signLingo
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Reference

french sign language

Laurent Clerc carried LSF to the United States in 1817. Most of the handshapes you learn here you already half-know from ASL.

Alphabet9

  • A

    A closed fist with your thumb straight up the side.

  • B

    Four fingers straight and together, thumb folded flat across the palm.

  • C

    Fingers and thumb curved into a C, palm turned to the side.

  • D

    Index finger up; the other fingers curl down to meet the thumb.

  • I

    Pinky up, the rest of the hand closed.

  • L

    Index up, thumb straight out to the side at a right angle.

  • O

    All fingers curve down to meet the thumb in a round O.

  • V

    Index and middle fingers up and spread apart.

  • Y

    Thumb and pinky stretched out, the three middle fingers closed.

Numbers5

  • 1

    Index finger straight up.

  • 2

    Index and middle fingers up.

  • 3

    Index, middle and ring fingers up.

  • 4

    All four fingers up, thumb tucked across the palm.

  • 5

    Open hand, all five fingers spread.

what this chart doesn’t cover

Fingerspelling is a small corner of LSF. Real signing carries grammar in movement, facial expression and the space in front of you — none of which a still handshape can hold. Treat this as a doorway, and learn the rest from Deaf teachers.

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