The Chilean
manual alphabet is used by the Chilean
deaf community to sign
Spanish words and is incorporated into
Chilean Sign Language. It is a one-handed alphabet, similar enough to the
American manual alphabet for the two to be mutually intelligible, except for the letters Q (touch the jaw), T (touch the lips), S and X (trace the letter shapes, as is done with Z), U (horns, like a 7 or 8), and the additional letter Ñ (a rocking N).
^a Sign-language names reflect the region of origin. Natural sign languages are not related to the spoken language used in the same region. For example, French Sign Language originated in France, but is not related to French. Conversely,
ASL and
BSL both originated in English-speaking countries but are not related to each other; ASL however is related to
French Sign Language.
^b Denotes the number (if known) of languages within the family. No further information is given on these languages.
