The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet [Hardcover]

Lottie L. Riekehof (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0882435205 | ISBN-13: 978-0882435206 | Publication Date: 1987 | Edition: 2nd

In this standard work on sign language for the deaf, over 1500 signs have been clearly illustrated and are grouped by chapter into their natural categories. Line drawings and step-by-step descriptions of hand positions aid rapid learning.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Gospel Publishing House; 2nd edition (1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882435205
• ISBN-13: 978-0882435206
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Sign Language

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful tool, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet (Hardcover)

I am a beginner to sign language, but I have found the Joy of Signing to be the most useful book of all the ones I've seen. The pictures are very well drawn (much better than my dictionary or the other teaching books I own). I like the division by catetory rather than the dictionary format, because it is often easier to learn related words together. The index in the back makes finding the word you want very simple. Remembering new signs is easier because the origin of almost every sign is listed, and these work as memory aids. I have been learning sign language for a year, and although I have never taken a class and am therefore not very good, nearly every word I do know has come from this book. I highly recommend it.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous textbook for classroom teaching and for reference, July 4, 2000

By 

Shelley Gammon "Geek" (Kaufman, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet (Hardcover)

This was the text I used in my first sign language class. When I first took sign language, it was beeing taught as Siglish (Signed English) and this was the perfect text for beginners. Lottie Riekehof has done an excellent job of assembling the best signs for beginners and each lesson contains enough variety to keep students engaged.

This text should not be used to teach yourself sign language, however. While I consult this book for a refresher and a reference, I can't imagine how I'd be signing if I hadn't had a real human instructor explain the idiosynchrocies of signing. Signing is much more than the hands, the entire face and body are needed in expressing not only emotion, but meaning... the signs for "shy" and "prostitute," for example, are very similar looking and could not be properly distinguished by a text alone.

If you're starting a study group or a class, or even if you're taking a class and using a different text, this is a great book to have on your reference shelf.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My first signing dictionary..., August 2, 2000

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet (Hardcover)

The Joy of Signing was in use in 1990 at the University of Pittsburgh when I started my studies there. When I was told I had to take a foreign language, and I started laughing because I am totally deaf...the advisors/university 'allowed' me to take ASL to fulfill those requirements. This book continued to be used until the mid '90s, because it was accessible to everyone and had the best drawings of any book on the market. As with most dictionaries of a 3-dimensional language, this one is inadequate in that it cannot give a full representation of the sign. It was also insufficient in that it based its format on that of the English dictionary, which is a totally different language than ASL. Rather than basing it on the structural components of ASL, the dictionary brought up words in alphabetical order. Since so many words have multiple meanings and so many signs are used for multiple words, this format is very difficult to look through to find an accurate sign. It is also not as useful as other books for Deaf people who are looking for specific English words to their signs.

The use of videos and video streaming photography on the computer has allowed the introduction of ASL as a 3-D language. Even though other books (usually with videos) have replaced The Joy of Signing at Pitt and I am sure at other universities, the book holds a fond place in my heart and on my shelves. The authors are commended for the introduction of ASL to a generation of people and for helping in promoting ASL as a true language in its own right. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh