The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary

by Richard A. Tennant, Marianne Gluszak Brown, Valerie Nelson-Metlay (Illustrator)

Overview

Featuring

•More than 1,900 Sign Illustrations Including 327 New Signs
•Plus DVD Showing How to Form Signs
•Arranged by Handshape for Easy Identification
•Complete Index of English Vocabulary for All Signs
•An Introduction to Deaf Culture and ASL Structure

The first reference source that allows users to access ASL signs without previous knowledge of their English equivalents (far superior to those in most other English-ASL glossaries). Likely to become indispensable on many educators’ and students’ bookshelves.—CHOICE

Now, the bestselling resource The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary has been completely revised with more than 320 new signs and a new DVD. This unique reference can help users locate a sign whose meaning they have forgotten, or help them find the meaning of a new sign they have just seen for the first time. It organizes more than 1,900 ASL signs by 40 basic handshapes and includes detailed descriptions on how to form these signs to represent the different English words that they might mean. ASL students can begin to track down a sign by determining whether it is formed with one hand or two. Further distinctions of handshape, palm orientation, location, movement, and other nonmanual body signals help them pinpoint their search while also refining their grasp of ASL syntax and grammar. A complete English word index provides the option of referring to an alphabetical listing of English terms to locate an equivalent sign or choice of signs.

The new DVD shows how each sign is formed from beginning to end. Users can watch a sign at various speeds to learn precisely how to master it themselves. Together, the new edition of The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary and its accompanying DVD presents students, sign language teachers, and deaf and hearing people alike with the perfect combination for enhancing communication skills in both ASL and English.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944838614
Publisher:	Gallaudet University Press
Publication date:	06/25/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	462
File size:	79 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Richard Tennant, a former mathematics teacher who has studied American Sign Language extensively, resides in Acra, NY.

Marianne Gluszak Brown is an American Sign Language Teacher’s Association (ASLTA) professionally certified interpreter and a child of deaf parents (coda) who works in Palisades, NY.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface Introduction How to Use This Dictionary One-Hand Signs Two-Hand Signs Index of English Glosses Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

This reference complements other American Sign Language (ASL) dictionaries by organizing signs by handshape rather than alphabetically by English word order. In so doing, it acts best as a recognition tool for the ASL learner, leading the user quickly to specific signs without having first to refer to an English-equivalent word. Multiple meanings of a single sign also allow deaf people to increase their English vocabulary. Like other ASL dictionaries, introductory material includes a brief synopsis of the history of sign language, the meaning and importance of the five parameters of a sign (handshape, orientation, location, movement, and nonmanual signals), grammatical rules, sign language variations (dialects), and finger-spelling principles. Tennant, a former mathematics instructor, and Gluszak Brown, a certified ASL interpreter, have provided a unique organization in their dictionary. But readers should note that a handshape is not a sign itself but rather a characteristic of a particular sign. Each individual sign presented in this dictionary is illustrated, paired with English-equivalent meaning(s), and described in terms of the five parameters, making it useful as a teaching reference as well as a recognition tool. A worthwhile complement to a public or academic library collection.Andy Wickens, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Library Journal

Organizes 1,600-plus ASL signs by 40 basic hand shapes rather than in alphabetical word order. This format allows users to search for a sign that they recognize but whose meaning they have forgotten or for the meaning of a new sign they have seen for the first time. The entries include descriptions of how to form each sign to represent the varying terms they might mean. Index of English glosses only. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"Every student of ASL should have this book. It would also be an excellent reference book for deaf students who want to create ABC stories, a popular form of ASL storytelling."

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education - Kim B. Kurz

The second edition of The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary is a handy reference. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students, general readers, and professionals.

CHOICE

"Look up the sign, find the word! It presents students, sign language teachers, and Deaf people alike with a genuinely innovative resource to hone communication skills in both ASL and English."

Deaf Life