Talking With Your Hands, Listening With Your Eyes: A Complete Photographic Guide to American Sign Language (Paperback)

~ (Author) "American Sign Language (ASL) is the natural language of approximately 500,000 deaf people in the United States and Canada..." (more)
Key Phrases: right bent elbow, right with the palm, lips with the palm, American Sign Language, Open Flat, One Open (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grayson, chair of the New School University's department of sign language, created this massive reference in the hopes of "making it easier to understand, duplicate and remember the vocabulary" of American Sign Language, which is used by an estimated 500,000 deaf people in the U.S. and Canada. Grayson can hear, but was born to parents who were both deaf, and his first means of trained communication was sign language. The book covers more than 900 signs that represent nearly 1,800 words and phrases, with signs grouped by topic, e.g., common and polite phrases; mealtime and food; school and education; careers, jobs and the workplace;and the body and health. One or more photos of professional signers demonstrating the sign formation accompany a discussion of each sign. Grayson provides instructions for each word, explaining the hand shape, the position in front of the body where the sign is made and the type of movement involved in expressing the word. Perhaps most useful is the "visualize" portion of each entry, which often explains the essence of the sign. For example, when signing the word "farmer," which involves moving one's hand across the chin and then down the chest, visualize yourself depicting "the bushy beard of a farmer." Although the photos are on the small side (about two inches square), Grayson's instructions are detailed and clearly written. Especially valuable are the educational sidebars on what it's like to live as a deaf person in the U.S., including a suggested reading list on the history of deaf culture, a discussion of how technology has created more career options for deaf people and a list of American films featuring deaf protagonists. Index.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-An outstanding, user-friendly resource for those interested in learning ASL. Signs are grouped into chapters based on their meanings. The meanings and synonyms are in large, blue print; descriptions of the hand shape, position, and movement are set in smaller, black type. One or two black-and-white, 2" x 2" photographs of the entire torso show the beginning and end of a sign; superimposed arrows indicate additional movement. These pictures are clear enough for new signers to follow. Additional photos at the bottom of the page show only hand shapes, making clear what might not be visible due to the angle of the primary illustrations. Signers shown represent diverse cultural backgrounds. The index enables readers to locate both the desired sign and its antonym. Throughout, boxed inserts present thorough, insightful articles on such subjects relating to deaf culture as medical conditions and assistive technology. This information alone makes the book a wonderful resource.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers; 1 edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075700007X
• ISBN-13: 978-0757000072
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,676 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to ASL, May 11, 2003

By A Customer

This book is an excellent introduction to ASL and Deaf culture issues. There is a manageable number of basic signs and insets providing details about being deaf in a hearing world, information on famous deaf people, and technological advances useful for the deaf. The introduction also contains a concise history of deaf education. The author is extremely credible, which is something important to me when learning a new language!

From the instruction of a single deaf individual, I have developed a rudimenary knowledge of sign language: the alphabet, numbers, various greetings, some nouns and adjectives. This book has helped me to reinforce what I know, clean up the sloppy signing I had been doing, and learn new things. I have had trouble learning signs from books in the past because I would often miss something important. With this book, I've felt very comfortable with the new signs because of the format. The combination of specific written descriptions with pictures gives a very understandable way to learn new signs. The added bonus of mnemonic devices to remember which sign is which is very helpful. It's embarrassing to admit, but I kept confusing the signs for "yes" and "no" until I read the helpful hints in this book - not a good thing to get wrong!

There may be books with more words in them, but I would recommend this book for all beginners, and advanced beginners like myself. Once the signs here are learned (and as in my case cleaned up considerably), then start looking for more comprehensive works. I've been practicing about 30-100 words a night depending on how many I already knew and feel very confident that I'm finally doing them correctly.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the perfect book has yet to come out, June 21, 2004

By	Michael S. Gocinski "Cuzin Mike" (Bel Air, Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the best sign language learning books available. The pictures and desciptions of how to make the sign are excellent. However, no one book has every sign. Buy this for your personal library, it is the clearest book on how to make a particular sign. Even books that I consider very good such as "The American Sign Language Sign Book" by Louie Fant sometimes leave me confused by unclear drawings or descriptions. Gabriel Grayson's book is a great cross reference for times like these or for building your vocabulary to the point where you can move on to learning phrases and grammar.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Helpful Sign Language Book I've Found!, May 12, 2003

By	David E. (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews

This book edges ahead of others in that it features clear photographs, has words listed topically, and explains deaf history and culture throughout the book. It is much easier to use than books with a "dictionary" layout. The author has the experience and backing to know what works. I highly recommend it.