APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. the representation of the letters of the alphabet by shapes formed with the hand. Fingerspelling is used in conjunction with sign language to spell names and other words for which conventional signs do not exist. Many different manual alphabets are available, including the one-handed American Manual Alphabet, which is used in the United States and Canada, and the two-handed British Manual Alphabet, used in Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, each specifying distinct shapes for the different letters.