Auslan: First Language Learner F–10 Sequence / Levels 3 and 4 / Understanding / Language awareness
Content description
Develop awareness of the social and cultural nature and context of Auslan and other sign languages, of their different modes of expression and of the related issue of language vitality
Elaborations
identifying different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community, including face to face or via technology such as NRS or VRS, through social media, the use of English or the use of interpreters
describing the visibility and use of Auslan in the wider community, for example in television programs; on the news; at community events, sporting fixtures; and in emergency announcements
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ use of signed languages is culturally determined and shaped by their beliefs and values
exploring the vitality of Auslan and other spoken and signed languages, appreciating that a language with strong vitality is one used by many people in the home and other domains, across generations, to talk about most topics
understanding that some languages used in Australia such as English have large numbers of users, while others, such as many spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, are endangered or in the process of being revived or reclaimed
understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander signed languages arise from specific needs, for example, certain cultural restrictions on speech, or the presence of deaf people
identifying behaviours, rights, roles and responsibilities in relation to the ownership and maintenance of Auslan, and identifying how this ownership rests with the Deaf community and is determined by traditional social groupings/families, place, history and stories
