Duke - The Everything Sign Language Book American Sign Language Made Easy ... All new photos!

THE
EVERYTHING
SIGN LANGUAGE
BOOK
SECOND EDITION

Dear Reader,

As the parent of a son who was bor n profoundly deaf, I quickly realized how impor tant it was for my son to communicate with those who were involved in his daily world. I also realized, after exploring a number of other methods, that signing was the most effective way for David to communicate. American Sign Language allowed him to express his needs and to share what was on his mind with other people. As I began my early journey into the world of sign language, instructional guides were limited. Books were difficult to understand and imitate, leaving many questions unanswered in acquiring this valuable mode of communication. Therefore, Ive tried to make The Everything Sign Language Book, 2nd Edition user-friendly, and it is my hope you will find this book offers an easy and pleasant learning journey into the wonderful world of sign language.

Over the pa st twenty-eight years, I have developed and taught courses Language and I have ser vices in American Sign presented an array of in-can open door s and students and effort in learning this language a joy to watch seen how enthusiasm for all. It has been improved communication while they learn new and lead to acquire a new way to communicate of all ages American Sign Language is a beautiful language that can communicate things about themselves.

American Sign Language is a beautiful language that can communicatewhat is in your mind and in your heart. My wish for you is to learn from thisbook, enjoy what you learn, and, most importantly, use what you learn.

Sincerely,

Welcome to the EVERYTHING Series!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.

You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.

We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier

MANAGING EDITOR , EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary Thompson

MODELS Molly Howett and Tiffany Nardini

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

American Sign Language made easy
Irene Duke

Copyright 2009, 2004 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59869-883-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-883-1
eISBN: 978-1-60550-752-1

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Interior photographs: Joe Ciarcia / Symphony Photography
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

This book is dedicated to my son David; to make his world a better place, and to my past, present and future students; and to the many others who will benefit from a better understanding of sign language.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my appreciation to the wonderful staff of Massasoit College for their encouragement and support in writing the second edition of The Everything Sign Language Book. In addition, my thanks to my kind friends, Genie and the staff of Whitman Hanson Regional School District, who provided me with the faith that the first edition would actually become a reality. I send forth sincere gratitude to my mentor, Beth, for the many years she provided me with guidelines to writing and for her friendship. My sincerest gratitude to all of my past and present students from Massasoit College, the vast number of Early Educators, the caring parents, and the countless participants of the American Sign Language (ASL) courses, in-services, and workshops. These students and participants have provided me with endless resources to write a more concise second edition. My greatest appreciation is given to my friend and sister who, once again, burned the midnight oil with me, held my hand, and spent hours every weekend typing. Finally, I am sending my eternal, loving appreciation to my husband for his endless support and his constant unconditional love.

Top Ten Reasons
You Should Learn Sign Language

To be able to communicate effectively with the Deaf and hard of hearing.

To have fun learning a new and exciting visual language.

To look great on a resume and to open doors for new employment opportunities.

To spur intellectual growth and raise IQ.

To open new avenues for friendships and relationships.

To improve self-confidence and enhance communication skills.

To experience another avenue for expressing yourself artistically.

To broaden language acquisition in the early classroom.

To acquire the skill of nonverbal communication, body language, and facial expressions.

To learn a new language that can satisfy high school or college modern and foreign language requirements.