Auslan (Australian Sign Language) : from baby sign to fluent signing.

One of the most common questions I am asked by newbies to Signing (in Australia) is "what is the difference between Makaton and Auslan"?  What is Auslan? What is Baby Sign, Key-Sign, Makaton, Signed-English? What does it all mean? 


This is an article I wrote a few years ago now which goes through all the terms and types of signing and explains each one. Because of recent events here in Oz I have updated the Makaton and Baby Sign sections for you.


Below you will find a Breif Glossary of Terms, after each you will find a link to a section lower down on the page that goes into more detail for you.

You will also find a brief introduction to learning Sign Language, titled Learning Sign Is Easy full of hints and tips to help you start off.
Hope it helps


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Sign Terms Glossary

Auslan is the native sign language for Australian signing people. There are many other sign languages used internationally. Australian Sign Language differs from the sign language used by signing people in other countries in linguistic structure and grammar similarly to oral languages between nations, say English and Italian for example.

Most Auslan users are children and adults who need it as their main means of communication; however everyone else who shares their lives may also use Auslan. These include the families, carers, friends and professionals such as teachers, speech and language therapists, social workers, playgroup staff, college lecturers, instructors, nurses, and psychiatrists.
    ...more about Auslan vs. other sign languages

Baby sign refers to the use of sign language with pre-verbal babies and toddlers. It has become increasingly popular in recent years with hearing babies, as hearing parents begin to discover the advantages Deaf parents have known for some time, that comes from having a 4 or 6 month old who is able to communicate their needs, such as hunger, nappy and thirst.
    ...more about baby sign

Key signing refers to a semi-adoption of sign language where only the key words in each sentence are signed. Key-Signing is often the first step to learning AUSLAN for both non-signing adults and children. It is often used in teaching sign to Pre and Primary School children and forms a large part of the Auslan as LOTE curriculum in formative years.
    ...more about Key signing, its uses and applications

Makaton refers to a symbols and key-sign system. IT IS NOT A LANGUAGE. This is the most common mis-conception and area of confusion.

The Makaton system comprises a small signed vocabulary derived (in Australia) from both Auslan and Signed English signs. Makaton is most commonly used with persons with multiple disabilities usually including an intellectual disability who can usually hear but who either cannot talk or whose speech is difficult to understand.
    ...more about Makaton Signing

Signed English is a word-for-word translation from spoken English to signs. It is laborious and has been found to be ineffective as a language and teaching tool. However elements of Signed English are often adopted with signing children in the lead up to reading, to assist in the exact translation of words in written form.
    ...more about Signed English


Learning sign is fun and easy!

We have found the easiest way to introduce yourself to sign is to first learn some "keysigns" for everyday things. Many signs quickly become obvious, you may recognise them from your own natural gestures, so remembering "Keysigns" can be easy!

If you are wanting to sign with adult signers then it is then a good idea to learn the Australian Sign Alphabet, so if you ever don't know the sign for something, you can resort to fingerspelling. A tip with fingerspelling that is rarely emphasised is that the vowels , 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' and 'u' are the thumb and fingers on one hand, pointed to by the other hand.

You can look-up signs online at Sign Planet, or view signs by category. So keep practicing and expanding your sign knowledge. Try and find other people who sign you can practise this method of communication with. Soon you'll be able to hold reasonable conversation in sign and will begin playing with it's own little puns, humour and slang.

By now you may feel you are ready to think about doing a course in sign. In the past these have largely only been available at the more serious level, usually through a Uni or TAFE. We are pleased to report that recent years have seen dramatic increases in the number of people learning sign language. As a result you can often find "beginner" or "First" signer courses at many local community centres, adult learning centres and alike. There are also a number of tutors specialising in classes for "newbies", which are more customised to the needs of participants.

Please see our online BABY/STARTER SIGN COURSE PROVIDERS DATABASE for provider details.

