"Mommy, what are those people doing?"

You follow your daughter’s gaze and discover two people deep in conversation. Instead of hearing the rise and fall of voices, however, you notice hands and fingers moving silently through the air, punctuated by an occasional raised eyebrow or questioning look.

"They're talking in sign language, honey," you explain, turning back to your daughter. "Those people can't hear, so they use their hands to talk to each other."

"I want to talk in sign language, too," your daughter informs you, and so begins your family's journey into the fascinating world of sign. Other families may begin in a different way, perhaps by watching the movie The Miracle Worker or by reading a book about Helen Keller.

My interest in sign language began simply as a case of boredom. Pregnant with my first child many years ago, I spotted an advertisement in the newspaper for a free class in sign language. Two semesters later I moved to Baltimore, where we became involved in a church that had a ministry to the deaf. Before long I was helping to interpret the worship services, and not long after that I was taking part-time jobs interpreting college classes. My four children all grew up being familiar with sign, but it was my oldest daughter who actually learned the language, went on to become a professional interpreter, and is now engaged to a young man who is severely hard-of-hearing. What began as idle curiosity many years ago has now become an integral part of our family’s way of life.

Whether your family's interest in sign is a passing curiosity or a burning passion, there are many reasons why your family might want to consider learning sign language. Children who have difficulty with verbal language (either because of their age or because of special needs) often find it easier to communicate in the nonverbal, kinesthetic manner that sign language provides. Parents especially appreciate the fact that sign language can be used to communicate in situations where speech is neither permitted nor possible, as in church or the dentist’s office or when a family member suffers from laryngitis. Families with a heart for evangelism often see the possibility of sharing the gospel with a deaf unbeliever. Even if no one in your family becomes involved with deaf people on a regular basis, sign language can still be a fun and enriching activity for your family.

If you and your family decide that you would like to learn sign language, the first step is to determine which sign language system you will study. Hearing people generally find it easiest to learn the signs for the words they commonly use and simply sign as if they were speaking aloud. A system such as this is called signed English because it uses signs in standard English order, sometimes adding markers to indicate features such as verb tenses or endings. While this may suffice for most families, the reality is that most deaf people in the United States and Canada commonly converse in American Sign Language (ASL). While many of the signs are similar to a signed English system, ASL uses a grammar system of its own, depending on gestures, facial expressions, and spatial contexts to convey meaning. If your family knows deaf people or plans to interact with them, you should consider learning American Sign Language instead of a signed English system.