<p>amtc, you didn’t insult me and I apologize if I came on too strong. It’s just a pet peeve of mine when people imply (intentionally or not) that ASL is somehow categorically easier or less complex than other languages, as I feel that really reduces the language to something it’s not. I’m very glad to hear your niece loved ASL–I wish more people would learn it! 
I used to know a small but somewhat sizeable (compared to most people, which isn’t really saying much at all) amount of ASL but have lost most of it due to years of disuse. Now that I’m strongly considering doing practica at Deaf and HOH-serving sites, I’ll probably have to get back into it.</p>