Perhaps you feel you are ready for a more advanced course, where you can expand your range and understanding of sign, and come to understand the logic behind the grammar of the language. If you wish to continue learning sign from here, the most obvious step is to become a qualified interpreter. These are in high demand, so pay rates are well in excess of a suffering teacher's wage. Still higher rates are paid for interpreters with specialised AUSLAN knowledge, such as medical, legal or engineering terms.

Please see our online ADVANCED SIGN COURSE PROVIDERS DATABASE for provider details. 

More about Auslan vs other sign languages.

In Australia we use AUSLAN, AUstralian Sign LANguage. AUSLAN differs to the sign language used within other countries. Within the UK they use BSL (British Sign Language), Americans use ASL (American Sign Language), in New Zealand they use NZSL and so on. Auslan is a visual language, with no oral form. It uses hand shapes and movements, facial expressions and body expressions to express a visual means of communication. Each sign is made up of 5 main parts; Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement and facial Expression.

Each sign language differs in handshapes used, location of signing (signing space), grammatical structure and alike. A sentence in English is often shorter when translated into Auslan. For example “I’m going to catch the bus at 8:30 this morning” would be “Me catch bus 8:30 am today”. In contrast, 'Signed English' (discussed below) is estimated to take 1.5 to 2.5 times as long to sign as the oral sentence would be to say!

Auslan evolved from British Sign Language (BSL) but also includes influences from ASL, Irish sign language and indigenous signs (learned from our own indigenous aboriginal sign languages). Sign usage can vary across Australia based on these regional influences and the natural and rapid evolution of the language on a regional basis. It is hoped that the advent of websites such as SignPlanet.net, and the use of video conferencing and alike will assist signing people to communicate new and variant signs across Australia as quickly as they evolve.

The recent introduction of Auslan as a lote subject throughout an increasing number of Australian schools will also bring rise to a dramatically increased number of Australians utilising and facilitating the development and communication of this truly beautiful and versatile language.

The number of Signing People in Australia is difficult to accurately ascertain. Untouchably signing people are majoritively members of our Deaf community but also includes those members of our community with DOWNS, Speech dyspraxia, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADHD and varying levels of hearing impairment. As a result the parents and extended family, carers, therapists and other professionals, and of course educators of signing people also become signing people, to varying degrees.Interested in learning Auslan?
Please do be aware that a number of BSL and ASL resources have entered the Australian market place and often DO NOT IDENTIFY WHICH SIGN LANGUAGE THEY USE. Some may even include terms like 'Australian Edition', or based on 'Australian Sign Language'. Please do check the authenticity of the images used before learning them. All products distributed by Bilby Publishing have been authenticated by members of the Australian Deaf community, Translator association, or sign language associated education facilities.

If you would like to learn AUSLAN visit our AUSLAN course provider database, (all course providers are reviewed, to the best of our ability, for authentic AUSLAN content) or visit SignPlanet.net, from where you can view and print images of Australian Sign Language by direct search, by category and by learning level. Sign Swap receives requests for almost 1 million images and is accessed by almost 20,000 people each year. It is hoped that the facilitation of a visual means of communicating new and 'current' signs will dramatically improved the ability of signing people to access signs used in other regions of Australia and quickly document new signs they develop within their own daily communication.


About Australian Baby Sign Language.What is baby Signing
One of the reasons children’s songs such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” are so popular with children are the actions, which serve to make it simpler for the child to understand. This technique has simply been taken as step further with the adoption of baby sign.

So it is no surprise that the use of sign language by hearing parents, with hearing children, around the world has provided impressive research results. Proving that not only are babies able to communicate simple sign expressions from before 6 months of age, but also that these children tend to develop oral language earlier.

An extensive study in the UK, by Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn (funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development), found that there is “a clear advantage to using signs with pre-verbal children”. Parents within the study experienced “reduced frustration” and “stronger bonds with their babies”.Does it really increase IQ?
For a great number of years now baby signing has been widely utilised throughout the US, UK, Europe and Canada. This has triggered many research studies and trials, which have generated astounding results.

In the UK, by Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn (on behalf of the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development) conducted a study that has now spanned over 8 years. Within the study hearing children were provided sign language as a supplement to oral language in their "pre-verbal" years, and then compared to their peers.

The doctors have found that signing children outperform non-signing children in both language development and IQ. Seven years after initial, infant testing, the children were re evaluated, now in early primary school years. “The results were even more extraordinary, indicating that as a group, children who signed as babies had a mean IQ of 114 compared to 102 for non-signers.” Royal Association for Deaf people UK. More about baby sign can be found at :

• 6 Signs Change Pareting - A free information sheet for parents about baby sign (pdf)
• Baby Sign Information : There is a special section on this site that is dedecated to Baby Signers, with lots more information and tips for you.
• Sign Planet - Baby Sign Section : This site includes more information about Baby Sign and Free resources to get you started
• Baby Sign Course Database

UPDATE NOTE : Baby signers BE AWARE. There are a number of people selling 'made up languages' and foreign sign language based 'baby sign' products. Nearly every book store has at least one of these resources in store.

So what? What does it matter what signs I use? Well if you want your child's signs to be understood at childcare, for example, you better make sure you are using Auslan (this is a note for Australian signers obviously).

I will write more about this in a separate blog Signing with Babies and Infants

What is Key signing?

Key-Signing is often the first step to learning AUSLAN. Key signing refers to the use of key words in each sentence in sign language, without the full adoption of AUSLAN grammar and perhaps with only the 'essential words'. Key signing is sometimes also used in teaching hearing Pre and Primary School children, in the lead-up to reading.

Key signing, on its own, does not constitute a language, but does form the first stage to learning Auslan. As with the development of any second language, nouns and basic adjectives are often the first to be learned. In most areas of Australia, Key sign constitutes the first 2-4 stages in Auslan as a LOTE and most beginner level courses in sign language.

The SignPlanet website includes Bilby Publishing's Sign Image Bank of over 5000 words. Each year over 1 million sign images were viewed and printed from the site by a little over 50,000 users.

You can look up signs by single word search, or by category, for free...why not start now : SignPlanet : Search

You can also look signs up, for free, on your mobile ph at http://m.signplanet.net

About the Makaton Key-Signing System.



Makaton uses signs matched to words and pictures, so that as you speak you also sign at the same time. Makaton users are first encouraged to communicate using signs, then gradually, as a link is made between the word and the sign, the signs are dropped and speech takes over.

For some children and adults, combining symbols, signs and speech together is proving to be an effective way of developing literacy skills; however "There is little research specific to the success of using Makaton with children with autism." (Latrobe Uni) The child needs to have some social, imitative, and communicative intent before communication can develop (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998).

Makaton is generally used in the disability field as either an alternative to spoken and written language, or as a language support tool, where a child or adult has either very limited or no effective speech and written skills. It is an augmentative communication system, it is not a language and is often used in intellectual or developmental disability areas.

"Makaton is a key word signing system that aims to provide a basic means of communication and encourage language development. Makaton comprises of a small vocabulary derived from Australasian Signed English and Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN) . " (Source : Latrobe University)

The Makaton key-signing system utilises gesture, pictures and diagrams to assist communication. The core system includes a short list of approx 320 signs, divided under 9 stages of learning. These are based on words most frequently used in everyday communication. The system was originally developed in the UK using signs from BSL (British Sign Language), however in Australia Makaton presenters and users actually utilise a blend of AUSLAN and Signed English signs. When using Makaton principles the speaker generally slows down, simplifies their language and uses more repetitive speech (Makaton Workshop, 2005).

"Makaton borrows features from both Auslan and Signed English. Makaton is used with children and adults who can usually hear but who either cannot talk or whose speech is difficult to understand. Makaton use a key word approach. This means that people use speech with their signs but they do not sign every word." Karen Bloomfield, SCIOP (1998)

Update note : Recently Makaton UK (head office if you like) band Australian 'franchises' from using there name. There are all sorts of stories going around about why, but I will post this intriguing story in a separate Blog. The bit you need to know here is that Makaton is now 'Key-Sign Australia'; but the basic system remains the same.

