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Auslan (Australian Sign Language)from baby sign to fluent signing.
Auslan is the native sign language for Australian signing people. There are many other sign languages used
internationally. Australian Sign Language differs from the sign language used by signing people in other countries
in linguistic structure and grammar similarly to oral languages between nations, say English and Italian for example.
Most Auslan users are children and adults who need it as their main means of
communication; however everyone else who shares their lives may also use Auslan.
These include the families, carers, friends and professionals such as teachers,
speech and language therapists, social workers, playgroup staff, college
lecturers, instructors, nurses, and psychiatrists.
...more about Auslan vs. other sign languages
Baby sign refers to the use of sign language with pre-verbal babies and toddlers. It has become increasingly popular
in recent years with hearing babies, as hearing parents begin to discover the advantages Deaf parents have known for some time,
that comes from having a 4 or 6 month old who is able to communicate their needs, such as hunger, nappy and thirst.
...more about baby sign
Key signing refers to a semi-adoption of sign language where only the key words in each sentence are signed. Key-Signing
is often the first step to learning AUSLAN for both non-signing adults and children. It is often used in teaching sign to Pre
and Primary School children and forms a large part of the Auslan as LOTE curriculum in formative years.
...more about Key signing, its uses and applications
Makaton Signing refers to a symbols and key sign language programme for the teaching of communication, language and literacy
skills to people with communication and learning difficulties. It is limited in application and is usually only utilised for a short time.
Makaton is NOT A LANGUAGE, and was developed for use with an oral based language to assist in the adoption of the oral language.
...more about Makaton Signing
Signed English is a word-for-word translation from spoken English to signs. It is laborious and has been found to be ineffective as a language and teaching tool. However elements of Signed English are often adopted with signing children in the lead up to reading, to assist in the exact translation of words in written form.
...more about Signed English
Learning sign is fun and easy!We have found the easiest way to introduce yourself to sign is to first learn some "keysigns" for everyday things. Many signs quickly become obvious, you may recognise them from your own natural gestures, so remembering "Keysigns" can be easy! If you are wanting to sign with adult signers then it is then a good idea to learn the Australian Sign Alphabet, so if you ever don't know the sign for something, you can resort to fingerspelling. A tip with fingerspelling that is rarely emphasised is that the vowels , 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' and 'u' are the thumb and fingers on one hand, pointed to by the other hand. You can look-up signs online at SignSwap, or view signs by category. So keep practicing and expanding your sign knowledge. Try and find other people who sign you can practise this method of communication with. Soon you'll be able to hold reasonable conversation in sign and will begin playing with it's own little puns, humour and slang. By now you may feel you are ready to think about doing a course in sign. In the past these have largely only been available at the more serious level, usually through a Uni or TAFE. We are pleased to report that recent years have seen dramatic increases in the number of people learning sign language. As a result you can often find "beginner" or "First" signer courses at many local community centres, adult learning centres and alike. There are also a number of tutors specialising in classes for "newbies", which are more customised to the needs of participants. Please see our online BABY/STARTER SIGN COURSE PROVIDERS DATABASE for provider details. Perhaps you feel you are ready for a more advanced course, where you can expand your range and understanding of sign, and come to understand the logic behind the grammar of the language. If you wish to continue learning sign from here, the most obvious step is to become a qualified interpreter. These are in high demand, so pay rates are well in excess of a suffering teacher's wage. Still higher rates are paid for interpreters with specialised AUSLAN knowledge, such as medical, legal or engineering terms. Please see our online ADVANCED SIGN COURSE PROVIDERS DATABASE for provider details. |
