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• VCASFU033

  Understand how signers make different language choices in different types of texts depending on the purpose and intended audience, and explore how space is used in Auslan for purposes of textual cohesion

  Elaborations

  • noticing that differing purposes in the creation of Auslan texts result in differing types and amounts of signing, for example, the use of more CA in narratives
  • comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent type of English text (for example, a recount in both languages) and noticing similarities and differences in structure and language features
  • identifying with support, examples of signers associating non-present referents with locations in signing space
  • identifying examples of signers pointing to an established location to refer to something
  • identifying how signers establish locations and noticing how this helps the audience to recognise who or what the referents are (actor and undergoer)

  VCASFU033 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU088

  Investigate and analyse the nature of and community attitudes to variation in the use of Auslan

  Elaborations

  • recognising that there is a greater degree of flexibility and variability in ‘oral’, face-to-face languages such as Auslan compared to spoken/written languages passed on from parents to children, for example, less standardisation and minimal ‘frozen texts’, and considering reasons for such differences
  • researching different aspects of variation in the use of Auslan, considering influences such as geographical location, social groupings, history, educational experience, age of learning, family background and contact with Signed English or other languages
  • debating the merits and disadvantages of creating a standard form of Auslan, for example the benefits of mutual comprehensibility versus the practical problems involved in who decides on the standard and how to get signers to comply
  • considering the effect that expanding sign language interpreter services might have on standardising Auslan, especially in the areas of education and medicine
  • noticing ways people might adapt language according to situation of use, such as when signing to a large audience, the use of one hand or two, clarity of sign production, size of signing space, pace, NMFs, pauses and amount of fingerspelling
  • considering how Auslan has been influenced by the use of Signed English in education settings (especially from the 1970s to the 1990s) and cultural attitudes towards Signed English

  VCASFU088 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCASFU162

  Explore connections between identity and cultural values and beliefs and the expression of these connections in Auslan

  Elaborations

  • exploring culture as an essential part of human life, understanding that it is shared, passed on between generations and is closely connected to language and to identity
  • understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives, that it also includes invisible elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to their social and physical environments, and how this understanding applies to themselves as users of their first language and as learners of Auslan
  • recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
  • recognising that language reflects values and beliefs, for example in expressions of personal identity or in the recognition of others (sameness and difference), for example by identifying deaf family members as part of introductions, and by relaying cultural information about background and context and shared knowledge when interacting with others

  VCASFU162 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU228

  Identify and describe all elements of sign production, including handshape and its orientation, movement, location and non-manual features, and look at the link between signs and their referents in terms of iconicity

  Elaborations

  • realising that meaning is communicated through the use of signs, pictures, written or spoken words or miming
  • identifying a sign's handshape and its orientation, for example, COCKATOO (hs:5, palm left) and SOCCER (hs:fist)
  • identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in handshape, for example FIND or BEST
  • identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in orientation, for example CAN-NOT or HOW
  • noticing the path movement of a particular sign and identifying signs associated with the major types of path movements, for example, THROUGH (forwards) or FULL (down to up)
  • noticing the five major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
  • thinking of body-anchored signs, such as HEAD or WHY, and signs that are not body anchored, such as HAVE or STOP, and recognising that non-body anchored signs can be located in space around the signer
  • understanding that NMFs can also be an element of a sign and can show emotional states such as a happy expression, or grammatical information, for example, a frown to mark a negative, and identifying examples of NMFs in a text
  • noticing that in a stretch of connected signing a sign will often be produced differently to the way it is shown in a dictionary
  • distinguishing between single, double and two-handed signs, and identifying which hand is dominant and which is non-dominant in two-handed signs
  • noticing that in signed languages meaning can be expressed through whole signs or through fingerspelling
  • comparing iconic signs that provide visual images of referents, such as DRINK, ELEPHANT with English words that map to the sound images of the referents, such as animal noises, or words for sounds such as bang or woof woof
  • identifying signs with different levels of iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent, translucent or arbitrary
  • experimenting with different methods of capturing signed languages, such as: a class-invented script, drawing pictures, videoing, English glosses or ASL-phabet