About Signed English Signed English, like Makaton and keysign, is not a language. Signed English is a word-for-word translation from spoken English to signs, augmented with finger-spelling for the end of words. Signed English shares or borrows Auslan signs wherever possible, in fact in Australia the 'Signed English' system was developed utilising Victorian based Auslan. Regrettably Signed English remains the most common language taught to Deaf children. Research in the area has been extensive and it is obvious to anyone attempting to provide a signing child equal access to information within the classroom that Signed English is quite clearly a less concise language than Auslan. In fact one study indicated that to sign translate communication within the average day within a 'preschool class' in Signed English would take 2 1/2 sessions. In other words, to utilise Signed English in the classroom is to limit the child to only 40% of the average class communication and thus only 40% of the input received by their non-signing peers. Signed English requires a dramatic deteriation in the rate of speech to sign at the same time. Signed English is entirely different from Auslan, although it does borrow many signs from Auslan and this is where some confusion occurs between the two. Signed English is English, a manually coded English, so it is English delivered in a different format and is mainly used in education settings. It is not a sign language as it is not a language separate from English but a signed form of English. Signed English uses English grammar and syntax so that it uses a sign for word system.

That signs not right! - The great northern verses southern sign debate

One of the most common questions I am asked by people learning Auslan pertains to sign variations, especially between states. "That's not a Queenslanbd sign" "Is that Melbourne sign" "My Tafe teachers said..." and so.

Quiet frankly I am sick of it; this blog is as much a rave about why I think the whole argument is rubbish predominately spread by ignorant individuals who live in a very small world and 'do not get out much'. Definitely by people with a limited language experience. Yes, some of those people ARE Deaf. Some are not. All of them are getting ready to send out a firing squad after me for that comment, but I am beyond caring, as it needs to be said. This is why:

A) Sign variation verses difference

Before we go any further lets define some terms.

Sign dialect/difference : This is where there are two signs for one word. A good example is the colour Blue.

The sign to the left is more common in Qld and NSW and referred to as a 'Norther Dialect' sign. The one on the right more common in southern states like VIC, TAS, SA and WA; thus being referred to as a Southern Sign.

Broadly speaking these 'regions' originated through three main events:

1. The fact that most deaf people aged 40 and over boarded at one of the two Deaf schools at the time; being RIDBC (in Sydney) or VCD (in Melbourne). Not surprisingly QLD and NSW students went to Sydney, everybody else went to Melbourne. As communication in a visual medium, such as sign language, was limited to 'in-person' interaction at the time, sign language in Australia, not surprisingly evolved independently from the two major centres. Thus we have two signs for Blue, for example.

Of course the evolution of Auslan is far more complex than that, and a subject that I have passionately researched for many many years, but not one which I will delve further into in this article.

2. Our vast size. Australia is a geographically sprawled country, which in itself has contributed and influences our language. Until the age of aeroplane travel movement between even our capital cities was long, expensive and infrequent event for the average person. It was also only recent Internet developments that saw video chat a reality. These factors have all influenced the evolution of geographical dialects in our language, both oral and signed.

3. Of course we can not discredit the influence of the original origins of our language in the first place. Being the Catholic nuns and brothers who brought with them a language evolved from the French sign language and predominantly one handed; and that of the British two handed language.  

B) Variations in Signs

The fact is that most of the time, when someone raises a 'sign dialect' that are talking less of a true difference and more about an alternatives. For example ‘swimmers’ ‘bathers’ and ‘togs’ are three English words that mean the same thing. Similarly Auslan is a rich and diverse language and each signer and community may show preferences to one sign over another, just as and oral English speaker will have a preference for one word over another. That does not make the other English word more or less appropriate or 'correct'.

