Auslan

Being proficient in Auslan allows you to communicate with a wide range of hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf individuals. Families can communicate with deaf or hard of hearing relatives. Teachers can communicate with deaf, hard of hearing or non-verbal students. Health Professionals can communicate with deaf, hard of hearing or non-verbal clients. Sales people and hospitality staff can communicate with deaf, hard of hearing or non-verbal customers and these are just a few examples. Children can better communicate with classmates that may not otherwise be able to hear them or speak to them verbally. People whose first language might not be English may be able to use sign language to communicate with neighbours, Government staff and supermarket staff at the shops. Older people who may have lost their hearing or who are losing their hearing may be able to reconnect with relatives or people in their community through using Auslan.

Auslan is a visual language with its own grammatical rules and semantics. It’s unique in that its beauty, unlike the spoken language is seen rather than heard. This can be really attractive for a learner or emerging Auslan users.

Auslan is a visual-spatial, natural language with its own grammar and vocabulary. It has linguistic elements, such as hand shapes (including orientation, location and movement), non-manual features (including eye gaze, facial expressions, arm, head and body postures) and fingerspelling. Auslan also has its own grammar, composed of precise hand shapes, facial expressions and body movements that convey concrete and abstract information. Auslan Grammar is different to English Grammar. At the Language Tree, we are careful to include elements of Auslan Grammar and HOLME in an age-appropriate way for every program that we run.
Key Word Sign is different to Auslan. We don’t explicitly teach Key Word Sign at the Language Tree. When we run our Fun Auslan Storytime sessions, we sometimes pull out some of the key words and the Auslan sighs for them, however we don’t ‘teach’ Key Word Sign as a methodology for learning Auslan. Key Word Sign was known as ‘Makaton’ until around 2010. Makaton is a trademarked term with its origins in the United Kingdom. Officially, it is a term no longer used in Australia.

In our Auslan Classes you’ll learn from tutors that use Auslan as their everyday language. Our Tutors are almost always either deaf or hard of hearing. Occasionally we employ a tutor that is CODA (child of deaf adults) or trained and fluent in Auslan, verified by our expert Auslan teaching team, but only areas where there are no Deaf Tutors available). All our Auslan Tutors are fluent in Auslan, amazing at working with and engaging with children and they are passionate about sharing their beautiful language with you.