Talk to the hand

We all know that our hands can talk. There are many gestures that our hands can do like hand signs, movements, and even sign languages. By using our hands, we can signal what we want to say. This is especially good in noisy places or when we are far and we can’t be heard. We usually wave our hands to attract attention when we are in a crowd. We point to where we are going and to where we might want somebody to go to. Teachers put their index finger on their lips to indicate that we should be quiet without saying anything. Policemen hold up their hand to signal stop. We wave our hand for goodbye when we leave. We point to someone meaning “that’s him!” or “that’s her!” without opening our mouths. In these ways, we can see that our hands are doing the talking. Our hands are communicating.

Hands can also be used to communicate when we can’t use our mouths to converse people who are deaf or mute. They can’t talk nor can they hear that’s why they need another form of language and this is called sign language. Sign language makes use of hands to form letters, words, phrases, and complete sentences so that the person doing the signs can be understood by other people. In using sign language, one must memorize the meanings of certain shapes or forms or movements or certain combinations that the hands and fingers form.