Jump to content

  • BSL Forum
    Fingerspelling
    Game
    Create an
    Animation
    Print a
    Word
    Make a
    Word Search
    Fingerspelling
    Alphabet
    Online BSL
    Course

Tips to remember vowels

Jo1970

By Jo1970
in Introduce Yourself

 Share

Recommended Posts

Jo1970 Newbie

Jo1970

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm just starting to learn & I know my alphabet pretty well, but when I'm reading fingerspelling or fingerspelling myself, I struggle remembering my vowels in order. I'm not quick enough. 

Does anybody have any tips to remember the order of vowels, which will enable me to understand words faster?

Thank you

Edited by Jo1970
Misspelled a word
  • 2 weeks later...
Scarabo Newbie

Scarabo

Posted
Posted

I’m also a newbie and it’s a work in progress but:

A and U are easy as first and last.

E: i’m righthanded so the “letters” are on my left hand. If you look at your left hand the three middle fingers look like an E on its back, so the index finger is the top of the letter E.

I: the longest middle finger. Also - random fact that reminds me: i used to live in Italy where I was startled to find that certain letters are not used except in foreign words: letters j, k, y, and a few others were not even included in the Italian alphabet. There isn’t a natural sound that means J, they call it “Long I” because it’s like an I with a tail. The same is true in Sign: J is drawing along the middle finger and round to the thumb. So I is like short J!

And as for O, that one’s easy: it’s the finger with my wedding ring on, which is a nice visual mnemonic.

Though if anyone comes up with better ones, please tell! Those are just what I’ve come up with so far.

FWIW I’m also practicing with the Twinklefingers Fingerspelling app which is good for attempting to get my brain up to speed in those idle ten minutes on the bus...

  • Thanks 2
  • 3 months later...
Sassenach1983 Newbie

Sassenach1983

Posted
Posted
On 30/01/2019 at 23:41, Scarabo said:

I’m also a newbie and it’s a work in progress but:

A and U are easy as first and last.

E: i’m righthanded so the “letters” are on my left hand. If you look at your left hand the three middle fingers look like an E on its back, so the index finger is the top of the letter E.

I: the longest middle finger. Also - random fact that reminds me: i used to live in Italy where I was startled to find that certain letters are not used except in foreign words: letters j, k, y, and a few others were not even included in the Italian alphabet. There isn’t a natural sound that means J, they call it “Long I” because it’s like an I with a tail. The same is true in Sign: J is drawing along the middle finger and round to the thumb. So I is like short J!

And as for O, that one’s easy: it’s the finger with my wedding ring on, which is a nice visual mnemonic.

Though if anyone comes up with better ones, please tell! Those are just what I’ve come up with so far.

FWIW I’m also practicing with the Twinklefingers Fingerspelling app which is good for attempting to get my brain up to speed in those idle ten minutes on the bus...

I am a beginner and find this quite useful :) I am fine fingerspelling myself but receptive skills are not really good. I am ok with the first few letters but if there are more than 6 letters I am lost, lol. Also I am German and not native to English language. I am fluent in English, though it is easier for me to read the word "George" for example and I know how to prounounce the name. But if words/names are fingerspelled to me, I find it (still) difficult to recognise them. I guess that I will improve by time.

  • 2 years later...
Maz De Ath Newbie

Maz De Ath

Posted
Posted
On 19/01/2019 at 05:46, Jo1970 said:

I'm just starting to learn & I know my alphabet pretty well, but when I'm reading fingerspelling or fingerspelling myself, I struggle remembering my vowels in order. I'm not quick enough. 

Does anybody have any tips to remember the order of vowels, which will enable me to understand words faster?

Thank you

Vowels slow me down terribly but I'm practicing by reading random sentences from books, store signs, menus, webpages, anything really and ignoring the consonants and just signing the vowels as fast as I can. It's working for me ... hope this helps you too. 

  • 2 weeks later...
Jon Newbie

Jon

Posted
Posted

I am still slow with fingerspelling but generally get the vowels right when signing myself. I find reading someone else's fingerspelling quickly enough much more difficult - I've just started to concentrate on the position of their thumb to get the vowels right.

