This year I decided to learn American Sign Language (ASL). I’d gone through a few phases of gaining and losing interest when I was younger, but had eventually given up and practically forgot all about learning ASL. This year in college, I started to notice the interpreters who were onstage during Chapel, and I was amazed by how quickly and easily they kept up with both the worship music and the various speakers.

When I began practicing again, I only had a book made for children, since that was the one I’d had at home when learning as a child. I had fortunately decided to bring it with me when I returned to college after summer, even though I had no idea I would be so interested in learning again. I borrowed several more books from the campus library, and also found an online site where I could learn ASL through videos.

When I needed to choose a topic for a final research paper in one of my classes, I decided that I would study ASL. Researching the history and complexity of this manual language convinced me that learning to sign will involve a lot more than simply memorizing a series of hand motions.

American Sign Language has its own special grammar and structure, which interested me since I had only ever been able to observe ASL used to interpret speech or music lyrics, never in original conversation. The special word order that is often used allows the person observing the signer to focus on the most important parts of the sentence being signed.

ASL is also not a direct translation from English words to a signed equivalent. Like any other foreign language, it has its own vocabulary that is only a close approximation of English words. A person interpreting a speaker must often rapidly make the decision of what sign best conveys the speaker’s ideas, whether that is the most literal equivalent or not.

During the research for my paper, I had the opportunity to interview a deaf student who attends my school. Learning about ASL though his perspective was very eye-opening and humbling to me. Although the student I interviewed has a cochlear implant that allows him to hear, he prefers to communicate via ASL when possible, as it is more clear and understandable for him. I was also told that while many learners’ signs may be halting and hard to understand, most Deaf people appreciate even beginner’s use of sign language when communicating. Use of ASL means that the hearing person in the conversation is showing respect for their Deaf counterpart by making an effort to converse in the other’s natural language.

All the research I conducted while writing my paper made me realize just how much work I will need to put into my studies if I want to learn to sign fluently. While learning ASL will certainly be more difficult that I had anticipated when I revived my interest in it, I think that learning to sign will be worth it for me in the long run. Not only will I have the skill and vocabulary that come with learning a second language, I will also be able to show my respect for Deaf people by communicating with them in their own natural language.