Linguistics of American Sign Language: An Introduction

by Clayton Valli, Ceil Lucas, Kristin J. Mulrooney

Featuring a completely revised section on morphology and syntax, 18 new and updated readings, and new homework assignments based on the accompanying DVD, the fourth edition of Linguistics of American Sign Language expands its purview as the standard introduction to ASL linguistics available today. The newly revised section offers new units on verbs in ASL, simple sentences in ASL, classifier predicates, syntax, and basic sentence types. The fourth edition also features groundbreaking research on iconic signs in ASL and the relationship between metaphor and iconicity in signed languages; variation in ASL; the different functions of space in ASL; and the artistic forms of ASL, including storytelling, percussion signing, drama, comedy, and poetry.

Updated references and expanded readings delineate all of the linguistic basics, including phonology, semantics, and language use. The fourth edition also provides new homework assignments that correspond to the ASL stories signed on the special DVD enclosed with this new volume.

Genres: Linguistics, Language, Nonfiction, Textbooks, School

560 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting, but I still learned a lot. I wanted to fill in gaps of my knowledge of ASL (and sign languages in general), so this seemed like a good start. I was expecting it to be an in-depth study of ASL, but it's really an intro to linguistics textbook that just happens to use ASL (and English) for the examples. I ended up skimming a lot of the content for this reason and just focusing on the examples.

Unusually, about half of this book is a standard textbook and the other half is a series of supplemental readings. There's also a very useful DVD with video examples. As someone already well-informed in linguistics, the supplemental readings were more interesting to me than the textbook itself.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well written and easy to understand. The author certainly understood the topic and I look forward to reading more in the series. Many thanks from a Deaf/blind Gubbi Gubbi lass living in Finland.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge linguistics and etymology nerd, so despite this being a textbook I read during college I actually had a great time.

[Jordan Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shoutout structures of ASL for this one ‼️

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for any ling people interested in manual language. It serves partly as an introduction and partly as an anthology of relevant papers on a wide variety of linguistic subfields relating to ASL

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

ASL morphology is fascinating!

[Khalidimrozmgmail.Com]

how linguistics give arguments on the origin of language and its usage.