PSPLAN013 — Analyse the semantics and sociolinguistics of Auslan

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• complete a written, verbal or Auslan signed report to include: five examples of signs in Auslan and words in English that have a matching citation sign and lexical word but no semantic equivalence
• an evaluation of five factors that affect the linguistic choices Auslan signers and English speakers make; to include social and contextual factors
• definitions of metaphor and euphemism and how these are used to enrich communication
• examples of four taboo words or signs and evaluation of why these may cause offence
• arguments for and against standardisation of Auslan
• watch a proficient or native Auslan signer deliver a live text, which can be deliberately delivered at a moderate speed, and identify: use of semantic equivalence, use of non-equivalent semantics between English and Auslan, use of metaphor, use of euphemism
• produce and deliver different three Auslan texts, each lasting for a maximum of three minutes, that cumulatively use: semantic equivalence, non-equivalent semantics between English and Auslan, metaphor, euphemism
• During the delivery of the texts, the individual can: ask for assessor clarification twice, correct and repeat own signed text twice, show idiosyncrasies in sign production, pause, hesitate and repeat signs, communicate meaning using signed sentences without presenting a text which is cohesive overall

Knowledge evidence

• word classes and word order in English
• sign classes and sign order in Auslan
• common morphological and syntactic structures In English and Auslan
• the meaning of metaphor and reasons why people use metaphor in spoken and signed languages
• how Auslan uses metaphor to make iconic signs
• a range of English words which might be considered taboo in Auslan
• the meaning of euphemism and reasons why people use euphemism in spoken and signed languages
• various factors that affect the linguistic choices Auslan signers and English speakers make: personal factors: age, school attended, gender, religion, educational background; level and type of education, language of family, age at which learnt to sign (native and non-native signers), whether signer was fluent in another language prior to learning Auslan; contextual factors: location or circumstance of communication – school, work, church, medical, legal, how many people are involved in the communication; one, two or more than two, belonging to a particular subgroup within the Deaf community, especially the Deafblind community, need to adjust signing to communicate with less proficient signers, signers using different dialects, signers of different ages and genders
• factors which may affect the standardisation of languages in general and sign languages in particular
• advantages of standardising Auslan to include: teaching and use of standardised signs for ease of communication, easier production of standardised teaching resources, ease of communication between Deaf people, rather than idiomatic varieties causing communication barriers outside a small circle of users
• disadvantages of standardising Auslan to include: barriers to personal use of regional or group dialects, loss of ownership by Deaf people and individual communities, difficulty in standardising a language with no written form

Foundation skills

• Reading skills: interpret unfamiliar information of varying complexity.
• Communication skills: produce short Auslan texts to demonstrate understanding of semantic equivalence, and use of metaphor and euphemism.

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Questions about assessing PSPLAN013