Don't Just "Sign..". Communicate!: A Student's Guide to Mastering ASL Grammar (Paperback) - Common

by Michelle Jay

Are You Making Common Signing Errors?Make no mistake about it... when venturing into the world of American Sign Language, the first thing you must understand is that ASL is its own language. It is different from English. ASL is also not like other Signing Systems.Like any other Language, ASL contains its own unique rules of syntax, phonology, grammar, etc. To become fluent in the ASL language, you must first be armed with these essential rules and terminology.Don't Just "Sign"... Communicate! methodically takes you, step-by-step, through the essentials of ASL Grammar to prepare you to truly and effectively communicate in and understand ASL.This carefully outlined guide not only illustrates the importance of understanding ASL's overall differences in grammar, the topics are broken up into the six (6) major aspects of the language, making it that much easier for you to understand and follow!Here's just a glimpse of what you'll find in this - Get the "inside scoop" about ASL -- Learn vocabulary concepts not taught in most ASL dictionaries and discover the most essential ASL grammar rules.- Packed full with "must have" tools, a glossary of over 200 terms, and a grammar study sheet you'll use again and again!- Everything you need in just one place... And answers to questions you may not even know to ask...Regardless of your reasons for learning to communicate in ASL, once you have read this book with its expert advice and hints, you will truly be prepared to master the communication nuances of the ASL Language!

Genres: Nonfiction, Textbooks

158 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good, not perfect. It explains some basics but more variety of examples would have been nice to help me understand the concepts. It has photos but it's hard to be clear on what's happening without videos. I mainly wanted to know the word order so I appreciated the glossing.

[Matthew Korniczky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good, especially for me, a beginning signer. The pictures are hard to follow, so I had to buy an ASL dictionary with it. But, if you are looking to begin ASL and need a grammar book, I would recommend it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for basics. I wanted more details about grammar, especially mouth movements.

[Nathan Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely fascinating first glimpse into the structure of ASL. This guide covers an extremely broad range of topics, including practical topics like numbers and temporal expressions as well as linguistic topics like morphology and syntax. If you've never studied ASL before, this will be a fascinating read, and I think also a great introduction (it has a great explanation of how to transcribe ASL, for starters). It's a quick read, and you can get through it in a couple of afternoons.

As someone who reads a lot of language textbooks, though, this one left me really frustrated for a few reasons.

First, static pictures are hard to follow. It would have been better to use simple illustrations, where you can exaggerate the features used in a sign; this is commonly done in JSL books, and it works much better.

Second, for a book that claims to support mastery, many of the descriptions are woefully incomplete. Take the phonetics, for example. It should not list "some of the most common handshapes", but all of the handshapes! Same with the claimed "over 100 mouth movements", of which only "some examples" are provided. No, to support mastery, you need a complete description of the phonemes available for expression. The sections on vocabulary and morphology left me feeling similarly lost. What exactly are the pieces of information that I need to know about a sign (noun, verb, adjective), in order to correctly use it in all contexts (in other words, what do you have to indicate in an ASL dictionary)? This was not answered clearly for me.

I think a proper, in-depth coverage of the material in this book would require many more examples and probably a couple thousand pages (this book is only 150). So, take it as an introductory work, a short guidebook for beginning students, and enjoy it for what it is. But don't expect mastery.

[Olivia Thames · Rating 4 out of 5]

While most ASL/DIS students go out and buy all of the dictionaries, they would be wise to also seek out Michelle Jay's book on grammar, since you cannot have one without the other! I have read this book for the third time since taking my first ASL course, and a refresher always helps!

I am looking forward to seeking out her other work, both in the "Don't Just Sign...Communicate!" series and her published work in scholarly journals!

[Rebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a bad little reference book, especially for beginning signers, though I'm not 100% on some of what she says in the book as being real accurate. And of course, videos (or real people!) are always better resources than any book.

I was looking for something on ASL Grammar, and this book is OK, but not really what I was going for.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy to follow. wish I had gotten it in print rather than the digital copy because it'll be good to reference in the future

[Scottt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent intro to Deaf culture with tons of resources to learn more. Lots of significant events in Deaf history are covered. Just a really well-written book for beginning ASL learners.