Fingerspelling is the representation of letters of a writing system using only the hands. Other names for fingerspelling include: dactylology, manual alphabet, finger alphabet, or hand alphabet. Manual alphabets have been used in Roman, Greek, and Egyptian times. Reasons that manual alphabets came about could be from various different things. The first is that monks when they do their vows of science, they still need to communicate without speaking. Second can be for secrecy, like being quiet while hunting or spying on people. Last is for literacy, as a requirement as an heir of something.