American Sign Language: A Comprehensive Dictionary

By Martin L.A. Sternberg

This is by far the largest, most complete dictionary of sign language ever published. It is a vast reference book which will be of great use to deaf people and those who love them and work with them. 5,430 word entries and cross-references, over 8,000 drawings, made by Herbert Rogoff from rapid photographs of hand movements, 1,184 pages, a bibliography of nearly 1,300 items, seven foreign-language indexes, including Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060140976
• ISBN13: 9780060140977
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 1132 Pages
• Weight: 4.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Most Comprehensive ASL Dictionary Available

I have owned many sign language dictionaries in the past 10+ years. All of them have fallen short of my needs. Martin L. A. Sternberg's unabridged ASL Dictionary is simply the most comprehesive, invaluable resource available. I work with children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and I always recommend this dictionary for parents, so that they can look up just about any word they may ever need to know.

Top Choice for Thorough Vocabulary

If you're simply looking for a good dictionary with a variety of regional signs and lots of entries, this is the best bet! It has over 7,000 entries and 12,000 illustrations. Some of the illustrations aren't the easiest to understand, but if you already have a basic knowledge of sign language, you can't beat this book! Not only does it have many English gloss entries, but it shows you various signs for the same gloss, which ones are cosidered vulgar, which ones are distinctly regional, and gives you some synonyms that can be used with the same gloss. A must-have addition to any serious signer's library!

American Sign Language Dictionary

I have many sign language books but find this one the easiest to use. It tells if there are other words that will use the same sign and I really like this. It is very helpful.

Don't look any further for a Signing Book, this is the best!

I purchased several books on signing, and I found that this one is the best. I think that Mr Sternberg did an excellent job with the graphics and definitions. I did wind up returning my other books, and kept this one.

fairly accurate and complete.

Most of the words I looked up were in this book. It includes religious, sexual, some slang, and many other signs frequently ignored in other books. If an english word has several meanings or if there are several signs for the same word they are in here. If a sign has several meanings, that is noted. The illustrations which are accompanied by directions are also pretty easy to follow. Though the signs sometimes differed to what I've seen commonly used, they were usually accurate. This book is limited by the fact that it only a dictionary and if you want to learn ASL you must learn it through use, a course, or another book.Overall, I highly recommed this book. It is probably the best book of sign language I have seen.