Customer Reviews

Basic Sign Language [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The title of this video, "Basic Sign Language", is misleading, because it is really teaching a hybrid of American Sign Language (a genuine language, just as English is) and Signed English, which is a cumbersome manual code for English, not a language. Anyone with an interest in and respect for Deaf culture and ASL would be better off taking a few classes taught by a deaf person at their local community college.If you prefer a video, please avoid ones like this which present ASL/Sign English pidgin as the langauge of the deaf (Clues to look for are the arraging of ASL phrases in English word order and the use of strictly English grammar words such as "is".) The true grace and texture of ASL cannot be found here.

This tape is for a beginner who has no previous experience with the deaf community. The etiquette of interacting with the deaf population is shown. For those unfamiliar with deaf interaction, this is extremely important. She gives very basic information including such important factors as facial expression, numbers and alphabet plus a limited vocabulary in ASL. This tape can help a neophyte get started but is disappointing for people already familiar with deaf culture and seeking to expand their vocabulary.

I was very disappointed with this videotape. Too much time is devoted to an example of how sign language is used in everyday life, as viewers are "treated" to a trip to a doctor's office. The instructor barely scratches the surface of sign language, and at the end of this videotape I found I had learned very few signs.

I had taken a community school class and I learned more from Renee. It was a good start to learning basic sign language. She started with basic vocabulary. She was clear and slow which made it easy to understand. The best thing about the video is that you can watch it over and over.

If you are looking for a good instructional video to get you started, then this video *not* for you. Renee Moore, who is a professional interpreter is the teacher of this video. She hardly begins to teach anything. In the first 20 seconds of the video, she mentions that she has no deaf family members, yet Amazon's information says she has a deaf daughter. For example, I thought that she would sign specific groups of words (people, food, clothes, geography) and then repeat them. Basically, The only words that she really shows you how to sign is just "hello." Her visit to a doctor's office is a waste of time as it only shows how she does her job of interpreting for the deaf, like as if this video is for a high school "Career Day". Don't waste your money on this video. Compared to this video, you can get better instruction from a printed book by looking at the illustrations.

I had taken Sign Language before, but I had lost some of the words. With it on tape it not only brought back the words but I can review it over and over again. I can always review it again anytime I want to. In a classroom you know the words in class but when you get home to pratice you forget. This is something that you can do on your own time. I will even pratice words in the car. If you want something for the kids or yourself to learn Sign Language is a great language to learn. Both you and your kids could learn this at the same time of having fun. Impress your friends!!!!

As a husband and wife team who are interested in learning "Signing", Renee Moore's video is a perfect tool. We understand that she doesn't teach the full scope of ASL, but it is a good starting point. Renee teaches with pride in what she knows. Granted, one can perhaps learn more from an instructional book, but admit that visual aid in motion is also very important. We sincerely hope that Renee will produce one or two follow-ups to her "volume 1" video.

I have seen the video quite a few times now to review what I have learned. Renee is very pleasant and fun to watch. She teaches the basic signs and the fingerspell alphabet with clarity. I would highly recommend this video!

Ok, so I know most of these reviews were made over 10 years ago, but since Renee is my mom, I had to comment back. This video was made purposefully to give people a "BASIC" knowledge of sign language. She has been a ASL interpreter for over 25 years and is highly respected in the deaf community. She's one of the most requested interpreters in the area, actually. She has interpreted for pro sports teams, a US President, theater productions, and many other celebrities. This video is not meant to teach the grammar and culture of the deaf. It's meant to be a tool to help regular people interested in knowing basic signs. Not as a substitute for higher learning. This was just a fun project for her. Sorry if it disappointed some, but like the title says, it's BASIC Sign Language. As in, here's the sign for "Restroom". If you want more than that, go to a educational setting.

This tape was a waste of time. You could learn it all from a book. She teaches the manual alphabet (which I already knew), the number signs 1-10, and a few other beginning signs. She wastes too much time yacking and not enough time signing. She underestimates the intelligence of her adult audience. I also thought she would group words together by subject, such as foods, colors, people, household things, etc. She could have put a lot more useful information in this video if she had talked less and just showed the signs. The doctor's office visit was a waste of time.