synkinesis:

What do you call it when you try to form a fingerspelled letter but when you bend some of your fingers to form the letter it causes another finger or fingers to bend when you don't want them to? 

A word that can be used to label that situation is:  "synkinesis."

syn = "together"

kinesis = move

In other words "move together."

The word synkinesis is sometimes used in regard to physiology to describe conditions in which a voluntary (muscle) movement causes the simultaneous involuntary movement of another body part.  For example if you try to make a specific facial expression but end up making a different facial expression due to unintended muscle contractions.

To be specific in regard to fingerspelling we can use the phrase: intra-manual synkinesis to describe a condition in which moving, bending, or contracting one part of the hand causes another part of the hand to also move, bend, or contract.


 



 

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