The American Sign Language Phrase Book by Lou Fant, Barbara Bernstein Fant, Betty Miller Page B
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English or to conform to rules of English grammar. (For a more detailed discussion of the grammatical structure of ASL, see Chapter 2 .) Do not ask why ASL, or any language, has a certain structure; ask only how it works. It does no good at all to ask Spanish-speaking people, for example, why they put adjectives after nouns; they just do, and you must accept that. Some of the constructions in ASL may seem odd to you at first because they depart radically from the way we say things in English, but after a while they will seem as natural as English.
It is a common misconception that ASL is merely the fingerspelling of English words. Fingerspelling—using the manual alphabet to spell out entire words letter by letter—is occasionally incorporated into ASL, but the vocabulary of ASL consists of signs. (See the Appendix for a complete treatment of this manual alphabet.)
The format of this book is not that of a traditional foreign language textbook. There are no formal grammatical exercises or drills, and there are no vocabulary lists to memorize. Rather, this book is a guide to conversation with deaf people. It contains phrases, expressions, sentences, and questions that come up in casual, everydayconversations. These phrases enable you to begin talking with deaf people without first having to master the grammar of the language.
Chapter 2 , "A Guide to American Sign Language," covers the major components of ASL grammar. Not a complete grammar of ASL, the guide is intended to help you better understand the structure of the sentences in this book. It is not necessary, however, to understand the grammatical structure before you begin signing those sentences. You may skip over the chapter on grammar and go directly to the sentences and begin signing. As you become more proficient in ASL, you will want to create your own sentences, and then you will need to study the ASL guide. At this stage, the Dictionary/Index will also be helpful to you in locating the signs you want to use in your own expressions.
Chapters 3 through 18 cover the basic topics that occur in the ordinary course of our lives. (The chapter on health also includes some expressions that are needed in emergency situations.) These 16 chapters are self-contained and do not need to be employed in any particular order. You may begin wherever you like, choosing whichever subject you wish, and will be able to proceed without having read the previous chapters. If you are seeking quick access to the rudiments of the language for your first conversations with a deaf person, though, the chapters entitled "Greetings, Salutations, and Everyday Expressions," "Signing and Deafness," and "Getting Acquainted" might be the best ones to begin with.
This book can be used not only as an instant reference manual but also as a study guide should you wish to become fluent in ASL. If you do wish to assimilate the phrases, the most efficient way to use this book is to study one chapter thoroughly, practicing the sentences until you can do them without looking at the pictures. The next step is to use them immediately in conversation. This will help fix them in your memory. To become fluent in ASL, it is important to study and converse in a regular, consistent manner. Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for everyone errs while learning a new language. Deaf people do not expect perfection and usually will cheerfully help you correct your errors.
Sign Labels
To enable us to talk about the signs of ASL each sign has been given a name, or label. We use English words for these labels. In this book the labels appear beneath the picture of the sign. People often confuse the meaning of a sign with its label, but a sign may have several meanings and the label is only one of its meanings. English labels for signs merely provide us with a convenient way of designating which sign we want to talk about or which sign to use.
Let's look at an example. The word
run
has numerous meanings in English.
It is a common misconception that ASL is merely the fingerspelling of English words. Fingerspelling—using the manual alphabet to spell out entire words letter by letter—is occasionally incorporated into ASL, but the vocabulary of ASL consists of signs. (See the Appendix for a complete treatment of this manual alphabet.)
The format of this book is not that of a traditional foreign language textbook. There are no formal grammatical exercises or drills, and there are no vocabulary lists to memorize. Rather, this book is a guide to conversation with deaf people. It contains phrases, expressions, sentences, and questions that come up in casual, everydayconversations. These phrases enable you to begin talking with deaf people without first having to master the grammar of the language.
Chapter 2 , "A Guide to American Sign Language," covers the major components of ASL grammar. Not a complete grammar of ASL, the guide is intended to help you better understand the structure of the sentences in this book. It is not necessary, however, to understand the grammatical structure before you begin signing those sentences. You may skip over the chapter on grammar and go directly to the sentences and begin signing. As you become more proficient in ASL, you will want to create your own sentences, and then you will need to study the ASL guide. At this stage, the Dictionary/Index will also be helpful to you in locating the signs you want to use in your own expressions.
Chapters 3 through 18 cover the basic topics that occur in the ordinary course of our lives. (The chapter on health also includes some expressions that are needed in emergency situations.) These 16 chapters are self-contained and do not need to be employed in any particular order. You may begin wherever you like, choosing whichever subject you wish, and will be able to proceed without having read the previous chapters. If you are seeking quick access to the rudiments of the language for your first conversations with a deaf person, though, the chapters entitled "Greetings, Salutations, and Everyday Expressions," "Signing and Deafness," and "Getting Acquainted" might be the best ones to begin with.
This book can be used not only as an instant reference manual but also as a study guide should you wish to become fluent in ASL. If you do wish to assimilate the phrases, the most efficient way to use this book is to study one chapter thoroughly, practicing the sentences until you can do them without looking at the pictures. The next step is to use them immediately in conversation. This will help fix them in your memory. To become fluent in ASL, it is important to study and converse in a regular, consistent manner. Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for everyone errs while learning a new language. Deaf people do not expect perfection and usually will cheerfully help you correct your errors.
Sign Labels
To enable us to talk about the signs of ASL each sign has been given a name, or label. We use English words for these labels. In this book the labels appear beneath the picture of the sign. People often confuse the meaning of a sign with its label, but a sign may have several meanings and the label is only one of its meanings. English labels for signs merely provide us with a convenient way of designating which sign we want to talk about or which sign to use.
Let's look at an example. The word
run
has numerous meanings in English.
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