American Sign Language: Language Learning Resources

A dictionary of more than 5600 signs includes definitions for each word and an illustration and description of each sign.

"The unique feature of this dictionary is that it is organized by handshape rather than by alphabetical order. An American Sign Language learner can look up an unfamiliar sign by looking for the handshape rather than by looking up the word in an alphabetical English glossary. At the same time, an English speaker can look up a sign for a specific word by looking at the Index of English Glossaries located at the end of the dictionary."

"Created by an unparalleled board of experts led by renowned ASL linguist and poet Clayton Valli, The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language represents the culmination of more than five years of meticulous assessment and labor. More than 3,000 illustrations arrayed in this volume display the most useful selection of signs to be found in any single ASL reference resource. Each sign illustration, including depictions of fingerspelling when appropriate, incorporates a complete list of English synonyms. A full, alphabetized English index enables users to cross-reference words and signs throughout the entire volume."

"Great as a supplement to a high-school or college. course or for self-study, American Sign Language. Demystified walks you step-by-step through the fundamentals. of this visual language. At your own pace, you will learn basic grammar structures, discover the nuances of body language in ASL, master how to convey time versus verb tense in other languages, and build a useful ASL vocabulary of signs and phrases."

"In the sign languages of the deaf some signs can meaningfully point toward things or can be meaningfully placed in the space ahead of the signer. Such spatial uses of signs are an obligatory part of fluent grammatical signing. There is no parallel for this in vocally produced languages. This book focuses on American Sign Language to examine the grammatical and conceptual purposes served by these directional signs and demonstrates a remarkable integration of grammar and gesture in the service of constructing meaning."

"Unrivaled among linguistic works on American Sign Language, exceptionally well written and illustrated, this volume provides an open door for nonsigners to begin to appreciate ASL. The new Linguistics of American Sign Language features recent discoveries on iconic signs in American Sign Language (ASL) and the relationship between metaphor and iconicity in signed languages. Updated references and authoritative readings address the fundamentals of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and the use of language."

"Following a general introduction to American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, the author explains the use of "facial grammar" as a preliminary step to learning and understanding manual signing. Two succeeding chapters present the first eleven key grammatical rules of ASL. The 36 lessons that follow are divided into four groups that put these rules into practice and introduce additional rules. All lessons conclude with a practice session that reviews the lesson's material and progressively develops the student's proficiency in communicating in ASL. Following each of the four groups of nine lessons is a brief chapter dealing with Deaf Culture. The book's many line drawings illustrate approximately 720 ASL signs and their multiple meanings."