  VCASFU228 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU144

  Notice that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live, who they live with and what is important to them

  Elaborations

  • recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
  • appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live differently, noticing observable examples of such difference, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
  • exploring how learning Auslan involves entering into a visual world or culture, for example by exploring different connections with physical space, such as being able to communicate through windows, or from a distance
  • exploring how deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live, for example by responding to stimulus questions such as How do deaf people ensure they can always see other people who are signing? How do deaf people watch movies or television programs?
  • recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
  • recognising the importance of community and culture in relation to their own lives and communities and in relation to other language groups and their communities

  VCASFU144 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU161

  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
  • identifying how deaf people modify space to maximise visual attention, such as adjusting seating or removing visual obstacles
  • exploring different expressions for gaining attention or signalling enjoyment, such as tapping, waving, stomping or using visual applause, and their suitability for visual language users
  • recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ use of signed languages is culturally determined and shaped by their beliefs and values
  • understanding cultural values associated with the conferment of name signs to people, such as second language learners of Auslan who are joining the Deaf community
  • 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 how and why some deaf children face challenges with communication in hearing families or in social settings
  • 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
  • recognising the important role of deaf families and deaf schools in preserving and maintaining Auslan and cultural identity
  • 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
  • exploring relationships between place, space and people, considering why some places and spaces make deaf people feel comfortable and promote a sense of cultural belonging and pride
  • identifying behaviours, rights, roles and responsibilities in relation to the ownership and maintenance of Auslan, and recognising that this ownership rests with the Deaf community and is determined by traditional social groupings/families, places, history and stories

  VCASFU161 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU053

  Explore the current status and profile of Auslan and of the Deaf community in contemporary Australian society, considering issues such as language transmission, usage and documentation

  Elaborations

  • discussing the diversity of Auslan users in the Australian community, including people who are deaf, those who are hard of hearing and hearing people such as CODAs and interpreters
  • investigating the signed languages used by deaf and hard of hearing members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • exploring variation in Auslan fluency among classmates and members of the Deaf community, considering the relevance of factors such as where and when individual users learnt to sign and whether they are from a Deaf or hearing family
  • mapping sign language use around the world using data from Ethnologue, for example by identifying and labelling countries with correct naming of the sign language used, such as France = LSF: Langue des Signes Française; Germany = DGS: Deutsche Gebärdensprache
  • finding representations of signing deaf people in the media or in literary texts, and evaluating how they and the language are represented
  • investigating the profile and distribution of members of the Deaf community, for example across states of Australia or by age or gender, using data from censuses and other sources to summarise and represent information in graph/visual forms, and to suggest possible explanations of patterns or statistics
  • understanding the role and function of Auslan–English interpreters and Deaf interpreters and the access and opportunities they provide to language users
  • recognising that many languages are well-documented, strong, healthy and widely used by many people across generations while others are less documented and robust
  • recognising that some languages have no written form and have historically been passed on face to face/orally, which means that they are less well recorded or documented
  • recognising language documentation as an important means of recording, maintaining, transmitting and revitalising a language
  • understanding the nature of transmission of Auslan, for example, that in most cases Auslan is not passed on from parent to child but from peers, or is learnt by children from adults outside the family, and that some deaf people learn Auslan later in early adulthood
  • describing how Auslan has been transmitted across generations and how it has been recorded, investigating reasons for the ‘oral’ tradition language transmission
  • using the UNESCO atlas to map the world’s minority languages and those that are in critical endangerment and to document the vitality of signed languages

  VCASFU053 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU178

  Explore variation in terms of the impact of other languages on Auslan across contexts and over time

  Elaborations

  • noticing different ways that English words are borrowed into Auslan, for example, the use of fully fingerspelled words, such as D-U-E, N-O-U-N, the fingerspelling of the first letter of corresponding English words, for example TOILET, FATHER, or abbreviations of English words, for example, state names: S-A, N-S-W, V-I-C, T-A-S, and organisation names: N-A-B-S, W-A-A-D, N-S-W-A-D, D-C-S-S-A
  • creating lists of fingerspelled words which have become lexicalised, for example, #HOW, #BUT, #ABOUT or #FOR and looking at how this process has changed the form of words over time
  • recognising that Auslan includes loan signs from Signed English, some of which were invented for Signed English (for example, TOY or DAD) and some that were from the southern dialect and incorporated into Signed English, for example, YELLOW
  • looking at style shifts in domains where English is in closer contact with Auslan, such as the use of more English-like structures in formal and educational settings
  • explaining the influence of other signed languages such as BSL, ISL and ASL on Auslan over different periods of time and discussing reasons for such influence

  VCASFU178 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCASFU210

  Understand the perceptual and articulatory reasons for the structure of signs, consider limitations of glossing and explore how video annotation software can improve transcription

  Elaborations

  • noticing limitations on perception of signed languages, such as the more limited space for signed communication compared to space for mime
  • exploring perceptual and articulatory reasons why some handshapes are more common than others
  • understanding that the elements of a sign can be arbitrary (for example, the handshape or movement of the sign WHY) or meaningful, such as the movement and the handshape in the sign GIVE
  • beginning to identify and describe metaphorical iconicity, for example, LOVE, AVOID/RESIST, and discussing how it relates to metaphors in English, for example the ‘time as space’ metaphor in both languages
  • applying knowledge of iconicity in signed languages, for example how the path movement of a verb can be a metaphor for the timing of an action, for example PRO1 WAIT-_{for-a-long-time} PRO2, observing that English can do the same with changes to the length of phonemes, for example, I screeeeeeaaaaaamed!
  • evaluating video annotation software such as ELAN as a tool to assist in the transcription and analysis of signed languages
  • glossing a text, including identifying which signs are used, and transcribing DSs and periods of CA

  VCASFU210 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU067

  Distinguish between character and observer space, categorise different verb types and identify constructed action in a text

  Elaborations

  • noticing that meaning is created in Auslan from fully-lexical signs, partly-lexical signs and non-lexical CA and gesture
  • recognising that signers can set up referents in the signing space as if they are part of that space (character space, for example, using a bC handshape (use of non-dominant hand) to indicate putting a glass on a table) or as if they are outside it (observer, for example, using 5claw in two locations to represent two houses)
  • recognising that in character space, signers can use locations for present referents, non-present referents, or abstract referents that do not exist in space
  • recognising that signers can give information about how a verb happens over time by changing the movement, for example, signing WATCH versus WATCH -_{for-a-long-time}, or with lexical signs such as WATCH AGAIN++
  • recognising that nouns can be pluralised by locating them repeatedly regardless of their original location
  • categorising the type of depicting sign being used by a signer
  • distinguishing between directional and locational indicating verbs
  • observing examples of CA in an Auslan text and discussing how it was marked

  VCASFU067 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU012

  Recognise the main formational elements of handshape, movement and location in Auslan signs, and understand that a sign is the same as a spoken or written word even though it can be iconic

  Elaborations

  • noticing the handshape of individual signs, and identifying signs that are made with a particular handshape, for example, COCKATOO (hs:5) and SOCCER (hs:fist)
  • recognising that signs are categorised by the handshape at the start of the sign
  • understanding that signs can be organised by handshape, for example in Johnston’s Auslan dictionaries or localised handshape dictionaries in schools, and that this is useful if an English word for a sign is not known
  • noticing the path movement of a particular sign and identifying signs associated with the major types of path movements, for example, THROUGH (forwards) or FULL (down to up)
  • noticing the five major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
  • understanding that sounds in English words are like handshapes, movements and locations in Auslan in the sense that they are combined together to make signs
  • recognising that some signs are iconic, linking to the appearance of a referent, for example, HOUSE, TREE, DRINK, ELEPHANT and that some are not, such as SISTER, WHY, SIMPLE
  • recognising that unlike English, which can be spoken or written, signed languages are not usually written down but occur ‘through the air’
  • experimenting with different methods of capturing the signed language, such as: a class-invented script, drawing pictures, videoing, English glosses or ASL-phabet

