Michele K. reviewed Random House Webster's American Sign Language Dictionary on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Learn how to sign language
Helpful Score: 1
Actually, this book is a GREAT book for beginners. It shows multiple English words and phrases commonly associated with the sign given. Most (hearing) beginners want just one word and be given a sign. That is NOT how American Sign Language (AS) works. Even the various sign systems of ASL do not advocate this. ASL is a language in its own right. We "feebly" try to give an English word or phrase for the sign made by the Deaf person. When you watch native signers "talking" one sign moves into the next sign with some overlap. This is not sloppy signing but just how the Deaf communicate! I would suggest if you REALLY want to learn how to sign, give at least five different English words or phrases that match this sign. This book is a fantastic tool to do that!
