Visualizing the Difficulty of 'Fingerspelling' (A List of Fingerspelling Etymologies)

The reason why I think it's okay not to start with 'fingerspelling'

'I want to learn sign language, but I don't know where to start.'
I hear voices like that in many places.
As someone who didn't have any sign language users around me, I actually had the image that 'sign language equals fingerspelling' too.

From the position of having 'researched people who use sign language,'
I have asked the question 'What did you start with at first?' countless times, but

among those who have absolutely no knowledge of sign language,
what often comes up as an accessible entry point is fingerspelling.

The reason why it is easy to think 'sign language equals fingerspelling'

For people with absolutely no knowledge of sign language,
I can somewhat understand why they have the image that 'sign language equals fingerspelling.'

Actually, at first, I also had the feeling of 'just somehow'
and thought, 'Is this something you learn from fingerspelling first?'

But now, I don't really recommend starting with fingerspelling.

The etymologies of fingerspelling are scattered and have no rules

Sign language has etymologies.
There are reasons for the meaning and shape of the movements, which makes them easier to learn.

Of course, fingerspelling also has etymologies, but they are complex.

• Alphabet shapes

• Number shapes

• Katakana shapes

• Arrangements of sign language words

...and so on, the origins are all over the place.

When I actually researched and categorized the etymologies,I found that multiple rules are mixed together.

First, let's try color-coding the alphabet origins

Next, I will color-code the other origins as well.

This is the list of fingerspelling etymologies shown by color-coding.
Blue = International Sign, Red = Japanese alphabet, Yellow = Katakana origin, Brown = Numerals, Light blue = Sign language word arrangements, etc.
As you can see, there is no consistency, which is one of the reasons it is hard to remember.

Isn't it faster to just write it down...?

I'm sure those who want to learn sign language will study it very hard.

But for someone like me who doesn't have the goal of becoming a native speaker,
I end up thinking, "It's faster to write it down than to learn fingerspelling."
I still get confused between "yu" and "wa".

I recommend starting with "sign language that expresses feelings or shapes"

This is just my subjective opinion, but
for those who are not saying, "I want to be able to use sign language no matter what!"
but rather for those who are thinking of trying it out casually,
I don't really recommend starting with fingerspelling. There is a possibility of getting discouraged here.

Rather than that,
it is more fun and easier to remember if you start with sign language that expresses feelings or the shapes of objects.

However,
when learning sign language for beginners, many of the videos and teaching materials available
teach "hand movements and shapes."

I think this is because they are teaching from the perspective of people who use sign language or native signers.

To stimulate the desire to "know more"

For example, in Japanese, the etymology of
bibiru (to be nervous/scared) comes from binbin (the metallic sound of armor clashing) and the etymology of
moshi-moshi (hello) comes from "mousu, mousu" (to say, to say). Just as we don't notice such etymologies when we speak normally,
sign language users often don't notice interesting etymologies either.
In terms of sign language, many people didn't know that the sign for "thank you"

is the same hand-blade gesture that sumo wrestlers make when they win.

Like that, when introducing sign language words, even people who are knowledgeable about sign language
often just teach the exact shape of the fingers and hands.
Before etymology,
is it because there is so much to learn regarding hand shapes and how to move them?
That is what I imagine.

However, when people who were not interested in sign language want to learn it,
they don't just want to learn hand shapes. Finding these etymologies interesting
leads to "wanting to learn more."

This is a major realization I have had from having
hundreds of people who were not interested in sign language move their hands through sign language songs.

Even if you teach hand shapes, they are hard to retain.

Knowing the meaning behind the movements makes sign language fun.

Because there is meaning in the hand movements, you can understand them with your body,
and it is easier to get the feeling that "it was conveyed."

This is not from the perspective of a sign language user like a hard-of-hearing or deaf person,
but from the perspective of "someone who lives without sign language as their first language"
asking, what is the best way to start when learning sign language?

...that is the perspective of this discussion.
Especially for someone like me who tends to look at things from a bird's-eye view,this approach was much easier to get into.

For those who use sign language as their first language, which is easier to read, fingerspelling or text?
Native speakers, please share your opinions.

Summary (from the perspective of a sign language beginner)

• The gateway to sign language is hard to understand

• Fingerspelling is actually very difficult

• The rules for etymology are inconsistent and hard to memorize

• It is easy to get discouraged if you start with fingerspelling

• It is easier to understand with your body if you start with signs that express feelings or shapes

This is a story about an 'entry point' based on my own experience of stumbling.
I hope this will be helpful to someone who thinks, 'I tried starting with fingerspelling, but it looked too hard, so I quit!'