Three-Letter Word Practice for American Sign Language Alphabet (ABC, ASL, fingerspelling)

[1030drenic]

This is really cool but difficult. I will practice more.

[lynzdavampire]

I love these! You should consider cropping your body and face out of them in future videos.

[smil3ychey]

oh gosh, i thought i was getting good at reading fingerspelling.

i should practice more xD

[weightlossseattle]

yikes!..for a beginner, he's to fast..and it is tricky to keep backing up. perhaps the first time he signs a word. it should be really slow, then faster for the second time, and a third time, just for practice. wow...I have a lot of practicing to do!

[MrLadiesman93]

Slow! Compared to what? Mach 1!

[Wad3yWade]

whats number 3?

[waywaychepmen88]

Oohhhhhhh! Thank you very much for explaining! Keep up the good work. I'll keep viewing the video for practice.

[BYUFanatic]

@waywaychepmen88 No problem. :) Hope you have fun learning ASL!

[waywaychepmen88]

I like how you slowly fingerspell. However, I have a feeling these are old-fashioned or obsolete. I learned the ASL style of fingerspelling numbers, but they are completely different from what I see here in your video.

[BYUFanatic]

@waywaychepmen88 There are several variations for signing some of the numbers. You can rest assured that as a full-time certified ASL teacher and a Deaf person that uses ASL every day in my life, that I am fluent in what you call "ASL style." I choose to sign more formal numbers rather than "slang" variations. Obsolete? No, personal preference.

[2478family]

Thank you for a great way to learn to read the finger spelling.

[BYUFanatic]

@2478family You're very welcome!

[SnoopyRocks60]

My weakness is fingerspelling and numbers. Thanks you so very much for these videos. I will be practicing every day with you!

[BYUFanatic]

@SnoopyRocks60 Glad you like the videos. Hope you enjoy learning ASL!

[FullOfSomething]

i was practicing finger spelling today while i was driving and was wonder how to do double letters. thanks number 39. lol

[BYUFanatic]

@FullOfSomething There's a number of ways to do double letters (depending on the letters). You can slide, bounce, or double-sign them. Sliding or double-signing are the most common.

[FullOfSomething]

@BYUFanatic I was practicing again today and was signing the letters and numbers of some licenses plates. lol I came across the letter F and number 9 together and was thinking, how would you tell a Deaf person your license’s plate number if it has a letter F and number 9 together? If for some reason he or she wanted to know. lol

[BYUFanatic]

@FullOfSomething When doing number/letter combinations and there's a potential for confusion, you can clarify by using the sign for NUMBER, then 9 or LETTER, then F.

[FullOfSomething]

@BYUFanatic ok cool. i really hope you're still updating your website with new lessons. i hope i can do all of my learning there. =D

[sojoyful]

Where are the answers so you know if you got it right or not!!???

[BYUFanatic]

@sojoyful The answers are part of a quiz in the first module on my website.

[poetsfinest]

hi im a beginner at this. i know the abc's but i have a question ...when spelling out the number in asl do u use the abc format or is it completely different ex - for the number five i would use the asl format and do F I V E seperatly is this completely wrong

[BYUFanatic]

@poetsfinest Hi! There is actually a sign for "five" check out my numbers video.

[vesterpop]

So difficult... I'm so jealous, my fingers are so stiff and I know it's going to take a lot of practice to get them limber enough to start fignerspelling quickly. Also, reading these three-letter words was still challenging... I mean, I KNOW the alphabet pretty well, now it's the next rung on the ladder I suppose. Thanks for the video. :D

[BYUFanatic]

@vesterpop You're very welcome. Practice, practice! You'll get it. *smile*

[Dhesyca]

Very challenging! I had to take a couple breaks throughout the video to give my brain a rest, but I made it through. :) I'm going to watch your video reviewing the alphabet, and then come back to this video. Thank you so much! It's helping me a lot.

[BYUFanatic]

@Dhesyca You're welcome! Glad you like it. Keep up the practicing!

[mrstuttle09]

good vid just a tad too fast

[BYUFanatic]

@mrstuttle09 If the video is a bit too fast for you, then feel free to watch my other video that covers the individual letters. Then, when you're more comfortable with the letters, come back here and try catching the words again. Practice definitely helps!

