[ASL] ASL dictionaries online - Drew's list

[Drew Pidkameny]

Hi everyone,

I was just working on an ASL skit with Audrey, and of course there were 
a few signs we didn't know off the top of our heads. So, we did what 
anyone would do-- we consulted a dictionary. Or a few.

Just for your information, I thought I'd post some of my favorite online 
ASL dictionaries here, in case anyone else is in the same position.

1) ASL Pro (http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro) - My recent 
favorite. I've heard that some of the signs here are either Signed 
English or just wrong, but I think those are isolated cases. The fact 
remains that it is HUGE and includes many English idioms, so it is very 
helpful. Also, the site is well-organized and easy to use, with 
high-quality videos for each sign.

2) ASL Browser (http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm) - 
This seems to be the dictionary most people use. It's got a big 
collection of signs, all performed by the same signer. I can't attest to 
its quality with regards to correctness, but I've found that some of the 
videos are kind of hard to see. Still very good overall.

3) LifePrint ASL Dictionary (http://www.lifeprint.com/) - It's got 
photos instead of videos, but a lot of the signs have variations 
depending on what context you're looking for, and alternate English 
definitions, so it's a great reference. It seems to be under construction.

4) Needs Outreach ASL Library 
(http://www.needsoutreach.org/Pages/sl.html) - This page has a number 
of  collections of signs for academic and technical terms. There isn't a 
huge selection, but if you're looking for a sign for something like 
"asymptote" or "embargo," this is the place to go. High quality videos 
with very expressive signers.

5) Handspeak (http://www.handspeak.com/) - This page seems to advertise 
itself as a one-stop ASL learning resource. It looks like a 
well-designed site and the dictionary has a big vocabulary with some 
signs from international sign languages, as well as a large ASL 
collection. The sample videos I've looked at looked good. However, there 
is a subscription fee to use the full dictionary ($5.45/month or 
$49.95/year). If anyone feels like shelling out the cash to try it out, 
let us all know what you think.

6) The Master's Tech ASL Dictionary 
(http://www.masterstech-home.com/the_library/asl_dictionary_project/asl_tables/A.html) 
- This page has sort of a small word list and it's organized poorly. 
Also, there are no pictures, drawings or videos, only descriptions fo 
the signs. You can probably tell that it's not my favorite, but I guess 
it's good that it exists at all.


That's all I've got! If anyone else knows other ASL dictionaries online, 
please share!

~Drew