Video: A Few Things to Know About American Sign Language (NPR) (4:19)
ASL at Oakton
American Sign Language is taught within the Speech Department. Classes include:
SPE 125 Basic Sign Language
Course introduces the fundamentals of American Sign Language. The focus is on sign language vocabulary, expressive and receptive communication, fingerspelling, and ASL grammar used by Deaf Americans. This course is designed for students with no previous experience in this area.
SPE 126 Basic Sign Language II
Course continues and expands on the fundamentals of American Sign Language. The focus is on sign language vocabulary, expressive and receptive communication, fingerspelling, and ASL grammar used by Deaf Americans. Course is designed for students with at least one previous course in ASL.
Oakton Library Resources
The Everything Sign Language Book by
Discover the intricacies of American Sign Language with this comprehensive, essential guide to learning the basics of sign language. The appeal of American Sign Language (ASL) has extended beyond the Deaf community into the mainstream--it's even popular as a class in high school and college. You are guided through the basics of ASL with clear instruction and more than 300 illustrations. With a minimum of time and effort, you will learn to sign: the ASL alphabet; questions and common expressions; numbers, money, and time. With info on signing etiquette, communicating with people in the Deaf community, and using ASL to aid child development, this book makes signing fun for the entire family.
Call Number: HV 2474 .D85 2009 (Skokie)ISBN: 9781598698831Publication Date: 2009
The American Sign Language Phrase Book by
Open up a whole new world of communication through ASL You can easily learn ASL with help from The American Sign Language Phrase Book. With more than 500 phrases, this is the reference guide to everyday expressions in American Sign Language, providing a quick way for you to converse with deaf people. Clearly illustrated with hundreds of line drawings, this book focuses on areas such as health, family, school, sports, travel, religion, time, money, food and drink, and small talk. This edition's new chapter on technology boasts 50 phrases to help you communicate about the Internet, computing, video relay, and more. There is even a chapter that gives you phrases for communicating about signing: asking people to sign slower, indicating your fingerspelling ability, and requesting help with your fledgling skills. From asking simple questions (“How are you?”) to more complex phrases (“There's no sign for that, you have to fingerspell it.”), The American Sign Language Phrase Book gives you the power to communicate easily and comfortably in ASL.
Call Number: HV 2475 .F36 2008 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 9780071497138Publication Date: 2008
The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language by
*More than 3,000 ASL Sign Illustrations *Fully Searchable Full-Color DVD Featuring Every Sign *Special ASL Classifier Section *Complete Index of English Synonyms for Every Sign Created by an unparalleled board of experts led by renowned ASL linguist and poet Clayton Valli, The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language represents the culmination of more than five years of meticulous assessment and labor. More than 3,000 illustrations arrayed in this volume display the most useful selection of signs to be found in any single ASL reference resource. Each sign illustration, including depictions of fingerspelling when appropriate, incorporates a complete list of English synonyms. A full, alphabetized English index enables users to cross-reference words and signs throughout the entire volume. The comprehensive introduction lays the groundwork for learning ASL by explaining in plain language the workings of ASL syntax and structure. It also offers examples of idioms and describes the antecedents of ASL, its place in the Deaf community, and its meaning in Deaf culture. This extraordinary reference also provides a special section unique to this volume on ASL classifiers and their use. Readers will find complete descriptions of the various classifiers and examples of how to use these integral facets of ASL. The full-color DVD included with this dictionary features a diverse group of native ASL signers demonstrating how to form each of the 3,077 signs. Fully searchable, users can view a sign and quickly go to its synonyms. This and the many other exclusive features in The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language combine to make it the outstanding ASL reference for all instructors, students, and users of ASL.
Call Number: HV 2475 .G35 2005ISBN: 9781563682827Publication Date: 2006
Knack American Sign Language by
While learning a new language isn’t a “knack” for everyone, Knack American Sign Language finally makes it easy. The clear layout, succinct information, and topic-specific sign language partnered with high-quality photos enable quick learning. By a “bilingual” author whose parents were both deaf, and photographed by a design professor at the leading deaf university, Gallaudet, it covers all the basic building blocks of communication. It does so with a view to each reader’s reason for learning, whether teaching a toddler basic signs or communicating with a deaf coworker. Readers will come away with a usable knowledge base rather than a collection of signs with limited use. · 450 full-color photos · American Sign Language · Intended for people who can hear · Can be used with babies and young children
Call Number: onlineISBN: 9781599218328Publication Date: 2009
What's Your Sign for Pizza? by
This introductory text celebrates another dimension of diversity in the United States Deaf community -- variation in the way American Sign Language (ASL) is used by Deaf people all across the nation. The different ways people have of saying or signing the same thing defines variation in language. In spoken English, some people say "soda," others say "pop," "Coke," or "soft drink;" in ASL, there are many signs for "birthday," "Halloween," "early," and of course, "pizza." What's Your Sign for Pizza? derives from an extensive seven-year research project in which more than 200 Deaf ASL users representing different ages, genders, and ethnic groups from seven different regions were filmed sharing their signs for everyday vocabulary. The film clips form a supplemental resource to the text and are referenced in their relevant chapters. The text begins with an explanation of the basic concepts of language and the structure of sign language. Each part of the text concludes with questions for discussion, and the final section offers three supplemental readings that provide further information on variation in both spoken and signed languages. What's Your Sign for Pizza also briefly sketches the development of ASL, which explains the relationships between language varieties throughout the country. The videos are available online at www.youtube.com/GallaudetUniversityPress.
