Many years ago I went scuba diving with a friend in the Florida Keys. The way it works there is that a guy takes you out on a little boat to where the reefs are, and then you go from the boat down into the water.
The boat was just big enough to take four passengers. My friend and I noticed that the other two passengers were deaf, and were speaking to each other in sign language, but we were too wrapped up in our own adventure to pay much attention.
Until, that is, we all started diving. My friend and I, who had been having a pleasant conversation on the boat, suddenly found ourselves mute. All we could do was point at the pretty fish and nod at one another.
The other two people, on the other hand, never stopped their conversation. While swimming among the fish and underwater coral reefs, they just kept chatting away.
I suddenly realized that in the water, they had a super power.
I have always thought that a sign language should be taught alongside chemical engineering courses as it would really help on loud plants.
Good point. On the other hand, like any natural language, sign languages are very difficult for adults to learn fluently.