To sign the name Josie, you will fingerspell each letter using the American Manual Alphabet. Start by forming the letter J with your pinky extended and tracing a 'J' shape in the air. Then, smoothly transition into the letters O, S, I, and finally E. Keep your hand steady at about shoulder height, with your palm facing outward toward the person you are talking to. Avoid bouncing your hand between letters to ensure the name is easy to read.
To sign this, you would sign 'MY FRIEND NAME' and then smoothly fingerspell J-O-S-I-E. Make sure to keep your hand steady while spelling the name.
Sign 'J-O-S-I-E COME PARTY?' while raising your eyebrows at the end to indicate a yes/no question. Fingerspelling the name first establishes who you are talking about.
You would sign 'I NEED CALL J-O-S-I-E.' The sign for 'call' can be directed outward, and then you follow up by fingerspelling her name clearly.
To sign this, you would sign 'MY FRIEND NAME' and then smoothly fingerspell J-O-S-I-E. Make sure to keep your hand steady while spelling the name.
Sign 'J-O-S-I-E COME PARTY?' while raising your eyebrows at the end to indicate a yes/no question. Fingerspelling the name first establishes who you are talking about.
You would sign 'I NEED CALL J-O-S-I-E.' The sign for 'call' can be directed outward, and then you follow up by fingerspelling her name clearly.
Unless Josie is a prominent public figure with an established name sign, or a specific person in your life who has been given a name sign by a Deaf person, you should always fingerspell her name. Name signs are gifts from the Deaf community.
Accuracy and clarity are much more important than speed. Focus on forming each letter (J-O-S-I-E) clearly and correctly. As you practice the transitions between the letters, your spelling will naturally become faster and smoother without sacrificing readability.
No, you should not mouth the individual letters (J-O-S-I-E) as you spell them. Instead, if you choose to mouth anything, you should mouth the full word 'Josie' naturally as you fingerspell it. This provides a helpful lip-reading cue.
