7 tips for learning Auslan

Learning a new language as an adult is wild!

And a completely different journey to when we were kids.

As hearing children growing up, we basically acquired language through osmosis in those first few years of life. Our brains were so malleable and craving language input, that when it hit (because we were fortunate enough to have full and rich access), those little neurons fired off and we started to absorb everything around us with little effort required. It was almost as if the gates were left wide open and language flowed in like a swarm of charging bees.

But then we got old (sorry for the reminder).

And all of a sudden our ability to retain information or even remember what we did last Wednesday starts to get a little foggy! So learning a new language, particularly one in a different mode (signed) becomes a whole new level of challenging...

I was 20 years old when I began my journey with sign language (Auslan).

I was bright eyed bushy tailed and had just come home from a year traveling around Europe. I was mid-way through my Bachelor of Education and ended up working at a centre with DHH kids, which led to me learning a few simple signs. It didn't take long for me to fall completely in love with it and 14 years later the love affair is still going strong!

It's important to note that my Auslan journey was and is very different to that of a parent learning for their deaf child. I didn't have a whole range of other responsibilities at that point in my life and there wasn't this urgent incentive or need to learn within a given timeline.

So in order for me to really understand this journey I turned to the sources at my disposal - parents I support, online parent forums, the current literature and even my very own husband - to gather what I believe to be,

The 7 best tips for learning a signed language as a hearing adult:

1. Understand the iconicity of signs and how they originated

This basically means that when you're given a new sign to learn, move beyond the age old ROTE learning method of repeating it 100 times until it sticks, and instead try and find a way to connect your current knowledge and/or a visual reminder to the sign. For example, the iconic sign DRINK, visually looks like the action of drinking, so reminding yourself of this every time you attempt the sign DRINK can help to remember it long-term.

Additionally, understanding the origins of a sign can help in retaining it. I remember when I was learning the sign DOG, I was told that it's connected to the natural action of patting on your legs when calling your dog over to greet you. This helped me to remember this sign when producing it later on. 

2. Immerse yourself in the culture and community and native signers as much as you can

This is one of the biggest factors that sets learners' apart particularly when learning a signed language and is really a non-negotiable if your goal is to become conversationally "fluent".

By engaging with native signers and immersing yourself in the Deaf world, you begin to see the language not as simple key signs to piece together, but as a complex and rich language in its fullest and most natural form. And you begin to better understand the intricate elements, mannerisms and styles in which the language is produced and used within a cultural context.

For example, many don't recognise when first learning a signed language, the importance of non-manual features, which are essentially the facial and body "grammar" elements that are deeply embedded within the language.

3. Sign in public with your child as much as possible to break the "self conscious" feeling of being a new learner

This is one of the biggest fears that came out of my conversations with new parents learning a signed language. As much as they wished they didn't, they would shy away or dial down their signed conversations with their child when outside the comfort of their four homely walls. This is a really common feeling and if you're at this point right now, you're not along! However, there's actually a lot of positive things that can come from signing to our children in public.

Firstly, we are forced to break through that fear of being ogled at or judged by others and the more we do it the easier it becomes.

Secondly, it exposes those around us to communication in a different mode and indirectly educates them around diversity and the significance of signed languages in society.

And thirdly, it's a really handy way to communicate with your children in these noisier settings or when you're battling with the background noise around you. See? It's really a win win!

5. Get a study buddy to practice along the journey with "voice off time"
   
   
6. Take the feedback of native signers to grow and hone your skills (it's okay to do a wrong sign!)
   
   
7. Find a teacher you click with - that motivates you to stay on the path
   
   
8. Keep the language visual and present in your environment

Clare x