2nd L (Yr 7 Entry) 7-8
Understanding

 Systems of language - Elaboration 3

- categorising noun signs into those for people, animals, places or things

- learning that proper nouns can have a sign name or be fingerspelled

- recognising different nouns in clauses, including those that are shown with a pointing sign, such as GIRL READ versus PRO3 READ, or VISIT FRIEND versus VISIT PRO3

- knowing that adjectives describe nouns in different ways, such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel (SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD)

- recognising that a noun group is a group of signs that relate to a person, place or thing that can include elements such as adjectives or numbers

- recognising that expanding a noun into a noun group enriches meaning

- identifying verb signs (SIT, EAT, FEEL, WONDER, HAVE) and recognising that they are central to a clause

- noticing there is no verb ‘to be’ in Auslan, which is a significant difference to English

- exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:

doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALL-OUT, ANNOUNCE) verbs in narrative texts give information about a characters’ actions
sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (THAT’S-TYPICAL-OF-THEM, OWN) verbs indicate what characters think, feel or own
relating verbs identify or describe a noun (for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONG-HAIR)

- noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are called adverbs

- contributing examples of signs that tell:

when a verb happens (IN-2-WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)

- noticing that sometimes Auslan signers have information about how a verb happens through NMFs not separate signs (for example, WRITE-carelessly)

- recognising that a verb group is a group of words built up around a verb that may include adverbs which modify the meaning of verbs and that adverbs and DSs can enrich a verb group

- understanding that a clause is one or more signs expressing a single idea and that a clause has at least one verb, but often one or more nouns as well, for example:

CALL-him
I called him.
MAN THERE GO-TO POSS3 HOUSE
That man went to his house.
BIG MONSTER SCREAM
A big monster screamed.
(* Auslan video example on this is in the ACARA website)

- noticing that while word order in sentences is often important for meaning, there is flexibility in word order in Auslan and that because parts of a sentence can be signed simultaneously in Auslan, it is hard to establish word order

- distinguishing between yes/no questions, wh- questions and statements and their corresponding NMFs