Call Number: onlineISBN: 9781563682995Publication Date: 2014
Sign Language Research, Uses and Practices by
The uses and practices of sign languages are strongly related to scientific research on sign languages and vice versa. Conversely, sign linguistics cannot be separated from Deaf community practices, including practices in education and interpretation. Therefore, the current volume brings together work on sign language interpreting, the use of spoken and sign language with deaf children with cochlear implants and early language development in children exposed to both a spoken and sign language, and reports on recent research on aspects of sign language structure. It also includes papers addressing methodological issues in sign language research. The book presents papers by "more seasoned" researchers and "new kids on the block", as well as papers in which the two collaborate. The contributions will be of interest to all those interested in linguistics, sociolinguistics, cultural studies, interpreting and education. It will have particular relevance to those interested in sign linguistics, sociolinguistics of deaf communities, Deaf studies, Deaf culture, sign language interpretation, sign language teaching, and (spoken/signed) bilingualism. Given the scarcity of literature on "Deaf studies", the book will also appeal widely beyond the traditional academic milieu. As a result, it has relevance for those teaching and learning sign languages, for professional and student interpreters and for teachers of the deaf.
Call Number: onlineISBN: 1614511993Publication Date: 2013
The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL by
Black ASL has long been recognized as a distinct variety of American Sign Language based on abundant anecdotal evidence. The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL, originally published in 2011, presents the first sociohistorical and linguistic study of this language variety. Based on the findings of the Black ASL Project, which undertook this unprecedented research, Hidden Treasure documents the stories and language of the African American Deaf community. With links to online supplemental video content that includes interviews with Black ASL users (formerly on DVD), this volume is a groundbreaking scholarly contribution and a powerful affirmation for Black Deaf people. This paperback edition includes an updated foreword by Glenn B. Anderson, a new preface that reflects on the impact of this research, and an expanded list of references and resources on Black ASL. The supplemental video content is available online at the Gallaudet University Press YouTube Channel. Under Playlists, click "The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Companion Video to the Book." As featured in the film Signing Black in America: The Story of Black ASL, produced by The Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University (Dr. Walt Wolfram, Executive Producer). Look for it on PBS.
ISBN: 1944838724Publication Date: 2020
The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary by
Featuring *More than 1,900 Sign Illustrations Including 327 New Signs *Plus DVD Showing How to Form Signs *Arranged by Handshape for Easy Identification *Complete Index of English Vocabulary for All Signs *An Introduction to Deaf Culture and ASL Structure The first reference source that allows users to access ASL signs without previous knowledge of their English equivalents (far superior to those in most other English-ASL glossaries). Likely to become indispensable on many educators' and students' bookshelves.--CHOICE Now, the bestselling resource The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary has been completely revised with more than 320 new signs and a new DVD. This unique reference can help users locate a sign whose meaning they have forgotten, or help them find the meaning of a new sign they have just seen for the first time. It organizes more than 1,900 ASL signs by 40 basic handshapes and includes detailed descriptions on how to form these signs to represent the different English words that they might mean. ASL students can begin to track down a sign by determining whether it is formed with one hand or two. Further distinctions of handshape, palm orientation, location, movement, and other nonmanual body signals help them pinpoint their search while also refining their grasp of ASL syntax and grammar. A complete English word index provides the option of referring to an alphabetical listing of English terms to locate an equivalent sign or choice of signs. The new DVD shows how each sign is formed from beginning to end. Users can watch a sign at various speeds to learn precisely how to master it themselves. Together, the new edition of The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary and its accompanying DVD presents students, sign language teachers, and deaf and hearing people alike with the perfect combination for enhancing communication skills in both ASL and English.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 1944838619Publication Date: 2020
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YouTube Channels
Careers with ASL
- Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.Would you like to become a sign language interpreter? Find out about this career path
- Sign Language Careers – Jobs Working With the DeafLearn about other careers working with deaf or hard of hearing people.