Glossary (Version 8.4)

The production of structurally correct forms of the target language.

Active watching or viewing, instead of active listening, is required in an Auslan class. Students concentrate visually on the reception and understanding of the signed message.

Australian Language and Literacy Policy.

A digital code, note or comment on a video file that identifies something about the language; for example, what signs are used or where there is a particular handshape.

Relating to the physical movements required to produce language.

American Sign Language. Although signed languages around the world share some similar properties, they are in fact quite different, particularly at the lexical level.

How the action or event a verb describes happens over time, for example, it can be ongoing or completed.

Changes made to a verb to show aspect.

Intended readers, listeners or viewers.

The notion of superiority based on the ability to hear. Like other forms of oppression, such as racism or sexism, audism stigmatises deaf people and limits their potential. The term was first coined by Tom Humphries in 1977.

Texts or materials produced for ‘real-life’ purposes and contexts, as opposed to being created specifically for learning tasks or language practice.

A verb that combines with another verb in a verb phrase to form tense, as in will, or mood, as in should or can.