Auslan

Acquisition and nativeness

Unlike spoken languages, only a minority of deaf children acquire their language from their parents (about 4 or 5% have deaf parents{{ref|Mitchell}}). Most acquire Auslan from deaf peers at school or later through deaf community networks. Many learn Auslan as a 'delayed' first language in adolescence or adulthood, after attempting to learn English (or another spoken/written language) without the stimulus necessary to properly acquire it. The deaf community often make disctinctions between 'oral' deaf who grew up in an oral or signed English educational environment without Auslan, and those ("deaf deaf") who learnt Auslan at an early age from deaf parents or at a deaf school. Regardless of their background, many adult deaf people consider Auslan to be their first or primary language, and see themselves as users of English as a second language.

Related Topics:
Oral - Signed English - English as a second language

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