Words without sound

Babies can tell you they're hungry before they can say a word: here's how

Imagine trying to order your morning coffee when the barista behind the counter doesn't understand a word or a gesture you're making. That's what many deaf people have to deal with every single day. But awareness is changing things: The more all of us learn about sign language and deaf culture, the more welcoming the world gets. Did you know that concerts have interpreters who convey the words and mood of a performance? Or that babies can sign basic words months before they can speak a single one? Here are 10 things about sign language that will surprise you.

Seen it or not, there’s someone off to the side of the stage, signing along with the music with incredible energy. These folks are sign language interpreters, and their job at live events is to make the whole experience accessible to deaf audience members. They not only translate the words, but they also convey the performance rhythm, mood, and emotion.

Imagine you're at a Rolling Stones concert and you're deaf. Without an interpreter, you'd feel the bass in your chest but miss everything else. With one interpreter, you get the full show.

Hearing babies can learn to sign basic words, even months before they develop the muscle control needed to speak. The fine motor skills required for simple signs develop earlier than the complex coordination needed for speech. "Baby sign language" programs have become popular with hearing parents who want to communicate with their infants before they can talk.

Imagine your 10-month-old signing "more" or "milk" instead of just screaming. Parents who've tried it say it dramatically reduces frustration on both sides, and some research suggests it may actually boost spoken language development.

There is no single, worldwide sign language. American Sign Language (ASL) is completely different from British Sign Language (BSL), even though both countries speak English. And there are hundreds of sign languages across the globe, each one developed naturally within its own deaf community, with its own vocabulary, grammar, and even regional slang.

If you learned ASL fluently and then flew to Japan, you'd be starting from scratch with Japanese Sign Language. A deaf traveler visiting a new country has to navigate a whole new language, just like anyone else.

Back in 1817, a French educator named Laurent Clerc traveled to the United States with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet to help establish the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Clerc brought French Sign Language with him, and it blended with the various signing systems already used by American deaf communities: that mix eventually became American Sign Language.

In spoken language, tone of voice tells you whether someone is asking a question or making a statement, whether they're being sarcastic or sincere. In ASL, facial expressions carry that same grammatical weight. Raised eyebrows can signal a yes/no question. A furrowed brow can indicate a "wh-" question, such as "who" or "where." Without the right face, the meaning can change completely.

Imagine signing "You're going to the store?" with a totally flat expression, without indicating if you’re making a statement or asking a question. To a fluent ASL user, that could read as a very different kind of sentence altogether.

In ASL, signers use the space in front of them almost like a stage. You can assign a spot in the air to a person or object, and then refer back to that spot throughout the conversation to mean "he," "she," "it," or "they." It's a pronoun system built entirely out of space and motion.

Picture telling a story about a disagreement between your neighbor and your boss. You'd set up your neighbor on the left side of the signing space and your boss on the right. Then, every time you refer to each of them, you simply point or direct signs toward those spots.

Many people assume sign language is just English translated into hand gestures, but ASL has its own completely independent grammar. The word order and the sentence structure are different, and many concepts that require multiple words in English can be expressed in ASL with a single sign.

If you wanted to say "I gave the book to her" in ASL, the signs, facial expressions, and spatial positioning would work together in a way that has no direct equivalent in an English sentence structure.

Just like spoken English has regional accents (think Boston versus Georgia versus Texas), ASL has regional variations too. The sign for a particular word in New York might look noticeably different from how it's signed in Los Angeles or Atlanta. Historically, schools for the deaf were major hubs where local signing styles developed and were passed down through generations of students.

There are also cultural variations within the deaf community itself. Black ASL, for instance, developed separately during the era of school segregation in the American South and has its own distinct features, signs, and style that differ from mainstream ASL.

Finger-spelling is the system used in ASL to spell out words letter by letter using hand shapes, one shape for each letter of the alphabet. It comes in handy for proper names, technical terms, or any word that doesn't have its own established sign. Fluent ASL users can finger-spell surprisingly fast, and experienced signers can read it just as quickly.

For a long time, scientists assumed that language was processed by the brain purely through sound. Sign language turned that idea on its head. Studies have shown that ASL is processed in the same areas of the brain as spoken languages. The brain, it turns out, is wired for language, not just speech. It doesn't care whether the signal comes through the ears or the eyes.

This means a child who learns ASL from birth shows the same developmental milestones as a child learning a spoken language. And deaf individuals who suffer a stroke affecting the left hemisphere can lose signing ability the same way hearing people lose speech.

The truth about your brain

You won’t believe what happens in your brain while you sleep

Image: Milad Fakurian

Your brain is one of the most powerful and mysterious organs in your body. It controls everything from your thoughts to your emotions and even processes information at lightning speed. But how much do you really know about it? Some long-believed myths about the brain have been debunked, while other surprising facts reveal just how incredible this organ truly is. Get ready to be amazed by these fascinating brain facts!

Image: Natasha Connell

You’ve probably heard this one before, but it’s completely false! While it’s true that not all parts of the brain fire at the same time, imaging studies show that most regions are active throughout the day, even when we sleep.

Your brain is constantly working, controlling bodily functions and emotions, and processing information. So next time someone says you’re only using 10% of your brain, you can confidently tell them that’s just a myth!

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Here’s a weird fact: While your brain processes pain signals from the rest of your body, it has no pain receptors of its own. This is why surgeons can perform brain surgery on conscious patients without causing them pain.

However, the membranes and tissues surrounding the brain do have pain receptors, which is why headaches and brain injuries can be so excruciating.

Image: Usman Yousaf

How come we have headaches if the brain has no pain receptors? Well, that’s because headaches are triggered by chemical activity in the brain, changes in nerves and blood vessels, and even fluctuating serotonin levels.

In some cases, hormones like estrogen can also play a role, which explains why migraines are more common in women.

Image: Go to Johannes Plenio's profile Johannes Plenio

Dreams are proof that your brain never rests! (Warning: this fact can make you feel exhausted.) While you sleep, your limbic system, that is, the part of the brain that deals with emotions, becomes especially active, which is why dreams often feel so intense.

On average, humans experience four to seven dreams per night, even if we don’t always remember them. And what about that scary nightmare about falling? Well, you can thank your amygdala, the brain’s fear center, for that one.

Image: Brett Jordan

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly forgotten what you were after? That’s because short-term memory only lasts about 20-30 seconds! That’s not enough!

Your brain holds a limited amount of information in its active state before deciding whether to store it or discard it. Ironically, we can’t really choose what makes the cut, but we do hope these facts stay with you!

Image: BUDDHI Kumar SHRESTHA

That sharp, icy pain when you eat something too cold? It’s your brain’s way of telling you to slow down! Officially called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, a brain freeze happens when cold food or drinks rapidly chill the blood vessels in your throat, causing them to constrict and then rapidly expand. This sends pain signals to your brain, warning you of the sudden temperature shift. It’s annoying, but it’s actually your body trying to protect itself!

Image: Josh Riemer

You didn’t need us to tell you, but let’s look at the details: The average person has between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts per day. What’s even more interesting? 95% of those thoughts are the same ones you had yesterday. Is that not surprising enough? Hear this out: 80% of them tend to be negative. That’s because our brains are wired for survival, constantly analyzing risks and potential dangers.

Image: Terry Vlisidis

Even though it only makes up about 2% of your body weight, your brain employs a major quantity of energy! It consumes 20% of your oxygen and blood supply, making it one of the most demanding organs in your body.

If your brain goes without oxygen for just five minutes, brain cells start dying, leading to irreversible damage. This is why deep breathing and cardiovascular exercise are great for brain health!

Image: Alexander Andrews

Do you know that feeling when you hit the back of your head and see stars? That’s because your occipital lobe, which controls vision, is located at the back of your brain. If you get hit there, your brain momentarily misfires, causing flashes of light.

Interestingly, your brain processes vision on the opposite side; while your right brain controls your left eye, your left brain controls your right eye. It’s one of the many ways the brain operates in a complex way.

Image: Rodion Kutsaiev

Believe it or not, your brain generates between 12 and 25 watts of electricity when you’re awake. If you can’t really grasp how powerful that is, check this out: It’s enough to power a small light bulb! Your brain’s electrical activity is what allows neurons to send signals at speeds of up to 260 miles per hour.

Image: Robina Weermeijer

Your brain may be the fattiest organ in your body, consisting of at least 60% fat! This is why consuming healthy fats, like omega-3s and omega-6s present in fish, for example, is essential for brain health.

Healthy fats stabilize brain cell walls, reduce inflammation, and support cognitive function. So go ahead and enjoy that avocado toast, it’s food for your brain!

Image: Robina Weermeijer

It’s not just your memory that fades over time; the brain itself physically shrinks as one gets older. It continues developing until your late 40s, but after that, it slowly decreases in size.

Now, size doesn’t equal intelligence, so a smaller brain doesn’t necessarily mean a less capable one. Staying mentally active, exercising, and eating brain-boosting foods can help keep it in top shape!

Image: Lisa Yount

We often think of cholesterol as bad, but your brain actually depends on it! In fact, 25% of your body’s cholesterol is stored in your brain, where it helps with learning and memory. However, unlike other organs, the brain can’t absorb cholesterol from the blood, it has to produce its own. So, while too much cholesterol in the body can be harmful, the right amount is vital for brain function. At least you can use that as an excuse to get that burger!