[Illustration: The Manual Alphabet]
In reply to a question "What is the number of words a good hand speaker
can make or say in one minute?" A deaf mute says, "Take the average
number of letters per word of the English language as five; this is the
number decided upon by the Postal Telegraph department. The average of
the Bible is about 4-1/8."
A good hand speaker can go through the alphabet ten times in one minute.
I have proved this by personally testing several deaf mutes.
The pauses between words occupy the space of one letter each, so we must
deduct one sixth of the whole thus:--
Letters in alphabet 26
Number of times spelt 10
___
Total letters per minute 260
Deduct about one sixth for pauses 45
___
Average letters per minute 215/5
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Result 43 words per minute.