To sign 're', you will fingerspell the letters R and E. Start by forming the letter 'R' with your dominant hand by crossing your index and middle fingers while keeping your other fingers curled into your palm. Then, smoothly transition to the letter 'E' by curling all your fingers tightly inward with your thumb resting just below them.
To sign this email context, you can fingerspell R-E to represent the abbreviation for 'regarding'. Keep your hand steady and smoothly transition from the crossed fingers of the 'R' to the curled 'E' before signing 'our meeting tomorrow'.
When 're' is used as a prefix meaning to do something over, you generally do not fingerspell it. Instead, you convey the concept by signing the main action—in this case, 'do'—followed by the sign for 'again'.
Just like with 'redo', the prefix 're-' is translated conceptually rather than literally. You would sign 'write' and then 'again'. Fingerspelling R-E here would be confusing and look like you are spelling an English word rather than using ASL.
To sign this email context, you can fingerspell R-E to represent the abbreviation for 'regarding'. Keep your hand steady and smoothly transition from the crossed fingers of the 'R' to the curled 'E' before signing 'our meeting tomorrow'.
When 're' is used as a prefix meaning to do something over, you generally do not fingerspell it. Instead, you convey the concept by signing the main action—in this case, 'do'—followed by the sign for 'again'.
Just like with 'redo', the prefix 're-' is translated conceptually rather than literally. You would sign 'write' and then 'again'. Fingerspelling R-E here would be confusing and look like you are spelling an English word rather than using ASL.
No, in ASL, the English prefix 're-' is usually translated conceptually rather than literally. Instead of fingerspelling R-E, you would sign the main verb (such as 'do', 'write', or 'build') followed immediately by the sign for 'again'. This perfectly captures the meaning of doing the action a second time.
You typically fingerspell R-E when you are referring to the abbreviation for 'regarding', which is very common in email subject lines or business memos. You might also fingerspell it if you are specifically discussing the English prefix itself in an educational, linguistic, or grammar context.
The best way to improve your fingerspelling speed is to focus entirely on clarity and smooth transitions first. Practice moving from the 'R' handshape to the 'E' handshape slowly without moving your wrist or arm. As your muscle memory improves, your speed will naturally increase without sacrificing readability.
