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From:  "Karlin, Ben"
Date:  Mon Jul 27, 1998  4:07 pm
Subject:  Re: ASL Handshape Dictionary


What an exciting post! Can't wait to get hold of a copy.

Since I only have e-mail access to the internet I can't just mosey over
and browse the bookshops. For those in this situation, could we get a
full citation on the book so we can find it in "brick reality"?

Thanks,

Ben Karlin, St Louis MO USA
----------
> From: Valerie Sutton
> To: SignWriting List
> Subject: ASL Handshape Dictionary
> Date: Friday, 24 July, 1998 8:32AM
>
> July 24, 1998
>
> Hello Everyone -
> Richard Tennant, a member of the SignWriting List, was kind enough to
send
> me a copy of his new book which has just been released. It is entitled
the
> "American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary". Richard co-authored the
> dictionary with Marianne Gluszak Brown. It is an attractive hard-cover
> volume and I am most pleased to have it as a part of my library.
>
> Here is information about the publication:
>
> From:
> Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 09:35:34 EDT
> To: SignWriting List
> Subject: dictionary
>
> I am writing you to call your attention to a recent publication of
Gallaudet
> University Press: "American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary", a
unique and
> long wished for two-way dictionary for sign language.
>
> Many Sign language dictionaries in the past have relied on
alphabetizing
> English glosses to order the sign illustrations they represent,
causing
> frequent repetition of illustrations and leading students to perceive
signs as
> some sort of a code for English rather than the elements of an
independent
> language. In contrast, this handshape dictionary displays the
illustrations
> of signs in a morphological order based upon the initial handshape(s)
used in
> rendering the sign, without regard to any particular English gloss.
This
> order is a logical combination of alphabet and number that is quickly
> understood and applied.
>
> Appearing with each illustration are the applicable glosses as well as
> directions for properly rendering the sign. A sign that has been
observed but
> not understood can easily be located using this arrangement without
knowing
> its English meaning.. In another section of the book, an index of
English
> words and phrases quickly locate the illustration needed to express
that idea
> in sign These two sections, then, make this resource a truly
Sign-English,
> English-Sign dictionary for the bi-directional translation needed in
the study
> of any language.
>
> Signs employing the same handshape(s), therefore, appear together and
are
> consistantly ordered in each category by location and movement.
Glosses
> applying to the same sign all appear together with each illustration.
One who
> has worked in this field can quickly see the advantage of this
organization
> and readily conceive of applications of this reference in classroom
> situations.
>
> All three bookstores on the web are offering this dictionary at a
discounted
> price. Some are presenting the favorable reviews it has already
earned. We
> believe you will enjoy examining this attractive and compact book in
your
> bookstore or library and will wish to have one in your personal
library as
> well as in the hands of every student of sign language.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Richard Tennant
>
> _______________________________________
>
> Valerie {:-)
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> Visit the SignWritingSite:
> https://www.SignWriting.org
>
> The DAC
> Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting
> Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA
> (619)456-0098 voice
> (619)456-0010 tty
> (619)456-0020 fax
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>

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