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continue readingA look at small, repeatable reading habits that keep momentum going when a new language starts to feel heavy. Practical starting points drawn from the Resources guide for new learners.
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continue readingLearning sign language as a second language changes the way you think about communication. Instead of treating speech as the default and signs as decoration, you encounter a fully developed visual language with its own grammar, history and communities. For many learners, that shift is exciting; for others, it is the moment a hobby becomes a route into accessibility, new friendships and a wider multilingual identity. It also makes you pay attention to the information carried by a face, the rhythm of a hand and the shared space between two people.
Australian learners usually begin with Auslan, the main signed language used by Deaf Australians. It is not a hand-waving substitute for English, nor a simplified version of American Sign Language. Auslan stands alongside British, Japanese and other signed languages as a language in its own right. Approaching it with that understanding changes the study method, the relationships you build and the ways you can contribute as a skilled signer, a friend or an interpreter.
Sign languages express the same range of ideas found in spoken and written languages. They combine handshape, movement, location, body orientation and facial expression, yet their structure cannot be reduced to a set of pictograms or gestures. A sign may encode an action, a person or an entire clause, while repeated movement and referent points can shift meaning. This makes signed communication a rich analytical challenge for people who enjoy language as a system rather than simply a collection of useful phrases.
The practical value soon appears in everyday life. A learner can follow a signed conversation, support a Deaf friend without forcing a painful translation through an intermediary, understand an Auslan-interpreted news bulletin or contribute to an inclusive workplace. Those benefits grow as competence increases. They also create a reason to keep practising when spoken-language progress feels slow, because signing offers visible feedback: a misunderstood handshape or dropped location can often be spotted and corrected.
A signing learner also develops a habit of describing space and context that can improve clarity in other languages. Writing down names before a meeting, arranging instructions visually or noticing when a speaker has shifted to an abstract idea are transferable skills. Signing does not make every interaction easier, but it encourages more deliberate communication in crowded rooms, online calls and multilingual settings alike.
Many language enthusiasts already recognise that becoming multilingual means looking beyond European tongues and familiar apps. Joe Wikert’s multilingual story, shared in this language learning profile, is a useful example of that curiosity. Signed languages belong in the same personal project as Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese or Indigenous languages, offering another route into culture while strengthening attention, memory and expressive confidence.
Auslan developed in Australia and is the principal signed language of the Australian Deaf community. Its signs and grammar differ substantially from American Sign Language and British Sign Language, so learners who copy videos labelled only as “sign language” can absorb another system by mistake. Local Deaf communities also shape regional variation. A sign familiar in Sydney may have a different form or preferred equivalent in Melbourne, while signing in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart can reflect different schools, families and local networks.
The Australian context makes Auslan particularly worthwhile for anyone who wants to engage with local culture rather than treat language learning as an imported hobby. Deaf community organisations, classes and social groups provide ways to meet fluent signers, and resources such as Australian Signbank can help you explore signs, usage notes and regional variation. This national dictionary is useful because ordinary English dictionaries cannot show how a sign fits into a phrase or which variant a community prefers. Signing spaces in major cities are visibly active on social media, while smaller towns may have fewer regular gatherings, so it helps to understand the local scene before planning a language exchange or class.
A separate strand of Australian signing history deserves careful attention. Indigenous Australian Sign Language was used in some Aboriginal Deaf communities and institutions, with its own vocabulary and documented history. It is not a dialect of Auslan, even though both have existed in Australia, and contemporary work is being led by Deaf and Indigenous communities to support its revival and transmission. Learning Auslan is a valuable commitment to one community; claims that it represents every signed language in Australia would erase another history.
Auslan grammar uses the signing space with great precision. Handshape tells you what kind of referent is involved, movement may indicate action or change, and location can identify a person or object introduced earlier. The signer can then point back to an agreed location, move an idea across that space or place two concepts in a visible relationship. For a spoken-language learner, this can feel like learning to compose a sentence in three dimensions.
Facial expression is part of the grammar, not an optional layer of emotion. Raised eyebrows can mark a question, while a tightened expression can signal emphasis or intensity. Learners who concentrate only on the hands will miss much of that information. Conversely, fluent signers use a balance of hand movement, body orientation, gaze and facial grammar, so training all of those channels is more useful than memorising isolated handshapes. Video practice helps because it lets you slow the movement and compare placement.
The Australian manual alphabet is another practical entry point. It is primarily a one-handed system used for spelling names, places and unfamiliar terms, but fingerspelling does not replace fluency in Auslan. Knowing the alphabet also exposes you to handshape drills that support clearer signing. Beginners often notice that signs which look simple can contain several hidden movements. Slowing a video can reveal changes in palm orientation or direction that a first attempt misses, while filming a practice attempt provides a way to compare your work with an established Auslan example.
Treat fingerspelling as a support within the wider language, keep learning core signs and connected phrases, and remember that Auslan differs from ASL and BSL in vocabulary, grammar and cultural convention. Mixing systems can slow progress and create habits that need unlearning.
Deaf culture is the foundation of respectful Auslan learning. In Australian usage, the capital D in Deaf identifies people who share sign languages, cultural values and community life, while people who use Auslan as a second language participate in that culture without pretending to have identical experiences. One practical norm is to ask a Deaf person directly whether they want an interpreter or assistance. Another is to avoid speaking over a Deaf person or interpreter; it may be well intentioned, yet it can make communication harder for everyone.
Local custom includes visual attention, turn-taking and acknowledgement. Keep your eyes available rather than staring without limit, look toward the person signing when you are addressed, and wait for a visual cue when beginning a conversation. You can learn how to sign thanks, welcome and “sorry” as gestures of courtesy, but exact conventions vary across people and situations. The larger point is to treat signing as communication between equals, not a performance put on for visitors.
Good etiquette also includes acknowledging when you do not understand. A clear “I don’t understand” sign and an offer to slow down are more respectful than guessing or nodding. In a class, asking a fluent signer to repeat a phrase and explain its context helps everyone; in a public interaction, an interpreter may be the appropriate support rather than an improvised translation.
Auslan interpretation is already part of Australian public life. SBS and ABC offer selected programming with Auslan interpretation, Deaf community organisations create accessible media, and interpreted clips circulate widely on social platforms. National Auslan Day, observed on 28 September, also gives communities a focal point for events and awareness. None of this makes a hearing learner an automatic ally or expert. It does mean Auslan skills can connect with tangible needs in the community when learners practise with humility and keep following Deaf-led channels.
A workable beginning is small, regular and receptive before it is productive. Learn basic handshapes, locations, common signs and useful facial markers; then watch Auslan videos or join a class where you can follow a signer. Keep a notebook for signs you meet in context instead of building an enormous word list without examples. Practise returning to the same short exchanges until they become automatic, and pair that study with contact with Deaf and Auslan users whenever possible.
Australia offers several routes into the language. Some TAFE institutions, community colleges, universities, private schools and community associations run Auslan courses, with different levels, schedules and fee structures. Melbourne and Sydney have extensive provider networks, while regional and online options can serve people outside capital cities. Compare a provider’s access to Deaf instructors, class size and feedback rather than choosing solely by price. A small community class may deliver more conversational practice than an expensive introductory lecture series.
Consistency matters more than intensity for most people. Fifteen minutes of focused review can outperform a rare three-hour session, especially when the same signs appear in stories, conversation and daily life. Online dictionaries, videos and spaced-repetition tools can support recall, but human interaction supplies the feedback an app cannot: speed, clarity, regional choice and turn-taking. For regular encouragement and ideas beyond one language, Polyglot Nerd’s weekly language notes offer a useful stream of practical material.
The benefits of signing extend well beyond a new item on a CV. It changes how you notice rhythm, emphasis and emotional tone, and it gives you a way to create, perform and communicate that does not depend on speech or writing. You can use signed storytelling and theatre, combine signing with mime, and take on interpreted presentations to explore a different relationship between body and language. For a polyglot, these skills complement spoken languages rather than compete with them.
Personal networks often expand as well. Auslan classes bring together people who might never share a workplace, faith community or friendship group, and the language becomes a practical bridge after the class ends. That can matter in a country where distance makes casual contact difficult, particularly when online signing fills the gap between cities. The habit of meeting another person through a shared language also makes you more attentive to accessibility in transport, education, health services and digital media.
Polyglot Nerd’s multilingual learning resources can help place signing within a broader language-learning life, alongside interviews and advice from people who keep several languages active. What makes signed language compelling is that it is both deeply local and radically expansive: Auslan connects you to Deaf Australians and their culture, while the wider family of signed languages opens new comparisons with Japanese, British and American signed-language communities. Learning it adds another form of literacy to the multilingual self—one carried through movement, expression, attention and shared presence.