Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many local, state, and national officials have conducted press conferences, designed to inform the public, on the status of our public health, and to urge citizens to use safety measures, in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The breaking news interruptions for these conferences have become a part of our new normal. I have found myself darting to the television as soon as I hear the breaking news alert. I like being informed by the updates. Interesting enough, as much as I like hearing the updates, I have found a new interest in watching the sign language interpreters.
Sign language is often the primary language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing people. American Sign Language (ASL) is a language that uses signs, facial expressions, and body postures to communicate ideas. It is a complex language that applies the rules of linguistics, such as phonologic, morphologic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. ASL also uses visual modes of communication, where spoken languages rely on the oral modes of communication. Well, we know in all professions, there are individuals who just do their jobs, and then there are those individuals who are very passionate about their jobs. I really enjoy watching the service and the visual display provided by the sign language interpreters, so much so, I am considering sign language as a new hobby.
