Linguistics of American Sign Language: A Resource Text for ASL Users by Clayton Valli and Ceil Lucas (review)

REVIEW: Linguistics of American Sign Language: AResource Text for ASL Users. Clayton Valli & Cell Lucas. 1992. Washington: Gallaudet University Press. ISBN 1-56368-014-9 Books about American Sign Language have been appearing for some years, but this new book and its accompanying videotape should not be missed. The most recent book about the linguistics ofASL, it includes a student text, a teacher's manual, and a videotape. The authors explain first the difference between language and communication. Because ASL is a language in its own right, Valli and Lucas point out one way to described ASL, using the linguistic terms and concepts : phonology, morphology, syntax, and the use of language . This book is not for someone who wants a crash course in ASL nor is it for interpreters looking to improve their ASL skills. It is for people who already know and use ASL. It will help the Deaf to understand their own language and the non-Deaf (hearing) to understand ASL as a language. Its goal is to teach basic concepts of linguistics as they apply to ASL structure. A second goal is to relieve students of the need to memorize linguistic facts by showing them how to analyze the language's structure. It should remove all the myths about ASL being an "inferior mode of communication ." The book does not include information about Deaf Culture or the Deaf community, nor is it intended to teach how to teach ASL. Instead this is a resource book and a text for a linguistics course separated into easy to manage units. The accompanying videotape is divided into two main parts: a short story "Snowmobile" signed in ASL by Val Dively, and additional sections, corresponding to lessons in the book (signed in ASL by Clayton Valli). There are assignments in the student textbook to help students grasp linguistic concepts easily and lists of supplementary readings on each @1992 Linstok Press, Inc. ISSN 0302-1475 276 Roth: review SLS 76 topic. By the end of a course using this book, students should have a solid background in ASL linguistics. The student text contains additional, background articles, and the teacher's manual provides ideas for classroom discussion and guidelines for teaching the course. The videotape makes this book special: the Deaf signers explaining linguistics concepts in detail in ASL make this an accessible resource for ASL users and a desirable addition to the shelves of those interested in the growing field of ASL linguistics. Holly Roth, the reviewer is a sign language instructor in Gallaudet University's English Language Institute. ...