1,000 Signs of Life: Basic ASL for Everyday Conversation

by Gallaudet University Press

Here’s the succinct handbook that will allow everyone to enjoy the beauty and functionality of American Sign Language. 1,000 Signs of Basic ASL for Everyday Conversation illustrates a potpourri of intriguing and entertaining signs that can be grasped quickly and used to communicate with anyone familiar with ASL, deaf or hearing. Organized alphabetically in 17 categories, this handy paperback offers common signs for animals, food, clothes, people, health and body, the time, days of the week, seasons, colors, quantities, transportation and travel, and many more practical topics. Readers also can learn signs for community-related terms, holidays and religion, and for thoughts and emotions, signs that will offer them the opportunity to experience the full potential of ASL.

1,000 Signs of Life begins with a concise introduction to American Sign Language, including how it evolved and how its grammar and syntax work. Complementing this information are categories on signs for adjectives and adverbs, prepositions and locations, question words, and verbs and action words. Interspersed throughout the text are tips for signing, rules of signing etiquette, and engaging anecdotes about Deaf culture, Deaf people, and the Deaf community. 1,000 Signs of Life provides a fun, fast way to learn basic ASL signs and also offers easy-to-follow instructions and hints on how to use them in a variety of everyday situations. It's the perfect streamlined guide for signing ASL.

220 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2004

Reviews

[Tamra]

Not worth it, my friends.

They simplified this book to the point of unusability. Each sign is described in a 3 x 3 inch block, with no textual explanations. Which means I couldn't decipher about 1/5 of the signs. Things like, "Was that using 1 finger or 2?" Yes, those things make a difference in ASL. Think of it like an English dictionary where you can't tell if that vowel was an O or a U. Not helpful.

Find a better resource.

[Bai]

I really hate how it is hard to tell how the sign moves or what the shape is. Good signs to learn, but an extremely difficult way to learn them. And it did have some very good tips about signing, what to wear, and some things you must know when you communicate with someone in sign language or they might get the wrong message.

[Aimster]

It's difficult to learn sign by reading, but the pictures are clear and I liked the little insights into Deaf culture.

[Kallie]

It was okay.