Home :: Books :: Reference  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference

Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
The Perigee Visual Dictionary of Signing: An A-To-Z Guide to over 1,350 Signs of American Sign Language

The Perigee Visual Dictionary of Signing: An A-To-Z Guide to over 1,350 Signs of American Sign Language

List Price: $15.95
Your Price: $10.85
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Starting Point
Review: As a Deaf ASL teacher, I often search out new (and not so new) resources to supplement my teaching. I've found many of Flodin's books to be bad news to the ASL teacher, for they are strictly English-based. However, this being a dictionary, sentence structure is not an issue. Therefore, this book is a definite asset to anyone's repertoire.

"The Perigee Dictionary" has very clear illustrations and descriptions of over 1500 signs. It also includes memory aids to help you retain what you are learning. It is in basic, A - Z, format and serves as a wonderful starting point for people interested in learning signs.

One must be careful to remember a few things, however: There are regional dialects and what is signed one way in Michigan is signed differently in California, this by no means exhausts ASL vocabulary; and, finally, American Sign Language is a foreign language, completely different than English (as different from English as Russian). If you keep those ideas in mind, you should have no trouble utilizing this fabulous resource while understanding how much more there is to know.

Highly recommended as an initial dictionary. That's just this deafie's opinion. :v)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sub-Par Dictionary, Great Teaching/Learning Aid
Review: As an ASL student, I was rather disappointed with this book's word coverage. It was rather spotty, showing words such as "roller skate"(as a verb) but not "roll", for example. If you already know ASL and just forgot a word or want to brush up on the language, I don't recommend this book for you.
However, this would be a great teaching/learning aid, boasting such features as large and detailed pictures, written directions on how to form a sign, alphabetical word listings, memory aids and context examples on how the word is used. This is great for educators to use as pseudo-textbooks during lessons. However, its poor dictionary coverage will limit its use somewhat.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best ASL dictionary out there!
Review: Having experience with American Sign Language for almost 10 years, I have read (and own) a great many signing books and dictionaries. This is by far the best. The drawings are easy to understand (which is often not the case with many books), and is accompanied by a text description as well. Each entry also has suggestions of the origin of the sign, but also can help a student remember the word as a memory aide. There are many signs in here that other dictionaries do not include, though it (of course) doesn't have everything. The signs are usually "modern" versions of a sign (as languages change and adapt), unlike some books which have very old signs or even signs exclusive to SEE signing. I would recommend to anyone learning ASL.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best ASL dictionary out there!
Review: Having experience with American Sign Language for almost 10 years, I have read (and own) a great many signing books and dictionaries. This is by far the best. The drawings are easy to understand (which is often not the case with many books), and is accompanied by a text description as well. Each entry also has suggestions of the origin of the sign, but also can help a student remember the word as a memory aide. There are many signs in here that other dictionaries do not include, though it (of course) doesn't have everything. The signs are usually "modern" versions of a sign (as languages change and adapt), unlike some books which have very old signs or even signs exclusive to SEE signing. I would recommend to anyone learning ASL.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sub-Par Dictionary, Great Teaching/Learning Aid
Review: I have just started learning to sign. I used the smaller pocket version of this book to learn my first 600 signs. I purchased this larger version to continue my learning. The descriptions are clear, and the memory hints are very helpful. I recommend this book without reservation!


<< 1 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates