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Signs Make Sense: A Guide to British Sign Language (Human horizons series)
£10.40
Interest in British Sign Language (BSL) is growing at a fantastic rate, and classes for hearing people are mushrooming all over the country. This lively introduction to the principles of the language and its vocabulary will therefore be widely welcomed, giving a vivid insight into a form of communication that can appear difficult for those whose first language is English. As the author takes pains to stress, BSL is not a mimed version of English. Equally rich and complex, it is visual, gestural and spatial, able to convey information and subtleties of meaning as fluently as any spoken language. Once learners have ceased to think in terms of individual words, they will come to revel in a language that involves the whole person: facial and bodily expression and movement, eye contact and gaze, lip pattern and the fluid movements of the signs themselves, all combining to form an integrated language system with rules of its own. Using detailed drawings throughout to illustrate nuances of meaning, the author groups the signs according to type, introducing each theme and showing how facial expressions, hand and finger movements and placements are used and combined to vary the sense of what is being communicated. Her aim is to equip the reader with a basic understanding of the principles of sign language and a working knowledge of its vocabulary. In an ideal world BSL would be part of every school’s curriculum, whether the pupils were deaf or not, thus giving deaf people the status in society which is their right. Meanwhile, this book will make an important contribution to the growing interest in learning the language, so that more and more people will appreciate that signs really do make sense.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Main edition (17 May 1990), Souvenir Press |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 128 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0285650831 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0285650831 |
| Dimensions | 18.5 x 0.81 x 26 cm |
by Amazon Customer
If you’re learning BSL this book will show you how signs are associated with each other through the positioning, hand shape, movement etc. I found it useful because understanding the rationale means I’ve stopped ‘learning by rote’ and I’m beginning to undertand the signs more deeply.
by Curly Clare
Learning BSL level 2, this made sense of the grammar and helps with topics such as multichannel signs, compound signs, emotions, and representative hand shapes. Very helpful
by Joanne Lovelace
Great book. Not for me. Great price. No hassle sending back big bonus.
I would highly recommend to everybody.
by jeanie
Signs make sense.
Brilliant book it is very informative as a starter guide. It is well illustrated, and shows the various “hand and finger” positions. The illustrations are very clear. I have the sign language dictionary ( it was very expensive) but in my opinion this book is much easier to understand for the beginner, if you are thinking of learning more about British Sign Language. Highly recommended.
by Riannon????
Good product maybe a bit dated but helpful nonetheless.
by EClare86
Excellent and easy to use. Fantastic for beginners
by AD
This book is a fantastic example of sign made easy. Anyone who accesses this book and practice the signs will no doubt be able to communicate to with a hearing impaired person or even use the sign to teach a child who has not yet acquired speech. The signs are simple and easy to use. A great book. Thanks Cath Smith and thanks amazon for stocking the book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy way to learn sign language.
by karen p
Good