{"product_id":"depicting-space-david-boles-mfa-9798246637401","title":"Depicting Space: Advanced Classifier Morphology and Spatial Grammar in American Sign Language","description":"\u003cp\u003eClassifiers are hard. Not hard in the way vocabulary is hard, where more exposure eventually produces competence. Classifiers are hard because they require signers to think spatially while signing temporally, to track multiple referents while producing new content, to select among productive options while maintaining discourse coherence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDEPICTING SPACE addresses this challenge directly. Written for advanced ASL students, working interpreters, and interpreter educators, this comprehensive textbook bridges the gap between knowing what classifiers are and deploying them fluently under real-world conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWHAT THIS BOOK COVERS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book is organized in five parts across seventeen chapters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart One establishes theoretical foundations, examining classifier systems beyond basic taxonomy, the cognitive architecture underlying classifier selection, and the crucial distinction between topographic and syntactic space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart Two addresses spatial anchoring systems: how signers establish and maintain spatial loci, achieve coherence across extended discourse, and manage perspective and viewpoint shifts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart Three explores classifier predicates in depth: entity classifiers, handling classifiers, body part classifiers, size and shape specifiers (SASS), and movement morphology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart Four applies these frameworks to professional contexts where precision matters most: legal settings requiring spatial accuracy for witness testimony, medical interpreting demanding anatomical precision, and technical interpreting involving mechanisms and processes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart Five synthesizes the material through integrated practice frameworks and guidance on assessment and continuing development.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePRACTICAL RESOURCES INCLUDED\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSix appendices provide ready-to-use tools: a notation system for transcribing classifier predicates, practice exercises organized by chapter, self-assessment rubrics, a comprehensive glossary, an annotated bibliography, and sample syllabi adaptable to various course formats.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWHO THIS BOOK IS FOR\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book assumes readers already sign at an intermediate level or above. It serves advanced ASL students ready to develop sophisticated spatial skills, working interpreters seeking to refine classifier competence, interpreter educators teaching spatial grammar, and researchers interested in applied ASL linguistics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eABOUT THE AUTHORS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJanna Sweenie, MA, brings over thirty-five years of experience teaching ASL at the post-secondary level, including three decades at New York University.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Boles, MFA, is a writer, editor, and publisher who founded the ASL Program at CUNY School of Professional Studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether they authored ARM ANGLES IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (2026), which established the analytical framework extended in this volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDEPICTING SPACE is the book they wished existed when they were learning, and the book they wish existed now for their students.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBook 2 in the ASL Linguistics for Practitioners series.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e64,000 words. 17 chapters. 6 appendices.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"To everyone who loves the language that lives in the hands.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Boles Mfa,Janna Sweenie Ma\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798246637401\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/02\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.71lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.50d","brand":"David Boles Mfa","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48450465825023,"sku":"9798246637401","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_de2791fe-6492-4f75-ae33-b81aef97cb44.jpg?v=1777267919","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/depicting-space-david-boles-mfa-9798246637401","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}