Basic Course in American Sign Language [Spiral-bound]

Tom Humphries (Author), Carol Padden (Author), Terrence J. O'Rourke (Author), Frank A. Paul (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0932666426 | ISBN-13: 978-0932666420 | Publication Date: June 1, 1994 | Edition: 2nd

There are obvious problems with writing a text for a visual gestural language. This text attempts to alleviate some of these problems by using illustrations and scripts for signed sequences. The text is composed of 22 lessons each of which contains two to four basic explanations of the language structures to be learned. As a resource for the student, a drill or exercises follows. Spaced at intervals throughout the text are several short dialogues which review the language structures discussed in the preceding lessons.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 288 pages
• Publisher: Terrance J.; 2nd edition (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932666426
• ISBN-13: 978-0932666420
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Sign Language

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for building the foundation necessary to learn ASL, December 30, 1999

By 

John Hasselberger (Newtown, Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Course in American Sign Language (Spiral-bound)

I used this book in an adult evening course at The American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut. ASD is the oldest school for deaf people in the US, as well as, the birthplace of American Sign Language(ASL). The book combines both basic sentence struture and useful vocabulary words. An example is Lesson 1, which covers sentences with predictive adjectives and 40 vocabulary words. So at the end of lesson 1, I was able to sign sentences such as She is beautiful. & I am tired.

The book also gives a good introduction into the deaf community and culture. As a parent of a hearing impaired son, this book gave me the ability to see useful results at the end of each lesson. I found this book very effective.

87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST Sign Language (ASL) text I have ever seen, July 4, 2000

By 

Shelley Gammon "Geek" (Kaufman, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Basic Course in American Sign Language (Spiral-bound)

After a semester of Siglish, I took 4 semesters of American Sign Language (ASL) in college as my foreign language requirement. The course was superby taught by a husband and wife team, both who worked at residential schools for the deaf for over 25 years. This book was the text for the first 2 semesters and I still have it on my shelf.

Extremely detailed, lots of exlplainations and superb drawings. The text is spiral bound, which is awesome for laying a book flat while practicing signs. If you carry this book with you in a backpack, however, you should keep the book in a protective bag... the spiral binding makes the book very vulnerable to pages ripping away while being jostled in a backpack.

This text should not replace classroom instruction. There is no text that can replace a real human being explaining how one sign looks exactly like another depending on context, facial expressions and body language. You can easily embarrass yourself by assuming you can figure out the drawings and go about conversing in ASL with someone w/o the benefit of real one-on-one practice with another human being. Signs like "prostitute" and "shy" are almost identical to the learner and if you're talking to someone and you say "I'm shy," you might end up getting a bunch of raised eyebrows if you don't do it just right. Signs for "lemon" and "lesbian" are also very closely similar... you can imagine the types of mis-understandings that can occur if you don't learn these signs properly.

This warning is not meant as discouragement. If you have already learned the manual alphabet and find yourself to be quite adept, ASL will probably be a breeze to you... at least it was to me. Some people really take to it and others don't. Spoken language is not my strong suit and I was a late talker to begin with. If my college didn't offer ASL as a foreign language requirement, I would have never graduated. Regardless of your aptitude, study and practice is essential for good, rapid signing... and more importantly, signing that can be understood. Even if you become a wiz at signing, you must have practice at reading other people's signs or you won't be able to have a conversation. It's been 8 years since my last ASL class and wlithout anyone to practice with, I've forgotten a lot of signs, so I constantly refer to this book... it's a great reference for those wanting to freshen up on forgotten signs or to use to learn in the classroom or with a study partner.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, Especially if You're On Your Own, November 15, 2000

By 

Christopher C. Alsruhe (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Basic Course in American Sign Language (Spiral-bound)

Here is a sign language book which provides so much information on ASL grammar in such an easy-to-learn format. With a book like this on the market, there is no reason for a hearing person to think that learning ASL grammar is too difficult. The rules are laid out and explained simply, with many exercises. And, of course, there are signs to be learned. Want to get started speaking the language of the Deaf community instead of just speaking English a different way? Then buy this book and get started.