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Makaton, Auslan, Signed English - What's the difference?

by Karen Bloomberg, SCIOP (1998)

Auslan - Sign Language

Auslan is the language of the deaf community in Australia. People who are born deaf, who become deaf early in life or who are children of deaf parents will often learn and use sign language. It is a visual language, as rich and as complex as any spoken language. Even though the underlying structure of sign language is similar across cultures, different countries have their own sign languages. In Australia, the deaf community uses Auslan, in America they use American Sign Language (A.S.L.), in France they use French Sign Language (F.S.L.) and so on for different countries around the world. The structure of a signed sentence may be similar but the actual signs will vary across cultures.

Sign language has developed over the centuries in communities where deaf people have had the chance to live and work together. It has evolved over time in the same way that spoken language has evolved. Like spoken languages each community has a sign vocabulary that is like a dialect and is specific to an area or region. However, unlike speech, sign language does not follow English word order. A sentence in Auslan is not a direct translation of spoken language and deaf people tend not to use speech. Auslan has its own grammar which uses many visual strategies like gestures and facial expression. Often finger spelling is used (i.e. spelling which uses different handshapes to represent the letters of the alphabet). The Auslan dictionary is available as a source of signs.

Features -	Visual strategies - body language, facial expression
	Non spoken word order
	Unique grammar and sentence structure
	Use of finger spelling
	No (or little) speech
	Use of Auslan signs and natural gesture

Signed English

Signed English was created as a way of trying to help deaf students to learn to read. Deaf children find reading difficult because books are written in English word order. Sign language has its own grammar which is quite different. It was thought that if deaf children could be taught to sign in English word order, it would be easier to learn speech and literacy. Often sign vocabularies were designed just for this purpose e.g.. Paget Gorman Systematic Sign and other systems were adapted using many of the signs already found in deaf sign language. Neither have worked very effectively - partly because some members of the deaf community resented hearing people imposing a sign system on them just for teaching purposes and partly because signing is a visual language that does not make sense when limited to English word order.

Signed English uses speech and sign concurrently. It does not take into account facial expression, body language or other visual strategies. All words are signed with grammatical markers and finger spelling being used to show the different parts speech or for words with no known sign. The Dictionary of Australasian Signs was produced as a resource book although nowadays its use is being phased out and the Auslan Dictionary with Auslan signs used in English word order is becoming more popular.

Features -	Grammar and sentence structure of spoken language
	Use of speech and sign concurrently
	Use of finger spelling and/or sign markers (for grammar)
	use of australasian signs or auslan
	No use of visual strategies

The Makaton Vocabulary (Key word sign)

Makaton borrows features from both Auslan and Signed English. It is used with a different population. Makaton is used with children and adults who can usually hear but who either cannot talk or whose speech is difficult to understand. At this stage, it uses signs from the Dictionary of Australasian Signs although this may change as the dictionary is being phased out. Makaton use a key word approach. This means that people use speech with their signs but they do not sign every word, they only sign the key words of the sentence. Makaton also borrows features from Auslan. It incorporates many of the visual strategies such as body language and facial expression which usually reinforces the meaning of what is being communicated. It does not use fingerspelling or sign markers (for grammar). At this stage, the Makaton vocabulary is primarily used with Australasian Signs, this may change as the Dictionary of Australasian Signs is phased out. The available source of signs is currently the book of Line Drawings to use with the Revised Makaton Vocabulary.

Features -	Use of speech and sign concurrently
	Only sign the key words (but say the whole sentence)
	No use of finger spelling
	Visual strategies - body language, facial expression
	Use of Australasian signs and natural gesture

Bibliography

Jeanes R. C., Reynolds, B. E. & Coleman, B. C. 1989 (Eds.) Dictionary of Australasian Signs (2^nd Edition) Victorian College for the Deaf, 597 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, Victoria 3004.
* Available from Victorian College for the Deaf

Johnston, T. (1998) Auslan Dictionary - A Dictionary of the Sign Language of the Australian Deaf Community (2^nd Edition) North Rocks Press, North Rocks NSW 2151
* Available from Technical Books, Swanston St. Melbourne 3000. Phone - 03 9663 3951

Johnston, T. (1998) Signs of Australia CD ROM version of Auslan Dictionary
* Available from Technical Books, Swanston St. Melbourne 3000. Phone - 03 9663 3951

Walker, M. & Cooney A. (1984) Line Drawings for Use with the Revised Makaton Vocabulary (Australian Version) Makaton Australia, Special Education Centre, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308
* Available from SCIOP or Makaton Australia