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There is a common myth around the world that there is one universal sign language that Deaf people use to communicate. But this is far from the truth – there are many sign languages! Each sign language – like British Sign Language, French Sign Language and Chinese Sign Language – is different and influenced by the culture, traditions and language of the country where it originated.
Auslan is the name of Australian Sign Language, and it was developed by the Deaf community in Australia. Auslan is not simply “translating” English into gestures and other manual communication styles but its own language in its own right, with different grammar and vocabulary. Like any other language, it can convey nuance and tone and other important aspects of communication. It’s pretty extraordinary!
Since British colonisation of Australia, migrants who were Deaf brought their own sign languages from England, Ireland and Scotland. Over time, Australian Sign Language developed to reflect the unique culture and traditions of this country.
There are less set rules than English, but there is different grammar – for example, words have different roles and are placed in different parts of the sentence.
In Auslan, the topic of conversation usually goes near the beginning, and then there’s usually a pause after the topic so that everyone understands. Then the comment or question goes after.
Auslan elements can be summarised by this anagram: HOLME
Each sign has a combination of the following elements that make up meaning.
H: Handshapes: shape of the hands. There are 38 major hand shapes and 28 variants.
O: Orientation: the direction of the palm and finger and how they face.
L: Location: where the palm is placed in relation to the body.
M: Movement: how hands move, and the speed in which they move.
E: Expression: facial expression in sign is like intonation in speech. Expression includes raising eyebrows for questions and shaking heads for negative emotion and can convey a lot of meaning.
For things that don’t have a specific sign, it can be spelt out through fingerspelling the alphabet (i.e. someone’s name).
Have a go trying with the alphabet to spell out your name in Auslan!
People who are Deaf have been communicating with each other since Deaf people have lived on this planet, and there are many ways people can make things work! But, in 1951, International Sign was developed to assist in gatherings of Deaf people, such as the Deaflympics and other meetings. It doesn’t have fully developed grammar rules, but people communicate through a set of shared gestures and mimes.
We hope you enjoyed this piece on sign language! If there’s anything you’d like to learn about, please send us a letter!
There is a common myth around the world that there is one universal sign language that Deaf people use to communicate. But this is far from the truth – there are many sign languages! Each sign language – like British Sign Language, French Sign Language and Chinese Sign Language – is different and influenced by the culture, traditions and language of the country where it originated.
Auslan is the name of Australian Sign Language, and it was developed by the Deaf community in Australia. Auslan is not simply “translating” English into gestures and other manual communication styles but its own language in its own right, with different grammar and vocabulary. Like any other language, it can convey nuance and tone and other important aspects of communication. It’s pretty extraordinary!
Since British colonisation of Australia, migrants who were Deaf brought their own sign languages from England, Ireland and Scotland. Over time, Australian Sign Language developed to reflect the unique culture and traditions of this country.
There are less set rules than English, but there is different grammar – for example, words have different roles and are placed in different parts of the sentence.
In Auslan, the topic of conversation usually goes near the beginning, and then there’s usually a pause after the topic so that everyone understands. Then the comment or question goes after.
Auslan elements can be summarised by this anagram: HOLME
Each sign has a combination of the following elements that make up meaning.
H: Handshapes: shape of the hands. There are 38 major hand shapes and 28 variants.
O: Orientation: the direction of the palm and finger and how they face.
L: Location: where the palm is placed in relation to the body.
M: Movement: how hands move, and the speed in which they move.
E: Expression: facial expression in sign is like intonation in speech. Expression includes raising eyebrows for questions and shaking heads for negative emotion and can convey a lot of meaning.
For things that don’t have a specific sign, it can be spelt out through fingerspelling the alphabet (i.e. someone’s name).
Have a go trying with the alphabet to spell out your name in Auslan!
People who are Deaf have been communicating with each other since Deaf people have lived on this planet, and there are many ways people can make things work! But, in 1951, International Sign was developed to assist in gatherings of Deaf people, such as the Deaflympics and other meetings. It doesn’t have fully developed grammar rules, but people communicate through a set of shared gestures and mimes.
We hope you enjoyed this piece on sign language! If there’s anything you’d like to learn about, please send us a letter!
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