  VCASFU012 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU107

  Develop awareness of the sociocultural context, nature and status of Auslan and of the Deaf community in Australia and the impact of this on language change

  Elaborations

  • identifying where and when different people learnt to sign and whether they are from deaf or hearing families
  • exploring and providing possible explanations for variation in Auslan fluency among their classmates and members of the Deaf community
  • understanding the nature of the transmission of Auslan, for example, how in most cases Auslan is not passed on from parent to child, but from child to child (horizontal language transmission) or to children by deaf adults outside the family
  • investigating the use of digital technology/communication by Auslan users, for example, social media, SMS/texting and NRS and VRS, discussing how these modes of communication impact on accessibility and communication for members of the Deaf community
  • considering ways that Auslan is evolving due to different influences, including the capacity for new technologies to store, record and share sign languages
  • discussing the degree to which their classroom/school is an Auslan-accessible and Deaf-friendly environment, and how this might be further enhanced
  • investigating how Auslan and Deaf culture are promoted in the wider community, for example through the influence of organisations such as Deaf Australia, high-profile individuals such as activists or actors or events such as NWDP, Deaf festivals, Australian Deaf Games or Deaf art exhibitions

  VCASFU107 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU231

  Recognise similarities and differences in language features of different types of texts and in Auslan and English texts of a similar type, and notice how texts build cohesion

  Elaborations

  • recognising that texts are made up of one or more clauses, which have one or more signs in them, which together make meaning
  • comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent type of English text (for example, a recount in both languages) and noticing similarities and differences in structure and language features
  • examining different examples of an Auslan text on the same topic, or telling the same story, and identifying different choices signers made in the production of the text, for example the amount of fingerspelling or CA they used
  • analysing linguistic structures and features associated with more dynamic texts, such as back-channels and hesitations used in casual conversations
  • identifying examples of signers pointing to an established location to refer to a non-present referent
  • identifying how signers use space to make clear the actor or undergoer of a verb through a text, for example by pointing back to an established location to refer to a noun referent
  • identifying the many ways signers can refer to the same referent in a text, for example by using DSs, points or list buoys, and how such strategies help maintain interest and support understanding

  VCASFU231 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU069

  Explain the structure and organisation of particular types of texts, such as conversations or information reports, and identify language features used by signers to meet specific purposes and to create cohesion

  Elaborations

  • analysing linguistic structures and features associated with more dynamic texts, such as back-channels and hesitations used in casual conversations
  • applying knowledge of choices a signer can make in texts, for example by comparing two signers’ texts about the same topic and evaluating different language choices each made, such as when to tell and when to enact, or when to use DSs
  • analysing signers’ use of pausing in a description or information report
  • identifying all the ways a signer refers to the same referent throughout a text
  • identifying examples of ellipsis, such as dropping the participants in verbs
  • recognising that nouns that are being introduced are more frequently overt than when they are given already in a text
  • recognising signs that function as interjections or discourse markers

  VCASFU069 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU158

  Understand that clauses can be enriched through the use of adjectives and adverbs (when, where, how), often produced with non-manual features

  Elaborations

  • exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:
    • doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALL-OUT ANNOUNCE?) verbs in narrative texts give information about a characters’ actions
    • sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (BELONG, OWN) verbs indicate what characters think, feel or own
    • relating verbs identify or describe a noun, for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONG-HAIR
  • understanding how DSs and adverbs can give extra information about an activity
  • noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are called adverbs
  • contributing examples of signs that tell
    • when a verb happens (IN-2-WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
    • where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
    • how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)
  • understanding that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who or what is involved (noun or nouns) and the surrounding circumstances (adverb or adverbs)
  • knowing that signing involves either telling with signs or showing with DSs and periods of CA
    MAN WALK SLOW
    DS(point):man-walks-slowly
    CA:man-swinging-arms-nonchalantly
    

