Religious Signing: A Comprehensive Guide For All Faiths

by Elaine Costello

Since the fourth century, when Spanish monks first started signing to communicate during their vows of silence, sign language has been used in religious communities of all faiths. Present-day American Sign Language (ASL) carries on that tradition. Like any living language, it continues to grow and change to meet the communication needs of an ever more diverse religious population. This comprehensive guide, newly revised, updated, and expanded, gives you all the vocabulary you need to communicate effectively in any religious setting.

From Alleluia to Zizith, more than 750 signs and their specific meanings

Large, clear, upper-torso illustrations that show the corresponding movements of hands, body, and face

Easy-to-follow instructions to help you master the art of expressing signs

A complete index for quick access to any sign

With an essential section of religious “name signs,” the addition of signs for the Muslim faith, and an expanded selection of favorite verses, prayers, and blessings, this book is an indispensable resource for signers of all denominations. Written with expertise by an educator and author associated with the field of deafness for more than thirty years, it makes communicating by ASL in a religious setting simple and easy, no matter your level of experience.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Reference, Christian, Self Help, Textbooks

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Angela Blount · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a great help when I was learning from the ASL interpreter at my church. If you're looking for an aid in signing for sermons and/or translating praise and worship songs, this is a clear and thorough resource.

Catholic and Protestant sources are primarily credited, but many of the demonstrative sketches depict Jewish interpreters and Judaism-specific applications. Words like "Mormon" and "Jehovah's Witness", "Quaker" and "Mennonite" are included.

My biggest criticism would be that I didn't see anything by way of Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, etc. in representation . . . and so the subtitle of "A Comprehensive Guide for All Faiths" seems a bit misleading. I would simply ask that they specify it as specialized for "All Judeo-Christian Faiths" :) (Note: I am speaking for the 1986 edition, and I understand that newer expanded versions are now Islam inclusive.)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle version not worth it

I borrowed the print version of this book from the library and liked it enough to want to buy my own copy. I opted for the Kindle version for its lower price and its (presumed) convenience, but it's anything but convenient. There is no hyperlinked index, no way to search for words that begin with any given letter of the alphabet, and in the text itself where the description of the sign says "see [another similar meaning word]", there are no hyperlinks to take you to those signs. That feature alone would have been a helpful tool. The only way that I found to search for a word (other than tediously turning each page one by one) is to click on the page layout view and scroll down to your best guess of where that word might appear in alphabetical order. It's hit and miss. The book has good content and I was happy to see that the signs were depicted clearly and also that you can pinch and expand the screen to enlarge the text and images, but those benefits alone don't make up for the lack of being searchable.

I give it 4 stars for content and 1 star for the Kindle version itself. I recommend the print version but I do not recommend the Kindle version unless you only want to browse through it from A to Z and have no interest in looking up specific signs other than using the hunt and peck method.

The Kindle version has the potential to be so much better than it is. I'm really disappointed in it and cannot recommend it. Buy the print copy instead.

[Teresa Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, I have been signing for years, but religious signs can be a bit different. Helps a lot when I need to reference some words and double check a sign.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book when I agreed to sign a play and sermon at a church. I wanted to be certain all the religious signs were correct. This is a great guide to the changes you have to make to regular signs when using them in a religious context.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really helped us to teach our 4 year old some gospel principles that he couldn't grasp with speech yet. It also helps with signing primary songs.

[Cristen]

the third book i use.

[Jacqueline Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

comprehensive guide to CHRISTIAN signs.. a bit lacking otherwise