Auslan
Sign in to saveAlso known as Australian Sign Language
Auslan (; an abbreviation of Australian Sign Language) is the sign language used by the majority of the Australian Deaf community. Auslan is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL); the three have descended from the same parent language, and together comprise the BANZSL language family. As with other sign languages, Auslan's grammar and vocabulary is quite different from spoken English. Its origin cannot be attributed to any individual; rather, it is a natural language that emerged spontaneously and has changed over time.
Key facts
- Language.name
- Auslan
- Language.altname
- Australian sign language
- Language.states
- Australia
- Language.region
- Australia
- Language.speakers
- 16,242 (2021 census)
- Language.familycolor
- Sign
- Language.fam1
- BANZSL
- Language.iso3
- asf
- Language.glotto
- aust1271
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
Show 2 more facts
- number of speakers, writers, or signers
- 10100
Sources (8)
via Wikidata · CC0
~18 min read
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Recognition and status
- Prominent advocates for Auslan
- History
- Grammar
- Word order
- Verbs
- Pronouns
- Auslan in relation to English
- Fingerspelling
- Signed English
- Acquisition and nativeness
- Variation and standardisation
- Dialects
- Indigenous Australian sign languages and Auslan
- Written and recorded Auslan
- See also
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Auslan (; an abbreviation of Australian Sign Language) is the sign language used by the majority of the Australian Deaf community. Auslan is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL); the three have descended from the same parent language, and together comprise the BANZSL language family. As with other sign languages, Auslan's grammar and vocabulary is quite different from spoken English. Its origin cannot be attributed to any individual; rather, it is a natural language that emerged spontaneously and has changed over time.
==Recognition and status== Auslan was recognised by the Australian government as a "community language other than English" and the preferred language of the Deaf community in policy statements in 1987 and 1991. However, this recognition has yet to filter through to many institutions, government departments, and professionals who work with deaf people.