DebbyS Newbie

DebbyS

Posted
Posted

I've only just started the course and worried that my memory would not be good enough but I've just completed section 3 and surprised myself, got a long way to go though. I agree with the comment that A and U are easy but it's easy to struggle with remembering the others in the middle of trying to sign or read a sign. I found remembering the letter I was my tallest finger (like the letter) made it easier.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Posts

    • Julie King
      Why I am learning BSL

      By Julie King · Posted

      Hi  My name is Julie. I have been fortunate enough to be able to access the British Sign Language course via Nerve Tumours UK, a national charity which provides support and advice for families living with Neurofibromatosis. I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) in 1994 when I was 30 years old. I am fortunate to be mildly affected by the condition with only slight hearing loss in my right ear following surgery 30 years ago. I have made many friends over the years who are profoundly deaf and I have always wanted to learn but never had the time or opportunity. Learning about this course through the charity gave me the impetus to set aside the time to learn. I want to be able to communicate with my friends and family and future proof my life if I lose my hearing further down the line. I am finding it quite hard to set aside the quiet time to learn as we are in the process of relocating to Devon, but I am determined to succeed.
    • Hannah-Mae Trow
      Loving learning

      By Hannah-Mae Trow · Posted

      Hi there, I am Hannah-Mae and I am enjoying learning more sign language. I grew up with a partially deaf sister, and now my Dad is profoundly deaf. It always struck me how isolating the world still is for the deaf community. I unfortunately will be blind in a few years time but I know that both people's attitudes and modern living is much more accommodating of visual impairments than hearing ones. Because people don't see it they don't consider it. I work in communications for a charity, and am pushing for more sign language inclusion. All our videos have subtitles as standard but we can go further both on recorded and live events. I also am really behind BSL in the curriculum. Whilst I can still see I want to help make it so that the communities we live in are more inclusive.  
    • Lysander
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Lysander · Posted

      Thank you so much!
    • Qriti
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Qriti · Posted

      try the three versions i sometimes see being used
    • Lysander
      Signing number 3 alternatives

      By Lysander · Posted

      Hi, got a slightly odd issue - I find that signing the number 3 very difficult because of my tendons. The sign I've learned in the online course i'm doing is the index, middle and ring finger up, thumb and pinky down. It is currently impossible for me to have my pinky finger go down without my ring finger also going down unless i use my thumb to hold my pinky finger down manually, and on my primary hand it is difficult for me to get my thumb to hold my pinky finger down for long and without hand pain both while i'm doing the sign and for an amount of time afterwards. Is it permissible to switch primary hands for a single sign? it's a lot easier to hold my pinky finger down with my secondary hand without pain. if not, is there another sign that's able to be used for 3? or am I ok to just do thumb + index + middle finger for 3 and the context will be enough to confirm for someone I'm signing 3?
    • remark.uk
      BSL LEVEL 3 - MONDAY EVENINGS (FACE-TO-FACE) - Starting 5TH OCTOBER 2026 - CENTRAL LONDON

      By remark.uk · Posted

      Embark on a journey of deeper communication and cultural immersion with our BSL classes in Central London.   Our Level 3 evening course starts this October. This course will refine your BSL skills and enrich your understanding of Deaf culture.    Secure your spot now and continue your BSL journey with us!   www.remark.uk.com/bsl-courses/wednesday-evening-level-3-october-2026   #BSL #BSLLEVEL3
    • Rebecasui
      Fingerspelling game.

      By Rebecasui · Posted

      Honestly, I can’t shake the feeling that learning stuff like fingerspelling works way better when you just turn it into a game. Trying to memorize hand shapes straight off a chart gets tedious pretty quick, low-key feels like homework. Interactive tech and screen time usually get a bad rap, but platforms like TruPlay kind of prove that wholesome, engaging games can actually make practicing stuff stick. I mean, if kids or even adults are gonna spend hours tapping a screen anyway, using that play-based format for sign language seems like a no-brainer
    • Anna879
      Hey there! learning BSL

      By Anna879 · Posted

       

  • Fingerspelling Scoreboard

    (top 10 - past 24hrs)

  • Fingerspelling Animation Maker

×
×
  • Create New...