Book review by Sylvia Irvine Robertson – BSL ALPHABET – Words at Your Fingertips
Having just embarked on a BSL introductory course, I was interested in Cath Smith’s recent publication, BSL Alphabet.
I’m familiar with fingerspelling from lipreading classes, given my profound hearing loss, I have encouraged my family to use it, particularly with names and initial letters of words. However, to read back what someone is spelling requires some practice and this is highlighted in the book.
The introduction clarifies the use of BSL in the Deaf Community, which incorporates fingerspelling and advantages of using fingerspelling for those whose hearing loss occurred in adult life. This is an important distinction that learners may not be aware of.
The next section shows fingerspelling from the signer’s view as well as the reader’s view, which is very helpful for practice. A couple of QR codes enable the reader to practice fingerspelled letters via a timed quiz, which is fun and helps to gain speed. I think this is an aspect that could be developed further over time to practice. The sample quizzes for younger learners are an excellent addition, particularly useful in family situations fingerspelling words.
There is a page indicating how to use fingerspelling effectively, such as acronyms, places, days of the week and months of the year. I found this helpful because anyone learning to fingerspell may not be sure of the best way to use it. As I mentioned earlier, just one letter can make a difference to communication.
The book covers both right and left-handed fingerspelling. There are suggestions for practising and the diagrams are clear.
The content is comprehensive without being overly descriptive.
However, when it comes to words, I am one of those learners who find it difficult to work out what I should be doing when whole words are represented by an image plus arrows. I am in need of either a physical demonstration or a description to follow. For this reason, I found Cath’s Baby Sign Link Book just perfect for my needs! It has colour illustrations, written description as well as a QR code to a video link.
Overall, this is a very practical little book to accompany anyone who wants to incorporate fingerspelling into daily life to make communication easier with hearing loss.
You can find out more about this publication here.