Sell Back Your Copy
For a $2.74 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary [Hardcover]

Richard A. Tennant (Author), Marianne Gluszak Brown (Author), Valerie Nelson-Metlay (Illustrator)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Textbook Student FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover $31.47  
Hardcover, June 1, 1998 --  
Sell Back Your Copy for $2.74
Whether you buy it used on Amazon for $7.25 or somewhere else, you can sell it back through our Book Trade-In Program at the current price of $2.74.
Used Price$7.25
Trade-in Price$2.74
Price after
Trade-in
$4.51
There is a newer edition of this item:
The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary 4.5 out of 5 stars (38)
$31.47
In Stock.

Book Description

1563680432 978-1563680434 June 1, 1998 1st

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 determing 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.
 

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

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
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 408 pages
  • Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1563680432
  • ISBN-13: 978-1563680434
  • Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

38 Reviews
5 star:
 (25)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The first Real ASL dictionary., May 17, 2000
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary (Hardcover)
I have quite a collection of ASL dictionaries, because I am deaf but didn't learn ASL until later in life. Now I am in science education, and I still need the dictionaries to write about the differences in ASL and English when translating science curricula. This is the best dictionary on the market today. The author used the format they use for most other dictionaries when going from English to that language and back. Only in ASLs case instead of written words as the phonemes or morphemes, you have handshapes. As the other reviewer stated, with this dictionary you can go from English to ASL, and deaf people can go from known handshapes to the most representative English word. Up til this point there was no dictionary for the Deaf to use to refer back to the English words. This is also the only format where you don't have to go hunting through the book for what you are looking for. Like all written mediums for dictionaries and ASL its only problem is its two dimensional presentation. However, the work they put into finally making a dictionary in the right way for ASL far outweighs the two dimensional concern. As an educator, this is the book I recommend and use for my classes and for my papers. Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, klsst23@pitt.edu
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The most valuable helpful sign language dictionary yet!, June 23, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary (Hardcover)
This book has a unique approach to learning sign language making it different from other books previously published. This is the first book that allows you to go from Spoken English to ASL and VICE VERSA!! Essential text for anyone who wants to learn to sign or to read the signs of others.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, May 30, 2001
By 
Natalie E. Williams (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary (Hardcover)
Finally a book that allows you to search for signs based on their handshape. Many ASL students have difficulty understanding ASL users. This book gives them a better chance to look up signs to comprehend them instead of using looking up an English gloss to learn what THEY want to say! The only drawback? Not enough! This book should be expanded. I hope to see more signs included in the next edition. (There will be a next edition right?)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(7)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!




Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject