More about Learning Sign
for those New to Sign

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 here, or veiw 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 centers, adult learning centers 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 grammer 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.

Related Pages:
• Baby Sign Course Database
• About Advanced AUSLAN
• Introduction to Baby Sign
• 13 signs to communicating with baby

Recommended Resources:

• Hands Up and Sing - DVD and Music CD set This pack includes a CD and DVD with 17 popular nursery rhymes. Each performed in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), sung and animated.

• Sign Alphabet Posters
  Australian Fingerspelling Alphabet. Used Nationally, also New Zealand and the UK. Three Designs and sizes to choose from

• Learn to sign with Oli
  This book includes five childrens stories and aims to teach sign language to parents, careers and teachers in a fun and stimulating way.