingers and thumb are held together to form half of the BANZSL "B" and placed on the palm
C: Draw your finger along the edge of the thumb and up the index finger, alternatively the direction of the sweep can be reversed
D: The signer forms half of the BANZSL "D" with their dominant hand and places it against the recessive hand of the receiver. An alternative is to use the index and middle finger placed against the recessive hand
E: BANZSL "E" is signed on the tip of the index finger
F: Half of the BANZSL "F" is signed either on the palm or on the top of the receiver's index finger
G: Half of the BANZSL "G" is signed on the palm
H: BANZSL "H" is signed across the palm
I: BANZSL "I" is sigend on the tip of the middle finger
J: BANZSL "J" is signed on the hand of the receiver
K: Half of the BANZSL "K" is signed on the first knuckle of the index finger
L: BANZSL "L" is signed on the palm
M: BANZSL "M" is signed on the palm
N: BANZSL "N" is signed on the palm
O: BANZSL "O" is signed on the tip of the ring finger
P: Pinch the pad and nail of the index finger (P for pinch)
Q: Hook your curled index finger around the thumb
R: BANZSL "R" is signed on the palm
S: Hook your curled index finger around the little finger
T: BANZSL "T" is signed on the receiver's hand
U: BANZSL "U" is signed on the tip of the little finger
V: BANZSL "V" is signed on the palm
W: There are three ways to do this; all are acceptable, but your receiver might not know them all.
X: Half of the BANZSL "X" is signed on the index finger
Y: The index finger is used to sign a BANZSL "Y" on the hand of the receiver
Z: The side of the palm is placed on the palm of the receiver
BANZSL alphabet
This alphabet is used in the BANZSLBANZSL
BANZSL, or British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language, is the language of which British Sign Language , Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language may be considered dialects...
group of sign languages. It has been used in British Sign Language
British Sign Language
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK; there are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL plus an estimated 20,000 children. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands,...
and Auslan
Auslan
Auslan is the sign language of the Australian deaf community. The term Auslan is an acronym of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older...
since at least the 19th century, and in New Zealand Sign Language
New Zealand Sign Language
New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL is the main language of the Deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006, alongside Te Reo Māori....
since the 1970s. South African Sign Language
South African Sign Language
South African Sign Language is the name of the sign language favoured by the South African government. SASL was formally recognised in 1995, and is still being codified...
, on the other hand, uses a one-handed alphabet.
Deafblind alphabet
This is a variation on the above alphabet, modified for tactile use by those communicating with people who are DeafBlind.The sender holds the wrist of the receiver. The receiver's hand is relaxed, with the palm open and fingers slightly apart. The signer uses their dominant hand like a pen to sign on the non-dominant hand of the receiver. As a beginner, you may squeeze the wrist of the receiver between words since you will spell haltingly. Once you can spell fluently, simply put a short pause between words. AEIOU are the pads of each finger, beginning with the thumb.
A: BANZSL "A" is signed on the tip of the thumb
B: The fingers and thumb are held together to form half of the BANZSL "B" and placed on the palm
C: Draw your finger along the edge of the thumb and up the index finger, alternatively the direction of the sweep can be reversed
D: The signer forms half of the BANZSL "D" with their dominant hand and places it against the recessive hand of the receiver. An alternative is to use the index and middle finger placed against the recessive hand
E: BANZSL "E" is signed on the tip of the index finger
F: Half of the BANZSL "F" is signed either on the palm or on the top of the receiver's index finger
G: Half of the BANZSL "G" is signed on the palm
H: BANZSL "H" is signed across the palm
I: BANZSL "I" is sigend on the tip of the middle finger
J: BANZSL "J" is signed on the hand of the receiver
K: Half of the BANZSL "K" is signed on the first knuckle of the index finger
L: BANZSL "L" is signed on the palm
M: BANZSL "M" is signed on the palm
N: BANZSL "N" is signed on the palm
O: BANZSL "O" is signed on the tip of the ring finger
P: Pinch the pad and nail of the index finger (P for pinch)
Q: Hook your curled index finger around the thumb
R: BANZSL "R" is signed on the palm
S: Hook your curled index finger around the little finger
T: BANZSL "T" is signed on the receiver's hand
U: BANZSL "U" is signed on the tip of the little finger
V: BANZSL "V" is signed on the palm
W: There are three ways to do this; all are acceptable, but your receiver might not know them all.
-
- Interlace your fingers with theirs
- Grab all their fingers from the side (if your hand is folded over, their index finger lies across the first knuckles of your hand)
- Grab their fingers from the top (if your hand is folded over, their fingertips lay across the first knuckles of your hand)
X: Half of the BANZSL "X" is signed on the index finger
Y: The index finger is used to sign a BANZSL "Y" on the hand of the receiver
Z: The side of the palm is placed on the palm of the receiver