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

by Gabriel Grayson, Gabriel Gryson

After English and Spanish, it is the third most common language in North America. Over 22 million people use it daily to communicate. It has its own beauty, its own unmistakable form, and its own inherent culture. It is American Sign Language (ASL), the language of the deaf. NowGabriel Grayson, teacher extraordinaire, has put together a book that makes signing accessible, easy, and fun. Using almost 1,400 photographs, he has created a comprehensive primer to the techniques, words, and phrases of signing. Each word or phrase is accompanied by a photo or series of photos that show hand and body motions and facial expressions. Along with the images are step-by-step instructions for forming the sign, as well as a helpful "Visualize" tip that connects the sign with its meaning for easier memorizatic and recall. Taking With Your Hands begins by examining the fascinating history and nature of both sign language and the deaf community. Next, the book explains the basics of signing, covering such important topics as handshapes fingerspelling, signing etiquette, and more. The remaining sixteen chapters provide over 1,700 words and phrases. Throughout the book, informative insets focus on fascinating aspects of deaf history, deaf culture, and significant deaf personalities. Whether you view sign language as an essential means of communication, or you are simply interested in the world of silent music and visual poetry that this unique language provides, you'll find this book a perfect guide to understanding, duplicating, and remembering the vocabulary of ASL. Open these pages, and surrender your senses to a visually rich language in which you "talk" with your hands and "listen" with your eyes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Textbooks, Language

324 pages, Library Binding

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently getting my masters in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. I used this book for Sign Language 1 and 2. It was a great resource.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's right I'm trying to learn American Sign Language, and finding this book to be very helpful.

[Gabby Schwalm · Rating 5 out of 5]

good resource

[Samuel Saul Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good starter book for ASL. I thought there'd be more discussion about the language or using it but great vocabulary walkthrough.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive look at sign language and a wonderful ASL dictionary. I think for anyone into ASL, this would be a necessary reference. I'm frustrated that some of the handsigns are different than what I learned in BabySigns books (those I knew were a little easier) but also what I've seen on Signing Time, which I thought was ASL. Maybe it's "dialect". There's also lots of background info which I find interesting.

[P. Es · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC book on signing; extensive use of facial expressions which make for the 'rich text' that is proper ASL. without which you're pretty much 'speaking' monotone and 'writing' without punctuation! A plus also in that it uses different people signing, not just stick figure pics representing the signs. Not a phrase book, more a learning-structured dictionary.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for building sign vocab, this book is full of photos of people signing. Lots of basic vocab in the book, along with some helpful tips. It's not extensive, but does have a lot of basics and is easy to use.

[Zaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is GREAT! It teaches you almost everything you need to know about sign language. It is broken down into various sections which makes it accessible. My former professor actually wrote this book and it is great to have for school as well as if you just want to learn the language.

[Kamryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this for any beginning ASL studiers. I feel like I just need to get involved in the Deaf community if I want to improve as I already knew the material covered, but it was still a good brush-up.

[Saira · Rating 4 out of 5]

good visuals. my professor wrote it; he is a hearing man raised by deaf parents.

[Jade Saleem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book teaches chidlren about sign language.

[S. Ayleen Edwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY helpful - as a refresher or for a first time signer!!!

[Haley Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The signs are so easy to comprehend. This was very helpful to me when I was first starting to learn ASL. I would recommend this book to anyone interested or beginning to learn sign language.