finger alphabet
- noun
- /ˈfɪŋɡər ˈælfəˌbɛt/
- Jargon
:
alfabeto dactilológico
- She learned the finger alphabet to communicate with her deaf friends.
Examples
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Many people use the finger alphabet as an introduction to sign language.
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The finger alphabet is essential for communication.
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The teacher demonstrated the finger alphabet in front of the class.
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I learned the finger alphabet last week.
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She used the finger alphabet to communicate with her deaf friend during the event.
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Learning the finger alphabet allowed him to connect with the deaf community more effectively.
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At the workshop, participants practiced the finger alphabet to improve their sign language skills.
Synonyms
1
6.0
Hand signs for each letter used to spell words, often by deaf people
A way to show each letter of the alphabet using hand signs
A way of showing letters with your hands used in sign language
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('an alphabet represented by finger positions') is directly and compositionally built from 'finger' (hand digit) + 'alphabet' (set of letters); the noun-noun compound straightforwardly indicates an alphabet realized via fingers. This compositional pattern is intuitive and cross-linguistically mirrored by terms for manual or signed alphabets, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The term finger alphabet comes from the simple image of using your finger or fingers to show the letters of the alphabet with different hand shapes. So, it means 'a system' where each letter is shown by a hand or finger position to help people who are deaf spell words.