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ASL Linguistics for Practitioners: A Three-Volume Series by David Boles and Janna Sweenie

ASL Linguistics for Practitioners

A Three-Volume Series

This series provides the rigorous linguistic and pedagogical framework that advanced signers need. Each volume addresses a distinct dimension of ASL structure: the biomechanics of arm movement, the spatial grammar of classifier constructions, and the non-manual signals that govern syntax and discourse. Together, they form a comprehensive resource for interpreters, educators, linguists, and serious students of American Sign Language.

These books are not introductory texts. They assume fluency and build from it, offering the kind of formal analysis that working professionals require but rarely find in a single, coherent curriculum.

About the Authors

David Boles holds an MFA from Columbia University, founded the ASL Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, and has taught American Sign Language at NYU. His broader university teaching spans public health, acting, directing, theatre theory, dramatic literature, and English at Columbia University, Rutgers-Newark, UMDNJ, NJIT, Fordham and many others.

Janna Sweenie is a Deaf ASL performer and educator who has taught ASL and Deaf culture at NYU and other major universities on the East Coast for more than 35 years. She brings native-signer authority and pedagogical precision to every volume in the series.

The Three Volumes

Arm Angles in American Sign Language

Arm Angles in ASL

Arm Angles in American Sign Language
David Boles, Janna Sweenie
Where does a sign live in space, and why does placement matter? This volume maps the biomechanical coordinate system of the arms and hands, giving interpreters and instructors a precise vocabulary for the physical production of signs. If you have ever corrected a student's sign position without being able to explain exactly why it was wrong, this is the framework you need.
 Depicting Space: Advanced Classifier Morphology and Spatial Grammar in ASL

Depicting Space

Advanced Classifier Morphology and Spatial Grammar in ASL
Janna Sweenie, David Boles
Classifiers are the engine of spatial narrative in ASL, but most instruction treats them as a list of handshapes rather than a grammatical system. This volume formalizes how signers construct, reference, and manipulate spatial relationships through classifier morphology. It is essential reading for anyone who needs to teach, assess, or interpret complex spatial discourse.
 Beyond the Hands: Non-Manual Grammar, Discourse Structure, and Sentence Types in ASL

Beyond the Hands

Non-Manual Grammar, Discourse Structure, and Sentence Types in ASL
David Boles, Janna Sweenie
The face and body do not merely accompany signs; they govern grammar. Eyebrow position marks questions, gaze direction assigns reference, and body shift drives role play and conditional constructions. This volume provides the systematic analysis of non-manual grammar that turns fluent signers into technically precise ones, and gives educators the tools to teach what most textbooks leave to intuition.

See Also

Browse all titles in Language & Deaf Culture, including beginner instruction, cultural studies, and the complete Hardcore ASL series.