Micronational Fingerspelling Association
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| Type | Association | |
| Language | Fingerspelling | |
| Established | 30 Dec 2021 | |
| Objective | To promote fingerspelling (dactylology) as a means of communication between micronations | |
| Number of members | 1 | |
The Micronational Fingerspelling Association, formerly known as the National Dactylology Association, aims to promote fingerspelling (dactylology) as a means of communication between micronations.
History
The Micronational Fingerspelling Association was established on 30 December 2021 as the National Dactylology Association, but later (4 January 2022) changed its name to allow other micronations to join and to make it easier to remember the name of the association. The aim of the association is to promote fingerspelling (dactylology) as a means of communication between micronations. Fingerspelling is a representation of the letters of the alphabet using only the hands. The alphabet chosen by the MFA is American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet, which requires only one hand.
Fingerspelling (dactylology)
Fingerspelling (dactylology) does not require the user to learn every word in ASL sign language, but simply the letters of the alphabet. Words are then spelt out letter by letter. See ASL alphabet. There are many video tutorials on Youtube to help learners become fluent in fingerspelling. We recommend this FREE course with certificate. For practice quizes, see here. There three different levels (slow, medium,fast).
Origins of fingerspelling
It is widely believed that monks invented fingerspelling in the 8th century to communicate with other monks who had taken a vow of silence. These monks then taught deaf people how to fingerspell. For more information on this topic see this Wikipedia article.
Fingerspelling courses
At present the Micronational Fingerspelling Association offers one course on fingerspelling which can be completed via Samizdat University in approximately one hour. At the end of the course you will receive a personalised certificate with details of your micronations name, date of course completion and course details. There is a quick test at the end of the course to test your knowledge. The course test must be completed before you get your certificate. However, it is not necessary to do any course to become a full member of this association.
Courses offered:
How to join this association
To join the Micronational Fingerspelling Association, micronations must learn to fingerspell using the ASL alphabet and post a greetings video below. The greetings video should be no more than 2 minutes long and contain: 1. a simple greeting, 2. your name, 3. a brief introduction and the name of your micronation, 4. other information as desired.
Once you have made and uploaded your greetings video to Youtube, you can enter details of your micronation in the table below (don't forget to link your video) and we will add your Certificate of Confirmation in PDF format.
You are now a full member of the Micronational Fingerspelling Association, the only such association in the micronational community. If enough MicroWiki members learn how to fingerspell and join this association, we can organise a future dactylology conference via Skype or Zoom.
Note: The option of joining as an associate member is also available for those who are still learning to fingerspell and have not made a greetings video yet. This can be upgraded to full membership at a future date.
Members
| Member | Date joined | Greetings video | Membership type | Confirmation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 State of Samizdat
|
1 Jan 2022 | video | Full member | Membership certificate |