This is the book’s secret weapon. Most dictionaries are alphabetical (English order). Riekehof organizes signs by meaning clusters :
| Feature | The Joy of Signing (Riekehof) | Signing Illustrated (Flodin) | American Sign Language Dictionary (Sternberg) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Line drawings + red arrows | Black & white line drawings | Small thumbnails | | Organization | Conceptual (Idea groups) | Alphabetical | Alphabetical | | Grammar Help | Moderate (basic sentence structure) | Extensive (chapter on grammar) | Minimal (dictionary only) | | Religious Signs | Yes (Excellent) | No | No | | Best For | Visual learners, religious contexts | Grammar nerds | Quick look-up | This is the book’s secret weapon