00:07 Auslan, Australian Sign Language, was first coined by linguist Trevor Johnston
00:15 after lengthy consultation with the deaf community.
00:20 Although the name came into being in 1989, the language itself has been around for many years.
00:27 Originating from British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language has taught in the first Deaf schools
00:32 the language has developed over time through use in the community.
00:37 School, family and social events, places of employment, religious settings
00:43 have all influenced Auslan over the years.
00:48 Auslan is not a made up language but has naturally evolved over time as all languages do.
00:55 Another aspect of Auslan in common with other language
00:59 is the existence of variation within the language.
01:02 These variations may be the result of the signers age, gender,
01:07 education, social network, religious affiliation and socioeconomic status.
01:17 There is also a north and south dialect
01:19 which provides some variation in the vocabulary for such things as colours and numbers.
01:26 The sign for 'Afternoon' is signed differently in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania.
01:40 Part of the reason for variation within the language is Irish Sign Language
01:44 being taught in early Catholic schools
01:46 by comparison to British Sign Language being taught in other schools.
01:51 Auslan has also been influenced by Deaf people who have been exposed to other sign languages
01:56 through travel and even written language.
02:00 The videos in this section include both left and right handed signers,
02:05 female and male, northern and southern dialect
02:10 as well as variation from other influences throughout their lives,
02:14 whether they grew up in a deaf family, had a deaf sibling or were exposed to Auslan later in life.
02:21 There are many factors that can influence language
02:23 including if the person is bilingual with a strong grasp of English.