'''Manually coded languages''' are not themselves languages but are representations of oral languages in a gestural-visual form; that is, [[sign[aw] language|signed]] versions of oral languages (signed [aw]languages). Unlike the [[sign language]]s that have evolved naturally in [[deaf [aw]communities]], which have distinct spatial structures, these manual codes (MCL) are the conscious invention of [[Hearing a (person)|deaf and hearing educators]], and mostly follow the [[grammar]] of the oral language—or, more precisely, of the written form of the oral language. They have been mainly used in [[deaf [aw]education]] in an effort to "represent [[English language|English]] on the hands" and by sign language [[Interpreting|interpreters]] in K-12 schools, although they have had some influence on deaf sign languages where their implementation was widespread.