[mrstuttle09]

@BYUFanatic i will try that thanks. as i am a beginner and i am very interested in learning more. thanks for sharing a vid and ur time

[Bhav341]

I heard that one should not bother to learn anything at all until they can sign the alphabet and count up to 100...is this true? I have been using a free website...there are actually many of them...but your site comes highly recommended so I am going to give it a try.. I have so many questions, but mostly my concerns are not starting off with any bad habits that may be hard to break later....see my other comment

[BYUFanatic]

@Bhav341 Not true. Learning the ABC's and 123's is not a pre-requisite for learning ASL. Focus on learning to use the language itself in "conversational mode." This helps you to actually learn not just signs, but correct grammar and syntax.

[Bhav341]

How does one avoid getting into the supposedly wrong practice of signing in

"English" instead of learning ASL in the "proper" way...or is learning a little bit of both the best way for a beginner? Is signing in English simply a matter of different signs for words, or is it about syntax? I am just learning, and I don't want to waste my time, I want to do this properly. Do you understand what I'm asking, and do you have any advice for what beginners should avoid? (besides the asl student videos)

[BYUFanatic]

@Bhav341 The best way to learn is to learn ASL in context. By that, I mean not simply learning a list of vocabulary signs/words, but rather learning complete phrases and concepts. When one simply learns a list of vocabulary signs, they tend to use their own language as the grammar base. Many times I'll have students who use incorrect grammar because all they did was learn a bunch of signs but did not learn how to use them correctly. Does that help?

[Bhav341]

@BYUFanatic I understand exactly what you mean. And yes, it helps. I have been, in my head, rephrasing my spoken sentences in the ASL fashion...for example, last night we went out to eat, and I asked my niece what she was having for dinner, and in my head thought "you eat what?" Remedial, yes, but I haven't gotten much further than the short phrases! I will work on grammar and syntax along with the signs, and then build on that. Thanks!

[Jes4punk]

K so where are the answers on your website? I can't find them.

Ohhh nevermind...you hafta sign up...should have known there was a catch.

[BYUFanatic]

@Jes4punk There's no "catch." Like any other quality instruction, the answers are provided to serious students of ASL. If signing up for quality instruction is a "catch," then you're welcome to go back to watching random people on YouTube spell the ABC's over and over again.

[ke67ll]

Thanks for a great video -- I'll definitely have to watch multiple times in order to get it down!

[BYUFanatic]

@ke67ll Good idea. Keep practicing!

[ke67ll]

Excellent -- I'll have to watch it a lot of times in order to be able to read it well! Excellent for practicing my comprehension! Thanks for a great video!

[BYUFanatic]

@ke67ll You're very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[4cottrell]

truly enjoyed.

[BYUFanatic]

@4cottrell Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[alex16ed]

honestly i would think that some person would write all fifty letters down in the comments hahah i guess i was wrong... lol

[BYUFanatic]

@alex16ed Happily, no one has written down the answers. How can you learn if someone gives you the answers before you figure them out for yourself? Besides, if they did post them I'd just delete them. *grin* Now, for those who want to check to see if they have the right answers, they can get them on my website in the Month One module.

[roadolive]

Oh wow learning how to do the alphabet myself wasn't as hard but learning how to read it from other people takes a while!

[BYUFanatic]

@roadolive Very true! There are two parts to communicating - productive and receptive. You've gotten the productive part down (learned the abc's) now you have to work on the receptive (watching others fingerspell words). Good luck!

[BYUFanatic]

@roadolive LOL. Yep. It's a skill that takes a LOT of practice to master!

[TheSmilingRedApples]

is fingerspelling the same as with making words in asl

[BYUFanatic]

@TheSmilingRedApples Fingerspelling is a way to "spell out" English words on the hand. Generally fingerspelling should be used for proper names, titles, etc. I should also mention that ASL and English are not the same. They are two languages that are completely separate and different. Each with their own set of grammar and syntax.

[HawthornOwl]

These are really fingerspelled slower than normal speed? They're like a blur to me. :)

[BYUFanatic]

LOL. Yeah, I bet they can seem like a blur! That's why practice, practice, practice will help improve your "receptive skills."

[johnfugu83]

hi! remember me?I took your advice and took a signing lesson. its been fun. and im still using ur vids as revision. very helpful. thank you so much.

[BYUFanatic]

Hey! Glad you're having fun learning ASL. It's a wonderful language isn't it? *smile* Keep it up!

[johnfugu83]

Im in Malaysia, so im learning Mysl. Almost identical to Asl with a number of differences. Since you are my first teacher I kept using Asl again and again in class.

Im being reminded that we are not learning Asl but Mysl but I cant help it cause Ive been practicing sign with your video long enough. Funny though. Haha..

[allanechambers]

I keep confusing g ang h.

and t m n. grr.

[BYUFanatic]

LOTS of practice will help. *smile* Keep trying!

[RonnieAHS]

What are letters number10?

I dont get it, Thax.

[BYUFanatic]

Keep practicing. Eventually you'll get it!

[BigJermTheWurm]

Thank you for these videos.

[BYUFanatic]

You are VERY welcome.

[Banerika]

After taking the quiz on your website, I know I need to work on distinguishing e's and o's. I thought I had that difference down, but I did not!

[BYUFanatic]

Yep! Those e's and o's can be tricky! Visual practice definitely helps.

[nusdorfer]

mannnnn

I am fascinated to ASL. I have a desktop back ground and I am trying to watch your videos everyday now.

do never charge for them, please :)

I wish I could have a 1 hour session with your videos when i wake up n go to sleep. its a great hobby. time-killer. fun stuff. you r the best aaaaaaa

[BYUFanatic]

Keep watching! The more you practice, the better you'll get. *smile*

[bitterknight]

2 weeks learning and now I have maybe 125 words vocabulary. A college classmate is fluent since half her family is deaf .... She tells me to pronounce the letters as they come out with sounds. learn to recognize them as sounds .... Thank you for these videos ... I can see it a lot clearer yet still lack the finger agility but in due time hopefully I can be half as good (smiles)

[BYUFanatic]

Congrats on the progress you're making! Keep up the good work! Glad you enjoy the videos and hope you continue to find them helpful. Practice is the best way to increase fluency. *smile*

[dvac2000]

This is so helpful. Thanks you so much...

[BYUFanatic]

You are VERY welcome. *smile*

[merja714]

this video is amazing ive been looking for something so i can practice reading fingerspelling and this is helping a lot thank you

[BYUFanatic]

You're very welcome! That's exactly why these videos were designed - to improve you receptive skills. Good luck!

[vgingersnap]

This is just what I have been looking for. The video is hard but it makes you think and then you learn. Both of my parents were teachers , they were always saying practice makes you learn. So here goes again and again.....

[BYUFanatic]

Kudos to mom and dad! Got lots of individuals on here asking me to give them the answers after only trying it a couple/few times. But I like that your parents have taught you to "practice practice practice!" *smile*

[peppalina1]

this was great practice! I appreciate how you slowed the words down AND repeated them twice. The first time i could focus on recognizing the letters and the second time I could put them together in my mind as a word. this was a great fingerspelling practice!

[BYUFanatic]

You are very welcome. :) Glad you are able to use it to improve your receptive skills.

[wnbareanna]

Dang. If only he had the words in the corner or something, because i just learned the alphabet so that mean ima be thinking like, which letter is this again. But ima keep trying.

[BYUFanatic]

*smile* Ahhh, you'd love to have the answers given to ya wouldn't you? Ha ha. Sorry, I'm not going to give them! Keep practicing and working at it and eventually it will come to you!

[johnfugu83]

i cant get no 8..what is it?

[BYUFanatic]

What letter(s) did you catch? Look at the letter(s) that you did catch and then try to fill in the blanks.

[candicesj]

Great video! I am not getting half of them which means that by the time I do, I will be much better at reading signed letters. It says at the beginning to try spelling it too, but man, I have no time for that! I'm just trying to write what I'm able to "get:"! I've been practicing at night though, just thinking of everyone I know and finger spelling their names while I'm in bed. :p

[noryloly]

for me its quite difficult I guess its because english its not my first lenguage =[

[Banerika]

noryloly, here's a comforting thought for you. Mostly, people only fingerspell names, brand names, and a few other things, but for the most part, sign language is not fingerspelled. There are signs for what he is fingerspelling here--and you don't need to know English to learn ASL, since it is not based on English. So don't feel too worried about that.

[gyo280]

What i'm doing is ignoring the first and last letters and ONLY focusing on the middle letter. Its the hardest one to spot because its the fastest and its working like a charm. Try it see if it helps.

[BYUFanatic]

This is a pretty good strategy. Generally the best strategy is to catch the first and last letters and then try to catch as many "in-between" as you can. We Deaf people tend to let our fingerspelling really "fly" but I'm making a conscious effort on my own part to slow down and spell smoother so as to be easier for others to read.

