Auslan

Auslan in relation to English

Auslan is a natural language distinct from spoken or written English. Its grammar and vocabulary often do not have direct English counterparts and vice versa. However, English, as the dominant language in Australia, has had a significant influence on Auslan, especially through manual forms such as fingerspelling and (more recently) Signed English.

Related Topics:
Natural language - Fingerspelling

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It is impossible to sign Auslan fluently while speaking English, as the word order is different, and there is often no direct sign-to-word equivalence. However, mouthing of an English word together with a sign may serve to clarify when one sign may have several English translations. In some cases the lip-pattern for a sign may not match the equivalent word in English (eg. a sign meaning 'thick' may be mouthed 'fahth').

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Fingerspelling

A two-handed manual alphabet, indentical to the one used in British Sign Language and New Zealand Sign Language, is integral to Auslan. This alphabet is used for fingerspelling proper nouns such as personal or place names, or for representing English words (especially for technical terms for which there is no widely-used sign). Fingerspelling can also be used for emphasis, clarification, or, sometimes extensively, by English-speaking learners of Auslan. The amount of fingerspelling varies with the context and the age of the signer; statistical analysis puts fingerspelling in Auslan at about 8%, roughly equal to ASL and higher than many other sign languages. The proportion is higher in older signers, suggesting that the use of fingerspelling has diminished over time.

Related Topics:
Manual alphabet - British Sign Language - New Zealand Sign Language - Fingerspelling

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The most commonly fingerspelled word in Auslan is "so".

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Some signs also feature an English-word's initial letter as a handshape from a one- or two-handed manual alphabet and use it within a sign. For example, the sign for "Canberra" resembles a "C" on a flagpole.

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Signed English

:See main article Signed English

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Australasian Signed English was created in the late 1970s to represent English words and grammar, using mostly Auslan signs together with some additional contrived signs, as well as imports from American Sign Language (ASL). It was, and still is, used largely in education as an attempt to teach English to deaf chilren through a visual mode. It is also much easier for hearing teachers and parents to learn another mode of English than to learn a new language with a complex spatial grammar such as Auslan.

Related Topics:
Signed English - 1970s - American Sign Language - Mode

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The use of Signed English in schools is controversial in the Deaf community, who regard Signed English as a contrived and unnatural artificially constructed language. Signed English has now been largely rejected by Deaf communities in Australia and it's use in education is dwindling; however a number of its signs have made their way into normal use.

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