Two examples:

ASL fingerspelled C is normally a curved handshape, E is an angular/hooked/bent handshape.  Under some circumstances, the normally curved C handshape might become more angular (perhaps when fingerspelling E-C-E fast)  or the E handshape might relax into a more curved handshape (perhaps L-E-O might produce this).  ((I’m inventing these examples just to make the point here – they may be wrong). 

I would think that you might want to continue writing the C with a more curved handshape and the E with a more angular representation even if they looked identical on the surface. 

Is this what you mean, Stefan?

Best, Rachel

Rachel Channon

Sign Language Investigations, LLC