American Sign Language:
Fact and Fancy

Preface to the Website

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Myth: Sign Language is Universal
Myth: Reality must be Word-Based
Myth: Sign Language is Iconic
Myth: Signs are Glorified Gestures
Myth: ASL is Concrete
Myth: ASL is Ungrammatical
Myth: ASL is Ideographic
Language and Community
      Variation: A Product of Language Use
      ASL in the Deaf Community
Afterword: Beyond Signs
For Further Reading
Acknowledgements

Text and illustrations © Gallaudet College 1977, 1978
HTML © Harry Markowicz 2001