Page Type: languageAuslan | Ethnologue

ASF ISO 639-3

Auslan

A language of Australia

ISO 639
asf
Alternate Names
Australian Sign Language
Population
10,100 (2016 census). Estimates vary from 7,000–15,000 by various researchers from 1986–2004 (Johnston 2004).
Location:
Scattered.
Language Status
5 (Developing). De facto language of provincial identity in New South Wales.
Classification
Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Dialects
Tactile Auslan. Related to British Sign Language [bfi], with influences also from Irish Sign Language [isg] and American Sign Language [ase]. Tactile Auslan incorporates adjustments for Deaf-Blind use (Willoughby et al 2014). Many structural and lexical similarities between British Sign Language (BSL) [bfi], Australian Sign Language (Auslan) [asf], and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) [nzs] and a high degree of mutual intelligibility (2003 T. Johnston, McKee and Kennedy 2000). Linguists sometimes use the name BANZSL to refer to them as a group, while still recognizing them as separate related languages.
Typology
Two-handed fingerspelling system.
Language Use
Some signed interpretation in court, for college students, at important public events. Used by all. Used as L2 by Australian Irish Sign Language [isg].
Language Development
Taught in primary schools. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1999–2002.
Other Comments
Earliest schools for the deaf established by British deaf immigrants in 1860. Many agencies for the deaf. Sign language instruction for parents of deaf children. Committee on national sign language. National curriculum for Auslan instruction instituted in 2016. Deaf population is aging and anticipated to decline (Johnston 2004) in the future, due to dramatically reduced incidence of causes of deafness (particularly rubella) in the last several decades, mainstreaming in education, cochlear implants, and anticipated effects of advances in genetic science.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Scattered.