Auslan is a sign language

There is no one sign language that is universal among all deaf people. Australian sign language (Auslan), like other true sign languages around the world, is not based on the dominant language of the society.

Auslan has its own syntax and its own lexicon. It has its own way of organising meaning, just as any other language has. Auslan has grammatical rules, a semantic system and a phonological system like all other sign languages. Auslan is based on two-handed signs and incorporates a two-handed alphabet (fingerspelling). Around 10,000 deaf Australians currently use Auslan as their community language. Auslan is mostly derived from British Sign Language (BSL) and some of Irish Sign Language (ISL) and nowadays is influenced by American Sign Language (ASL).

Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to express meaning. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulations in combination with non-manual elements.

Sign and spoken languages use two different modalities. The visual-gestural modality of sign languages and the oral-auditory modality of spoken languages. The two modalities clearly differ in the production and perception of communicative signals.

Quick Links to Auslan Pages
» Deaf History in Australia
» Auslan videos by Deaf Dave
» Auslan training and workshops
» Auslan Providers
» Deaf Organisations
» Deaf Resources
» Auslan Linguistics
» Education for the Deaf and Deaf Schools
» The Rebuttal by deaf for the deaf


Quick links to Deaf Health Pages
» Waardenburg Syndrome and what is it?
» Tinnitus and what is it?
» Hereditary Deaf genes 101
» Mental Health
» What is the difference between Deaf and deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing impaired people?
»  Can Deaf people be cured?
» Auslan and Music?

The evolution of Auslan

British deaf people who migrated to Australia in the 19th century brought their sign language with them. Over time, an Australian sign language evolved and developed its own unique characteristics. Like any other living language, Auslan continues to evolve over time, to meet the communication needs of deaf people.

Click to learn a bit more about Deaf History in Australia
http://www.deafdave.com.au/deafhistory.html

The structure of Auslan

Sign languages use a variety of ways to convey meaning, including: 

• Hand shapes - research has shown that Auslan currently has 37 major hand shapes and 25 variations.
• Orientation - signs are oriented to the body, with the palm facing different directions.
• Location - signs may be placed in different locations in relation to the body.
• Movement - large-scale movements through space or small movements of hands and fingers.
• Facial expressions, natural gestures and body language - many standard facial expressions, such as shaking the head for ?no? or raising the eyebrows to form a question, are used extensively to convey emotion, emphasis and intensity.
• Fingerspelling - the alphabet is spelled out on the fingers when there is no established sign; for example, when using jargon or a person's name.

Learning Auslan

• Many TAFES and organisations like the Deaf Society and Deaf Services provide regular Auslan classes.
• A dictionary of Auslan, written by Trevor Johnston, is available. It provides a lot of information about the language and individual signs.
• Auslan Signbank is a language resources site for Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Auslan is the language of the deaf community in Australia.

  https://www.auslan.org.au/