Signing for Dummies

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
• Published by: For Dummies June 20, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0764554360
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764554360
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Description
American Sign Language (ASL) is something we've all seen Deaf people use in restaurants, hospitals, airports, and throughout the marketplace. The communication is fascinating to watch; to see people sharing ideas by using handshapes and body language is remarkable in a world so defined by sound.

Signing For Dummies gives you a general understanding of the properties of Sign, as well as an understanding of Deaf culture. Designed to act as an introduction or a refresher, the book focuses solely on ASL. Although certainly not the only form of Sign Language, ASL is the most popular in the Deaf community within the United States.

Categorized by subject, this illustrated guide covers grammar and sentence structure, along with the tools to get you going in basic conversation by knowing how to

• Introduce and greet people
• Ask questions and make small talk
• Order food and chat with salespeople
• Handle medical emergencies
• Talk on the phone
• Get around town for fun or business

Although "speaking" American Sign Language (ASL) is mostly a matter of using your fingers, hands, and arms, facial expression and body language are important and sometimes crucial for understanding Signs and their meaning. Signing For Dummies gets the whole body into the action as the fun-to-read resource explores

• Signs that look like what they mean
• Expression of emotions and feelings
• Signing sports and weather
• Compass points conversations: Getting or giving directions
• Descriptions of where it hurts
• Deaf community customs, norms, and culture

Each chapter throughout the book invites you to practice specific Signs in a "Fun & Games" section. Translation guides complement the video CD-ROM, which features demonstrations by ASL Signers and actual conversations in progress – all designed to have you moving your hands, body, and face to convey meaning that reaches way beyond linguistic barriers.

Back Cover Copy
"As an ASL teacher . . . I love the complete and simple layout of this book."
-Don Cabbage, PhD, author, International Sign Language Series

Filled with hundreds of detailed illustrations

"This book really caught my attention. Everyone should read the chapter on Deaf Etiquette."
-Dr. Neal Weaver, President Louisiana Baptist University

Want to discover more about ASL? This friendly guide explains the basics you need to start communicating right away, from proper handshapes and body language to vocabulary and grammar. With the conversations in the book and on the CD-ROM, youll build your skills for use in the home, office, and out and about town.

All this on the bonus CD-ROM:

• Pick up Signing the easy way –through actual conversations
• Features demonstrations by ASL Signers
• Allows you to see ASL in action
• Reinforces lessons from the book

Reader Reviews
I nearly didn't buy the book, based on the poor reviews it got. Luckily, I spotted it in the bookstore and flipped through. It's actually quite good. I wouldn't pick it as your first book on sign language though, as some things tend to get a bit confusing if you don't already know some sign. For example, I noticed one of the illustrations was of one version of a sign, and the description was another. Both were valid signs that meant the same thing, but it would have been better to have just one. I also loved the CD in the back of the book. It is a wonderful idea for a book to show the language in motion.