  VCASFU158 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU193

  Develop knowledge of additional elements of the Auslan grammatical system, analysing indicating verbs, depicting signs and constructed action

  Elaborations

  • noticing that meaning is created in Auslan from fully-lexical signs, partly-lexical signs and non-lexical CA and gesture
  • recognising that signers can use locations for present referents, non-present referents, or abstract referents that do not exist in space
  • recognising that nouns can be pluralised by locating them repeatedly regardless of their original location
  • distinguishing between directional and locational indicating verbs

  • recognising that handshape and movement represent different things in each type of DS, for example:

    • entity DSs: the handshape is an object or person, and the movement is the movement or location of that object or person
    • handling DSs: the handshape represents a person’s hands touching or moving another object, and the movement shows how the hands move
    • SASS DSs: the handshape and movement outline the shape or size of something
  • observing instances of CA in a text and discussing how it was marked

  VCASFU193 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU192

  Identify different types of non-manual features and characteristics of signs, including iconicity, and explore the use of software to transcribe and annotate signed texts

  Elaborations

  • identifying, demonstrating and describing the various types of NMFs: movements of the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, shoulders and body, and describing their function
  • understanding that signs can be iconic in a number of ways, such as representing a whole object or part of an object
  • identifying signs with different levels of iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent, translucent or arbitrary
  • recognising that signed languages involve more iconicity because they are visual not auditory, with most referents having visual features
  • identify and classify examples of spatial modifications of nouns and verbs in a video text using video annotation software, for example, ELAN
  • ‘reading’ and transcribing glossed texts, including interpreting the markings that show how a sign is modified in space, NMFs, DSs and examples of CA

  VCASFU192 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU247

  Understand that signs can include different information including a gestural overlay, and identify how signers establish spatial locations, types of depicting signs and ways of showing constructed action

  Elaborations

  • recognising that Auslan has fully-lexical signs that are in the dictionary and have a standard handshape, movement and location, and partly-lexical signs that cannot be listed in a dictionary in all forms as gesture changes the form each time they are signed
  • noticing that meaning is created in Auslan from fully-lexical signs, partly-lexical signs, non-lexical signing and gesture and comparing with the range of ways English speakers create meaning, including spoken words, modifying intonation, and gesture
  • noticing that fully- and partly-lexical signs can include grammatical information not included in a ‘citation’ form, for example, the sign TELL-_me is not listed separately to TELL (towards neutral space) and GO-TO includes GO-TO-_often
  • noticing that single-digit numbers can be separate lexical items or merged into other signs (numeral incorporation) such as those for ages (for example, 5-YEARS-OLD) or adverbs of time (for example, 3-WEEKS-AGO) or pronouns (WE3, WE4)
  • identifying where and how a signer has established a location in space, for example through the use of points, non-body-anchored signs or fingerspelled words
  • recognising that signers must make explicit which referent is associated with a location, but do not need to continue to make this explicit throughout a text
  • recognising that signers can set up referents in the signing space close to them (viewer space, for example, using a bC handshape (use of non-dominant hand) to indicate putting a glass on a table) or distant (diagrammatic, for example, using 5claw in two locations to represent two houses)
  • recognising that in viewer space, signers can use locations for present referents, non-present referents, or abstract referents that do not exist in space
  • identifying instances of DSs and their type independently
  • comparing English adjectives with SASS DSs
  • learning that the function of CA is to represent the words, thoughts or actions of a protagonist in a text, either themselves or another
  • knowing that in CA a signer can shift into the role of another, or themselves at a different time, through eye gaze change, body shift, head orientation change, and matching facial expressions

  VCASFU247 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU054

  Reflect on how communities’ ways of using language are shaped by and reflect cultural values and beliefs, and how these may be differently interpreted by users of other languages

