manual alphabet
1
6.0
- noun
- /ˈmæn.ju.əl ˈæl.fə.bɛt/
:
alfabeto manual
- The manual alphabet helps deaf people spell out words using hand signs.
Examples
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The hand responded by forming the corresponding letters of the one-hand manual alphabet.
Academic text (1994) -
Students engage in hands-on, interactive activities such as developing their own coat of arms, practicing the manual alphabet, writing haiku poetry, and learning folk songs from around the world.
Academic text (2000) -
Children who learn the manual alphabet can communicate easily with their deaf peers.
-
Teachers who know the manual alphabet can effectively engage with deaf students in the classroom.
Synonyms
Hand signs that show the letters of the alphabet for people who are deaf
A way of showing letters with your hands used in sign language
A way to show each letter of the alphabet using hand signs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'manual' (by hand/hand-related) + 'alphabet' (set of letters): it refers to an alphabet expressed with the hands. This structure is literal and cross-linguistically transparent (many languages have a signed/manual alphabet), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase manual alphabet comes from the words manual (meaning 'by hand') and alphabet (the set of letters), and it describes a system where each letter has its own hand sign. People use these signs to 'spell' names and words with their hands, so the phrase means a way to show letters by hand.