What's the current story
Where there are true ‘differences’ such as the colours red, green, blue and brown, in almost every case you will find that there is increasingly more and more what used to be ‘southern signs’, now in everyday use in Queensland. In fact we have found that the ‘next generation’, especially those under say 25, are communicating so much on a national basis through Internet video chat, Utube and alike, that Auslan signs are becoming far more diversely used nationally and the language, I believe, is becoming even more rich as a result.

This is why I say it is only the less traveled, more 'sheltered' members of the signing community (an in that I add both hearing and Deaf) that will continue to preach the 'that sign is wrong' approach. The more I travel, and the more I interact with the younger generations the more rich and 'shared' I see Auslan evolving. No more is Blue, to continue the example, a Northern and Southern sign. In over 4 different Deaf schools across the country the same rule now applies. Toady's teenagers use both signs. . . daily. It is very interesting. When you ask them about it they report that, mum/dad/teacher uses this sign (say the southern). I use both. I use this one (say southern) for 'Blue" - generally, but this one (say the northern) for more blue. Like 'This is more blue than that'. What fascinated me is that this 'new rule' or adaption was common across states, in both city and country areas. I went back and asked these children "How did you learn the other sign"; almost always they said Internet chat. "Why did you start using it for 'more blue'. Almost all of them thought it was 'just right', it just is. It has simultaneously evolved across the country through a more diverse communication tool - the Internet.

Isn't that fantastic.

Three interesting towns
I travel all around Australia and the best example I can give of why it is not good enough to say ‘Qld signs’ verses ‘SA signs’ etc, is a row of 3 towns in VIC that are along the Hwy, each neighboring each other. The first is very strong in what would have been traditionally referred to as ‘Sydney dialect’. The second is very strong in an English grammar approach a kin to the older Signed English approach. The third is very ‘Melbourne’ in its sign preferences. Why?


Well I looked in to the local history of sign and discovered the first town had an elderly generation of signers who had gone to RIDBC (Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children – Sydney) as children and a number of Sydney based teachers of the Deaf had migrated to the area of the years. Giving the area a stronger bond to Sydney sign preferences, even though it is a Victorian town. It’s next neighbor has an elderly group of signers who had had little to do with either Melbourne nor Sydney. They did not travel away to school and instead learned sign through their local school, where parents and the community had learned the language from an unknown original source, believed to have come from the Victorian college for the Deaf, however the ‘English grammar’ structure remained strong in their language. The third town had strong ties to the Victorian college that remained strong to today. A great number of their elderly Deaf community reported going to school there, and still having strong friendship bonds to Deaf people in Melbourne. These tire inadvertently influence the local language. Perhaps what is of most interest to me is the regional language. You see, despite the history and broad preferences and language tendencies, all three towns also displayed what can best be described as a local dialect. Signs that were commonly preferred between all three towns that did not follow any of the afore referred to ‘so called rules’. I will refer to the color signs as they are such an obvious example. The sign for ‘Blue’ followed the northern preference, yet ‘Red’ southern. Such examples were common.

So what does that mean for a learner?

So that brings me back to my earlier statement. There is no such thing as Qld sign, verses NSW sign and so on. Language is influenced by so much more than state boundaries. It is influenced by personal experiences, travel and history of it’s users, age and overall demographic and yes, geographical location to a smaller extent.

The best advise I have for anybody wanting to make sure they are learning signs ‘preferred’ by their local signing community is to jump in and chat with them. If you get a chance to diving to a sign conversation with your local community (on line or even better in person) you can always ask them. You signed ** for ** I sign **, both right?

The fact is that the younger signers around Australia think that we are all ‘bazzar’. A teenage boy I met recently in Victoria put it best, I think:

“What do you mean ‘Qld sign’ or ‘Melbourne Sign’, it is all my sign. My brother is not ‘wrong’, no matter what English word he uses. He can play with his language, expand it, grow it. He can even take words from other languages, like ‘déjà vu’, but you try and tell me I am wrong if I choose one sign over another!”

Who am I to argue, besides, I agree.