Signing Exact English: Pocket Edition [Spiral-bound]

Gerilee Gustason (Author), Ester Zawolkow (Author)

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 431 pages
• Publisher: Modern Signs Press (November 3, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916708268
• ISBN-13: 978-0916708269
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have reference for users/students of SEE, November 19, 1999

By 

Bill and Sheryl Savage - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signing Exact English (Paperback)

To my knowledge, this is the only comprehensive dictionary of Signing Exact English (SEE) signs available on the market. Put together by some of the original creators of SEE, this dictionary contains over 4400 sign descriptions with illustrations. Also included are a short history of and rationale for developing SEE as well as important principles of expression, guidelines for creating new signs, sign families, etc. This is the definitive resource dictionary for anyone who is learning or using Signing Exact English and is used throughout our local school districts (as in many across the country) by teachers of the hearing impaired, interpreters, and students alike.

A word of caution: Learning sign language through the written word and 2-dimensional illustrations can be difficult, especially for those not well-experienced with sign language. This dictionary (as with any sign language dictionary) is best used in conjunction with a class or instructional/demonstrational videos which are available.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Signing Exact English - An Autism Communication Tool, January 17, 2004

By 

"countingblessings" (Switz City, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signing Exact English: Pocket Edition (Spiral-bound)

Signing Exact English is a wonderful "how to manual" that is aiding our family in increasing communication with our six year old Autistic son. Our son is completely non-verbal but can hear. SEE, Signed Exact English, makes more sense to an individual who hears spoken language than does ASL, because it follows the same grammar and syntax as spoken English. For example ASL would sign "table look", while SEE would sign "Look at the table". SEE incorporates all the subtleties of language including conjunctions, "and" "or", plurals, "s" and endings, "ing" "ed". SEE is very appropriate for those who use Total Communication, or signing paired with speech when communicating with an individual, even if the individual only signs in response. In conjunction with a sight word based reading program, The Edmark Reading Program, Signing Exact English has enabled our son to read at or above age level, and spontaneous communication through Signed Exact English is following. Signing Exact English is an excellent tool for the entire family to learn to communicate with the disabled individual. The illustrations and descriptions are exceptional in depicting the method of each sign.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Sign Language is better, July 11, 2003

By 

Kyle D. Houston "curigrge" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signing Exact English: Pocket Edition (Spiral-bound)

I will give this book 5 stars for being the best in Signed Exact English (SEE), but I would recommend picking up a American Sign Language book instead. My family used the big orange SEE book when they first found out I was deaf - they still have the 1980 edition! Being someone who grew up using SEE, I can say that it's very awkward to sign, and does not feel natural. I moved over to ASL a long time ago. SEE is not as effective as people say it is at teaching children how to write English well. I didn't pick up my English writing ability from SEE, I got it from proper instruction and being a bookworm. American Sign Language has its own grammar and lexicon which is completely different from English, but it feels more natural because it is a language which was developed as a sign language, while English has been developed as a auditory/written language, and does not fit the parameters of a sign language very well.