[gyo280]

5 star. Maybe a millisecond slower next time.

[BYUFanatic]

*grin* The point of making it challenging is to help you to grow. If it's too easy you won't learn anything.

[imXsoXstarstruck]

Thank you so much for posting this!!

:D

[BYUFanatic]

You're most welcome. *smile*

[BYUFanatic]

Hi Lola!

Glad you like the video. That's great you're teaching your friends. A couple of people have asked me if I would put the words up, but I'm not going to. I want you to watch it over and over until YOU are positive you know the answer (instead of me giving you the answer). *smile* That's what "practicing" is.

[LolaBaksh]

This is really incredible! I love it. I've been practicing alot and starting to teach my friends too. Could you please put up the words with their numbers after each video? So I'll know if it's correct or wrong!

Thanks anyway! =)

[dvac2000]

This is great. Thank you so much. This video is really helping me to read the signs. Thanks again.

[BYUFanatic]

You're very welcome! :)

[MickeyxMania]

hard, but, wow this is great! Thanks for putting it up!

[BYUFanatic]

After some practice, you'll get much better at it. *smile* Keep it up!

[lespb5]

I was actually surprised at how hard this was for me. I had to watch it twice before I felt comfortable reading it. Good thing we don't spell much--I'd never learn to sign. I went to graduation exercises at Utah State. The ASL interpreter gave up when they started announcing names. Just no way to spell all those names that fast.

[BYUFanatic]

Reading fingerspelling is definitely not a skill that can be mastered overnight. Takes LOTS of practice.

Yeah, watching an interpreter fingerspell a list of names is not something that interests me. So I tell them to just listen and let me know when my name is mentioned. *grin*

[lespb5]

Wow.  Great practice video.

[BYUFanatic]

Stay tuned... more to come! (4, 5, and 6 letter words)

[Banerika]

Fantastic! You can't find this anywhere else on the Internet. Believe me, I have looked!

[BYUFanatic]

Thanks! I plan to have the other videos up by next week. It's been a BUSY summer!

[MrAslfan]

This video is excellent. It shows how the letters flow together to make a word. Other websites just flash up individual letters which doesn't come close to this.

Keep up the good work! I'm anxiously awaiting new releases!

[BYUFanatic]

Bill's website is great for random practicing, but you're right - it's important to see how the letters flow together.

[Gaaraschickyourejeal]

This is a huuuge help! I learned finger spelling ages ago, but I'm terrible at reading it. This is just so easy to follow. I'm a huge #15 of your videos! ;)

[BYUFanatic]

*smile* I enjoy having a #15. That's sweet of ya. Just a tip - READING fingerspelling is always harder than actually doing the fingerspelling. But, lots of practice will help with that. I'm making more of them!

[toastarchurro]

Banerika...i see now! thank you :D

ill just study up on my alphabet until its second nature!

thanks again!

[Banerika]

You're welcome! I was trying to learn how to read fingerspelling on another website, but that website simply flashes the hands in the position of the letters, which doesn't show you how one letter flows into the next, or truly the shape of a whole word. I think this teacher really knows each step in the process of learning ASL. I am glad he is making these videos!

[toastarchurro]

this doesn't really help new signers because you dont put what the word is that we're signing

[Banerika]

On the contrary, once you know the alphabet and can recognize all the letters, this is the next step--trying to recognize a whole word. It's still "beginner" stuff but it's challenging, which is why it helps you learn!

[BYUFanatic]

Sorry so long to reply. I finally figured out that YouTube won't let me use certain words in my reply. In any case, this video is VERY good at improving your ability to read fingerspelling - but only AFTER you are comfortable with the individual letters. My advice, check out the "Lesson on Fingerspelling" then come back and practice this one again. No, I don't tell you what the words are, because then you won't have to figure them out on your own. *grin* Good luck!

[Banerika]

I am a big "15" of yours, ha ha! This is great, perfect because it is challenging and learning the shape of whole words is very helpful, even if the words are only three letters long. You got faster as you went along, which is good. Still slower than real life, I am sure!

[BYUFanatic]

LOL. Thanks! It's always nice to have a #15. And.... the three-letter words are just a warm-up. Stay tuned for even longer words! :-)

[BYUFanatic]

Sorry for those who went looking for the original. *smile* I had a minor "cosmetic" error it that needed to be fixed. This is the "fixed" version. Enjoy!

Please - rate my videos and comment on them so that they will climb in the search rankings. Thanks!