manual alphabet

noun

1. a set of finger configurations corresponding to the letters of the alphabet, used by the Deaf in fingerspelling.

Word History and Origins

Origin of manual alphabet¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Rather than getting angry at us, hearing people can type text on their phones, try a speech-to-text transcription app or learn the ASL manual alphabet for basic exchanges, use gestures, or employ pen and paper.

From Washington Post

The manual alphabet was then published as an an illustration in popular author Daniel Defoe's book about a deaf man, The History of the Life and Adventures of Mr Duncan Campbell, from 1720.

From BBC

The manual alphabet, or fingerspelling, is thought by some to have been invented by monks in the 8th Century who had taken a vow of silence and needed another way of communicating.

From BBC

When Anna knew how to read and understand about forty substantives, I taught her the manual alphabet, and from that moment I could test her knowledge with unfailing exactitude.

From Project Gutenberg

Amman says that Van Helmont had discovered a manual alphabet and used it to instruct the deaf, but had not attained very good results.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• finger alphabet
• fingerspelling