The Complete Idiot's Guide to Conversational Sign Language Illustrated

by Carole Lazorisak

Book Overview

How to say it in sign. With over 500 photos and an instructional DVD. Focusing on the less formal and more popular PSE (Pidgin Sign English), this is the perfect guide to the fundamentals of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592572553
• ISBN13: 9781592572557
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.0" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent material for late-in-life learners

The book together with the DVD are just what I needed to help me learn the basics and more of signing. A very good description of the appropriate way to interact with a deaf person/community is also given. I am losing my hearing after 65 and this information is invaluable. My signing instructor is teaching PSE or Contact as it is called in the book and is enthusiastic about this material. It is helping me to be able to communicate without learning a completely new approach and syntax.

More than what meets the eye

As a professor and instructor of ASL and Deaf Culture for over 35 years, this outstanding book mirrors so much of my lecture materials -- and a whole lot more. It has things in it that never crossed my mind to explain to my students. Indeed, it's not by oversight on my part but by intellectual stimulation that Carole and Dawn opted for. I finally found a fabulous textbook for my classes. There are so many insipid ASL books in the market that either stimulate or encourage anyone to learn because they lacked instructiveness or assimilability. This Idiot won't make a moron out of any willing reader who wants to learn ASL and Deaf culture. Carole and Dawn clearly leads the way to learn and understand how ASL and Deaf culture work. This Idiot even has that wonderful teacher-student aura as one reads and tries to sign. The flow of thought and meaning is so even and clear. Thanks, Carole and Dawn! Congratulations!! Curtis Robbins, Ph.D.

Now I don't feel like a complete idiot !!!!

This highly-produced book (using photographs of real people - unlike other books which have cartoon/drawn people) and DVD (again, using real people) showed me how to move my hands and face/body accurately. Yes, now I can feel more confident having conversations with deaf people without feeling at a loss for making small talk (those sections of the book and DVD were truly excellent). All the useful signs are in here, the sign conversations/phrases were practical, the stories were fascinating and amusing, and the deaf mother-hearing daughter team is adorable. I love it! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes signing conversations simple...

This book was a constant reference for me at my job, where we have a deaf colleague. It gives all the signs you need to converse with someone on a basic level - and, on every topic. Interestingly, I have never even seen another sign book covering important life topics that we all experience, such as funerals. The author photos and movement arrows are clear to see - and more importantly, easy to understand. This book is for anyone wanting to have simple conversations with deaf people, anytime or anywhere.