  Elaborations

  • explaining the role of Auslan and Deaf culture in maintaining, reflecting and strengthening the Deaf community and its networks and significant places
  • understanding that knowledge about past and present Deaf people and cultural experience and values is embodied in and transmitted through Auslan, for example ways of producing the sign for SIGN reflects cultural values placed on fluency
  • identifying the cultural importance of different elements of communication, such as the use of signing space and proxemics by Auslan users, particularly in relation to a person passing between two signers or the positioning of communication partners
  • identifying cultural differences between the use of personal names in Auslan and other languages, such as the fact that Auslan signers do not use a person’s name when addressing them directly as do users of many spoken languages
  • recognising that different types of expressive and imaginative performance in Auslan carry cultural as well as linguistic information, for example, a film or theatrical performance that represents typical miscommunication experiences
  • understanding that ‘sound’ is accessed differently in Deaf culture, that the meaning and importance of sound in deaf people’s lives is usually not the same as in hearing people’s experience
  • exploring ways in which deaf people’s art incorporates sign language motifs and images as forms of cultural expression
  • analysing stories about deaf people’s history for the ways in which they embody cultural values and information, for example accounts of Thomas Pattison, FJ Rose and William Thomson establishing the first schools for deaf children

  VCASFU054 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU197

  Understand historical and contemporary factors that impact on awareness, support and use of Auslan and its vitality in contemporary Australia, comparing it with that of other signed languages around the world

  Elaborations

  • considering the impact of international historical events such as the Milan Congress (1880) and the linguistic recognition and documentation of signed languages (1960s and 1970s) on the use of signed languages in education and deaf people’s feelings of ownership and pride in their languages
  • analysing the impact of migration and settlement of deaf people from the UK and other countries in Australia, on the development of Auslan
  • investigating the geographical location, origins and history of deaf schools in Australia and the impact of these institutions on the transmission, use and status of Auslan
  • considering the contemporary influences and pressures on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander signed languages and how these may affect their vitality
  • describing the role religion has played in influencing Auslan in terms of usage and spread, for example, by religious orders, early Deaf Societies and Bible translation projects
  • exploring the history and acceptance of signed languages and Deaf community and culture around the world, for example by creating a timeline or a research poster
  • exploring multilingualism in the Deaf community, including the use of Auslan, English and other signed and spoken languages such as Irish-Australian sign language, and how and when users typically switch between languages and dialects
  • investigating the use and impact of generic digital technology and specific forms of communication by Auslan users, for example, video chat, social media, SMS/texting, and NRS and VRS
  • reflecting on the role of Auslan interpreters in raising awareness and understanding of Auslan in the wider community and in influencing the function and nature of Auslan, for example by the introduction of new signs for temporary use in certain contexts
  • exploring the role of deafblind people in the Deaf community
  • investigating historical patterns of employment of deaf people in certain trades and fields of work, and the impact of these traditional employment domains on Auslan development
  • considering ways that Auslan is evolving due to influences such as globalisation and the capacity for new technology to store, record and share sign languages internationally
  • comparing levels of endangerment of different sign languages, such as NZSL, village sign languages, ASL, Scandinavian, South American sign languages and Auslan, for example by using UNESCO data by reviewing the iSLanDS survey findings
  • understanding the challenges faced by Auslan and other signed languages due to intergenerational disjunction in language transmission
  • investigating how new or specialised language associated with domains such as technology, engineering, cooking or fashion are used but not documented in the Deaf community, and how such language impacts on language vitality
  • identifying contexts and circumstances that support increased usage and acceptance of newly coined Auslan terms, for example, a workplace with several deaf employees
  • recognising reasons for the shared sense of identity of sign language users and the notion of reciprocity in the Deaf community
  • researching the role of the World Federation of the Deaf in mapping and monitoring the vitality of sign languages around the world and in protecting sign language diversity
  • analysing ways in which Deaf people design and adapt spaces in cultural ways (‘Deaf space’) in order to use a visual language, for example, by eliminating visual obstacles to signed communication; using circles or semicircles for meeting and learning spaces; and using open-plan areas, lighting and window placement to maximise visual access to information, with reference to Gallaudet University’s Deaf space design principles

  VCASFU197 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Language awareness