50 Sign Language Quotes About the Non-Verbal Language

If you have ever been interested in sign language, check out these sign language quotes.

Sign language is a language that does not use verbal words or noises but uses visual-manual modality to express meaning.

Not only is sign language a full-fledged language, it has its own grammar and lexicon.

The meaning of sign language is expressed through manual articulation, sometimes combined with non-manual elements such as body language.

Sign language is a critical language that allows those with hearing or speaking difficulties to communicate.

With modern technology, those that use sign language can even communicate with each other over the internet through video communication.

Take a look at these sign language quotes to learn more about this important form of communication.

The Best Sign Language Quotes

Check out some of the best sign language quotes.

1. “Sign language is my first language.” — Jack Jason

2. “There are sign languages you learn.” — Warwick Thornton

3. “Sign language was a great experience.” — Richard Sherman

4. “I just have a connection with sign language.” — Zach LaVine

5. “My cat speaks sign language with her tail.” — Robert A.M. Stern

6. “I do love to interpret songs in American Sign Language.” — Sean Berdy

7. “As long as we have deaf people on earth, we will have signs.” — George Veditz

8. “I must say I’m not 100% fluent in Sign Language, but I am working on it!” — Sundra Oakley

9. “If you are to reach masses of people in this world, you must do it by sign language.” — John Jay Chapman

10. “Chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent. They can learn more than 400 signs of American Sign Language.” — Jane Goodall

Interesting Sign Language Quotes

Take a look at these interesting sign language quotes.

11. “Human eyes are the sign language of the brain.” — Tarryn Fisher

12. “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear, and the blind can see.” — Mark Twain

13. “Sign language is just like spoken language in many ways, but it’s also different.” — Arika Okrent

14. “I learned American Sign Language in college and seemed to pick it up rather quickly.” — Candace Kita

15. “Although I’m not fluent in sign language by a long way, I could have a fairly decent conversation.” — Phil Theroux

16. “I took some classes in sign language when I was in my early teens because I was told that I would be completely deaf very early.” — Stephanie Beacham

17. “A lot of times, if you watch sign language interpreters, there can be some lag time issues. When that happens, I think you lose the hearing audience.” — Jack Jason

18. “Baby sign language is a set of simple hand gestures and movements, otherwise known as signs, that correspond to common words you use with baby every day.” — Ashlee Neuman

19. “People who know a sign language are often much better listeners. When using a sign language, a person must engage in constant eye contact with the person who is speaking.” — Gemma Matheson

20. “ASL is a beautifully expressive and complete language that follows its own grammar rules and combines hand gestures with facial expressions and body language to convey meaning.” — Marianne Stenger

Sign Language Quotes to Inform

There is a lot to learn about sign language, and these sign language quotes can help.

21. “ASL signs are generally used to convey ideas and concepts rather than actual words.” — Michelle Jay

22. “Sign language is a common language that is quite different from spoken languages.” — Shivangani Singh

23. “A growing body of evidence suggests that teaching babies ASL may improve their ability to speak.” — David B. Givens

24. “ASL was formed independently of English and has its own unique sentence structure and symbols for various words and ideas.” — Olly Richards

25. “ASL has the same basic set of word types as spoken English does, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, and adverbs.” — Olly Richards

26. “Sign language has become more and more popular in recent years, and many hearing people are registering for high school and college ASL classes.” — Michelle Jay

27. “There are hundreds of sign languages. Wherever there are communities of deaf people, you’ll find them communicating with a unique vocabulary and grammar.” — Jonathan Strickland

28. “Sign languages don’t only rely on signs; they are way more complex than just hand gestures! Facial expressions, hand movement, and position, gestures and body language all play a key role.” — Fernanda Foggetti

29. “You punctuate sentences in ASL through pauses and facial expressions. You can punctuate questions by signing a question mark, though most speakers rely on facial expressions to indicate they’ve asked a question.” — Jonathan Strickland

30. “The popularity of sign languages is constantly growing, and concepts like digital accessibility help bridge the gap between the Deaf and the hearing community and encourage them to learn and exchange with each other more easily than ever before.” — Fernanda Foggetti

More Sign Language Quotes

Enjoy more sign language quotes.

31. “I was a sign language interpreter from when I was 17, but I don’t do that anymore.” — Moshe Kasher

32. “I became deaf when I was 18 months old. And I learned to sign when I was five years old.” — Marlee Matlin

33. “Maybe my way of communicating through sign made me more in tune with my body and how it moved.” — Marlee Matlin

34. “In other restaurants, you’ll see employees signing to each other since we also hire many deaf men and women.” — Carl Karcher

35. “I always thought the deaf community was a different community to be a part of. In high school, me and my friend took sign language.” — Zach Lavine

36. “In the deaf community, there are different types of people who have different philosophies. Some believe that they should only sign.” — Marlee Matlin

37. “I learned to speak first and then to sign. I have never really known what it was like to hear, so I can’t compare hearing aids to normal hearing.” — Marlee Matlin

38. “While taking sign language in high school, one of our assignments was to go out and participate in the deaf community, so I really got to know a lot of the group from that.” — Zach LaVine

39. “When I learned to sign and speak at the same time, the whole world opened up to me. That’s the beauty of encouraging kids who are deaf to use whatever it takes to communicate.” — Marlee Matlin

40. “There are many deaf people who couldn’t imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn’t speak their language. For me, I believe that hearing or deaf is fine as long as both parties are willing to communicate in each other’s language.” — Marlee Matlin

Additional Sign Language Quotes

Here are some additional sign language quotes.

41. “I really love to sign and wish that I had more friends to sign with.” — Candace Kita

42. “I did three DVDs for ‘Baby Einstein,’ teaching babies how to sign.” — Marlee Matlin

43. “Before working with Deaf West, I had never met a deaf person, and now I can’t imagine life without ASL.” — Michael Arden

44. “The deaf community relies so much on eye contact, expression, and body language. It’s such a huge part of who we are.” — Millicent Simmonds

45. “But it has been proven that they can communicate using their hands to communicate. So sign language is a great tool in that way.” — Marlee Matlin

46. “I searched YouTube for ‘deaf music videos’ and watched them with the sound muted. I noticed that though you could understand the words being signed, the sense of rhythm was lost.” — Andy Mineo

47. “I have heard so many stories about deaf people going to a doctor, they ask for an interpreter, and they don’t refer them an interpreter, so they end up needing their child to translate, or a family member.” — Rose Ayling-Ellis

48. “The writing is very innovative, and the show’s producers have redefined U.S. TV by launching a mainstream show which includes multiple deaf cast members whose characters communicate only in ASL (American Sign Language).” — Rachel Shenton

49. “I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don’t have.” — Shoshannah Stern

50. “American Sign Language is a language. It’s fun to learn, and it’s different from other languages because you use your hands, you use your face, your facial expressions, and there is also an incredible culture that comes with it and an amazing community too, and through that, we can support each other.” — Millicent Simmonds

When Did Sign Language Start?

Sign Language has been used since at least the fifth century, and we have records of it in Plato’s “Cratulus.”

Sign Language has continued to advance over the years, and today there are many different forms of sign language depending on what part of the world you live in.

Share these Sign Language quotes with your family and friends, and post any comments about sign language in the comment section below.