This new DVD to accompany the best-selling sign language book, Learning American Sign Language, brings the art and learning of sign language to life.

Average Customer Review: ( 25 customer reviews )
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This book is similar to "A Basic Course in ASL," and some may find it hard to dicern between the two. However, this book has many more practice sentences and conversation. Many more opportunities to use your new-found skills. Many more illustrations. There is use of slang and idiomatic language that isn't found often in other resources.

You can purchase a videotape to accompany this book. If you are learning on your own, that really is a must-have. Otherwise, this book offers a full course in beginning your trip to understanding true American Sign Language (versus Signed English or Contact Sign). Highly recommended by this deafie! :v)

24 of 26 found the following review helpful:

Pros and ConsJul 23, 1999

I used this text for my ASL 1 and ASL 2 courses in college, and I think this text was better organized compared to some other texts for learning sign. However, some of the pictures are a bit difficult to decifer and some of the signs are repeated throughout the text. I would like to see the video and the text as a package deal for fifty one dollars, perhaps that would be more worth one's money.

23 of 26 found the following review helpful:

Lots of Vocab...too bad most of it is localizedJan 07, 2003

This was a text I used in Beginning ASL II. There is a supplemental video that goes along with the book as well.

While there is tons of vocabulary used in this text, most of it is used the the Pacific Northwest area. This is not a great book if you're taking classes in the midwest or even the south. I was really glad that I had a professor that could show me local signs in my State/City/neighborhood.

There is some examples of ASL grammar included, but nothing hard and fast. As I've learned, the grammar has been easier to pick up.

The video I mentioned is very helpful since most of the exercises revolve around certain scenes that are acted out. There are some werid camera angles during a few black and white "intermissions".

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:

Well organized but really bad picturesFeb 03, 1999

We used this book as a manuel for my ASL1 and ASL2 class. It was well organized but the pictures are bad and hard to understand. It is not worth the money.

12 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Excellent book for people who want to learn ASL for funMar 05, 1999

This book may have poor pictures. It is not designed for self-taught or self-help for learning ASL because it is more like a 3-D language. It must accompany with an qualified teacher who can demonstrate in a class. It is highly recommended for those who do not plan to major in linguistics or interpreting. It is student-friendly materials for fun learning and appreciate the language of ASL. It also has a videotape that will reinforce the drills learned in each unit

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