The Joy of Signing Third Edition : A Dictionary of American Signs

The Joy of Signing is one of the most comprehensive guides available for mastering the current basic signs used to communicate with deaf people in either the word order of the English language or in the American Sign Language pattern. This updated third edition provides the basic vocabulary needed for persons entering interpreter training programs. Over 1,500 signs are clearly illustrated and are grouped by chapter into their natural categories. Families as well as professionals will appreciate this manual’s conceptually based vocabulary. It includes sections on the history of sign language and fingerspelling, the art of signing, language patterns of signs, and an illustrated guide for fingerspelling. History of sign language and fingerspelling Terminology The art of signing The language pattern of signs: signing on the continuum Fingerspelling Manual alphabet chart Mastering the art of signing naturally Words for which signs are not always required Statements, commands, questions Types of questions The conditional sentence Pluralization and frequency Noun verb pairs Intensity and degree Location of signs in a story Use of eyes and index finger in pointing The signer becoming the character in the story Tense Continuity, continuous action, duration Regularity Directionality of signs Signs placed at appropriate locations on the body Incorporating numbers Numbers used with personal pronouns Negation Classifiers and size and shape specifiers Organizations serving the deaf Vocabulary index. This is a guide for mastering the current basic signs used to communicate with deaf people in either the word order of the English language or in the American Sign Language pattern. It provides the basic vocabulary needed for persons entering interpreter training programs. Over 1500 signs have been illustrated and are grouped by chapter into their natural categories. Includes line drawings and step-by-step descriptions of positions and movements, information about the origins of signs, as well as the correct usage of signs in context.