SACE Stage 2 Auslan (continuers) key terms

The visual-gestural language of the Australian Deaf community, with its own grammar, vocabulary and conventions, distinct from English and from other signed languages.

A natural language expressed through handshape, movement, location and facial expression, used by a Deaf community and organised by its own grammatical rules rather than by spoken words.

A social group of Deaf and hard of hearing people, their families and allies, who share signed communication, cultural values, history and a sense of belonging.

The shared customs, stories, humour, art and behavioural norms of Deaf people, including visual communication etiquette and pride in signed language use.

A way of framing deafness as a source of benefit to society, such as visual language skills, visual attention and community innovation, rather than as a deficit.

Discrimination or prejudice against Deaf people based on the assumption that hearing and spoken language are superior to deafness and signing.

An educational and social approach that promotes speech, lipreading and hearing technology while discouraging or banning signed language, historically imposed on many Deaf students.

The four components of a sign: handshape, location, movement and orientation, plus non-manual features such as facial expression, which together distinguish one sign from another.

The particular configuration of the fingers and hand used to produce a sign; a change of handshape can create a different sign or a different meaning.

Facial expression, eyebrow position, head movement, mouth pattern, eye gaze and body posture that carry grammatical and semantic information alongside hand signs.

Silent articulation of spoken words or word fragments while signing, used for some lexical items, names and disambiguation; it is not the same as speaking aloud.

Two signs that differ in only one manual feature, such as handshape or location, yet mean different things; used to show that such features are meaningful in Auslan.

The quality of a sign whose form visually resembles or depicts what it refers to, such as a sign echoing the shape or action of an object.

A sign whose form has no obvious visual link to its meaning, so the connection must be learned by convention within the signing community.

A sign that uses the hands or body to show the shape, size, movement or arrangement of something, often functioning like a classifier or a descriptive gesture within a sentence.

Finger-spelling of words letter by letter using a manual alphabet, used for names, technical terms and words with no established sign.

A fingerspelled sequence that has become a fixed, established sign with its own meaning and sometimes altered form, functioning as a single vocabulary item.

The vocabulary store of a language; in Auslan, the set of established signs, fingerspelled items and conventionalised gestures available to signers.

Using signing space to represent real or imagined locations and relationships, so that points and movements in space stand for people, places or objects in a described scene.

The area in front of a signer where people, places and things are assigned positions, allowing later points or verbs to refer back to them clearly.

A device in which a signer shifts body posture, eye gaze and facial expression to portray a character speaking or acting, marking reported speech or thought.

A sentence pattern in which the topic is established first, often with raised eyebrows, and a comment about it follows, rather than following English word order.

The rules governing how signs and phrases are ordered and combined into grammatical sentences in a signed language, including the use of space and facial marking.

The complete system of rules for forming words, signs and sentences in a language, covering morphology, syntax and the use of non-manual markers.

The study of how meaningful units are combined and modified to build words or signs, including changes in movement or handshape that alter meaning.

A grammatical category describing how an action unfolds over time, such as repeated, ongoing or completed, often shown in Auslan by changes in movement and facial expression.

The level of formality or style a signer adopts for a situation, ranging from casual everyday signing to formal public signing with different vocabulary and pacing.

Connected language beyond the single sentence, including how a signer opens, links, develops and closes a text such as a narrative, explanation or discussion.

The devices that tie parts of a text together, such as referring back to a previously established location, repeating a sign or using linking signs and facial cues.

The real-time transfer of meaning between Auslan and English, requiring the interpreter to manage both languages, the setting and the participants' needs.

A situation where a Deaf interpreter works with a hearing interpreter to convey meaning to a Deaf consumer, often used when language or cognitive needs are complex.

The professional principles guiding interpreters, including confidentiality, accuracy, impartiality and respect for the autonomy of Deaf people.

Formal credentialing of interpreters and translators in Australia by the national standards body, indicating a verified level of professional competence.

Adjusting vocabulary, pace, signing space and facial expression to suit who is watching, such as a Deaf peer, a child or a mixed hearing audience.

A written representation of a signed text using a chosen notation system, such as glosses in capitals with markers for non-manual features and spatial reference.

A written English word used by convention to label an Auslan sign in analysis or transcription, written in capitals and not a direct translation of meaning.

Added notes in a transcription or analysis that record features such as eyebrow movement, gaze, repetition or spatial placement that glosses alone cannot capture.