The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary PDF
Preview The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary
The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary Clerc Books An imprint of Gallaudet University Press Washington, DC 20002 0 1998 by Gallaudet University. All rights reserved. Published 1998. Second printing 1999 Printed in Korea Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-P ublication Data Tennant, Richard A. The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary / Richard A. Tennant, Marianne Gluszak Brown ; illustrated by Valerie Nelson-Metlay p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-56368-043-2 1. American Sign Language-Dictionaries. I. Brown, Marianne Gluszak. 11. Title. HV2475.T46 1998 419-dc21 97-48389 CIP Desiy and Production Victory Productions, Inc. Design: Victoria Porras Cover Design: Victoria Porras & Karin Daigle Production: Karin Daigle WThe paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 239.48- 1984. This work is dedicated to those who struggle to learn to communicate with others, and to those teachers who devote themselves to bringing these desires to fruition. R. T. To the Deaf community that has nurtured me since birth, and to all who seek to understand the beauty of American Sign Language. M. G. B. This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface 7 Introduction 9 How to Use This Dictionary 24 One-Hand Signs 39 Two-Hand Signs 151 Index of English Glosses 37 1 Acknowledgments 419 This page intentionally left blank The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary departs from most sign language dictionaries in that it is organized by the various shapes of the hands used to form signs rather than in English alphabetical word order. This unique format allows users to search for a sign that they recognize but whose meaning they have forgotten or for the meaning of a new sign they have seen for the very first time. The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary will be especially helpful to new sign language students, and it will be a handy reference for people who know some signs but want to increase their vocabulary. The dictionary will also be valuable to Deaf people who want to know the various English words that are used to signify the same concept conveyed in a particular sign. Finally, the Index of English Glosses provides an English to American Sign Language (ASL) listing of all the signs in the book so that new signers can look up a word in English to learn the conceptually correct sign to use to express a specific idea. This dual-language feature enables users to go from ASL to English or English to ASL easily and quickly. This page intentionally left blank American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual/gestural language. It is a natural language, meaning that it has developed naturally over time by its users, Deaf people. ASL has all of the features of any language; that is, it is a rule- governed system using symbols to represent meaning. In ASL, the symbols are specific hand movements and configurations that are modified by facial expressions to convey meaning. These gestures or symbols are called signs. Contrary to common belief, ASL is not derived from any spoken lan- guage, nor is it a visual code representing English. It is a unique and distinct language, one that does not depend on speech or sound. ASL has its own grammar, sentence construction, idiomatic usage, slang, style, and regional variations-the characteristics that define any language. American Sign Language is the shared language that unites Deaf people in what is known as the Deaf community. Deafwith a capital D is used in publications to recognize the cultural and linguistic affiliation of Deaf people who are members of the Deaf community, whereas deafwith a lowercase d is used to refer to deaf people who do not embrace ASL or involve themselves with the values, organizations, and events that are heralded by signing Deaf people. The Deaf community is not bound by geographic borders, but rather comprises those people who elect to become members by using ASL as their preferred mode of communication and by accepting the cultural identity of Deaf people. It is difficult to give an accurate number of how many people are in the Deaf community because census takers typically lump together all people who have a hearing loss. Many researchers believe that approximately 10 percent of the general population has some degree of hearing loss and that 1 percent of that number represents Deaf people, for a total of about half a million people in the Deaf community. The people most likely to be native users of ASL are those who have Deaf parents. People who lose their hearing as infants, before they begin to speak, may become native signers if they are exposed to ASL at an early age. These people, who are unable to hear English and learn it naturally, must be taught English through formal means. Hearing children of Deaf parents also acquire ASL as a first language. However, their enculturation tends to cross the cul- tures of the Deaf and hearing worlds. These children, like their Deaf coun- terparts, are often referred to as bicultural and bilingual.
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