They were hanging on his every word — and gesture, body movement, and definitely the facial expressions.
Jonathan Lamberton, Mayor de Blasio's sign language interpreter, is getting a blizzard of attention for his highly animated ways that were on full display during recent weather briefings.
The way Lamberton speaks American Sign Language makes the difference. Born deaf to deaf parents, he grew up communicating in ASL, essentially making it his native tongue. When he signs, it's with the full range of expressiveness deaf people use with each other, he said Wednesday in an online chat with The Associated Press.
It's been enough to get Lamberton a lot of buzz — even on the "Daily Show," where host Jon Stewart crowned him "Best Silent Mayoral Hype Man."
