any books that you would reccomend?

A

apathrev

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I dropped by Barnes and Noble today to see about maybe picking up an ASL lesson book. When I finally located them, I noticed there was too wide of a variety for me to just randomly pick one. I've seen a couple of people at work reading The Joys of Signing. There was also one book, Learn ASL in 24 Hours, which I'd be very skeptical of. So if there are any ASL students or terps out there who have reccomendations, please post them.
 
:angel: I recently purchased a book called "Signing Illustrated"
by Mickey Flodin. The copyright is 1994, but, the signs are up to date. The cost is 15.00. I purchased it at Barnes and Noble. You can also try if you have in your area Border Bookstore or Walden Bookstore. Good luck!!
 
IMO, ASL isn't something you can learn from a book. Line drawings can be hard to follow and don't offer feedback. I suggest that you get involved with the Deaf Community in your area or sign up for a class. If you don't want to go to a college/university class, some school districts are offering evening classes through continuing education programs. You won't have to bother with math, English, or government classes. Good Luck.
 
ITPjohn said:
IMO, ASL isn't something you can learn from a book. Line drawings can be hard to follow and don't offer feedback. I suggest that you get involved with the Deaf Community in your area or sign up for a class. If you don't want to go to a college/university class, some school districts are offering evening classes through continuing education programs. You won't have to bother with math, English, or government classes. Good Luck.
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I do agree with what you're saying to an extent. You cannot completely learn conversational ASL through books. But I do think books can help to teach basic signing and rules, and help as a study aid. I have every intention of taking a class next semester, but until then, reading books, and taking online lessons cannot hurt.

I picked up Signing Illustrated today from Barnes and Noble. It does look like it is the best choice from the available selections. The illustrations are much clearer, and it offers memory aids to help remember signs.
 
there are many websites such as the ASL browser, etc. that help with learning sign. There are some good dictonaries, many of which I have. There are also some really good books, such as A Loss For Words, that can help you learn a lot about deaf culture. BUT...
Books and online tools are best used for REVIEW, it is REALLY hard to learn signs from a book or even from a video, especially when you've never taken a class. Many people sign incorrectly and don't even realize it, this especially includes signing to themselves, esp. with fingerspelling, when they have no one to practice with. Even reviewing with books doesn't always work, because signs vary from place to place a LOT, and new signs are developing all the time. By the time a sign gets published in a dict., it may be out-of-date.
As from what I can tell, you haven't taken a sign class yet, I would trust John, who's been in an ITP, and his advice. Good luck with your signing, and I hope one way or another, you become fluent and a positive part of the deaf community!
 
You're right. I will be taking my first class this fall at a local university. And I see what you are saying. Books and other like aids can be misleading. Right now I have found a few helpful websites, but I'm a bit hesitant to dive into them too much. I guess I just need to be patient.
 
I don't know how close you are to a major library, but there is a series of videos for beginners called The Bravo Family. It's a series of 15 or 16 tapes and will show you basic signs and give you information about Deaf Culture. I wouldn't be suprised if your classes (once you start) use the Signing Naturally series. It's three levels with books and videos building ASL vocabulary using common everyday situations. For general information, you may want to check out For Hearing People Only. Good luck. :)
 
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