Variability in the Representation of the ASL Fingerspelled Alphabet

Abstract: The American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelled alphabet is often a starting point for novice sign learners. The twenty-six handshapes of the alphabet are typically compiled into visual pedagogical materials designed to help learners master this cornerstone of sign learning. Second-language sign learners often make mistakes in their signing that are related to the fact that signs are visual symbols which thus appear differently depending on one’s perspective. In this study, we analyzed fifty-two commonly available representations of the ASL alphabet to determine the degree of variability exhibited among these materials for general characteristics, such as the medium employed (photographs, digital illustrations, or hand drawings), inclusion of alphabet graphemes and/or object images, and representations of diversity, as well as five parameters related to perspective-taking: perspective on the sign (signer/addressee), angle of hand (0, 45, or 90 degrees), directionality of hand (facing left, right, or front), hand selection (left or right hand), and depiction of movement. We discovered a high degree of variability in the way that ASL handshapes are represented pictorially, with most of the letters of the alphabet exhibiting either moderate or high variability in the perspectives, angles, and directionalities of the hand portrayed. We conclude that there is a great deal of heterogeneity in the way that the ASL finger-spelling alphabet is represented in didactic materials, and we suggest ways that educators and publishers can improve their teaching materials by incorporating multiple visual perspectives.