2nd L (F–10) 7-8
Understanding
Role of language and culture - Elaboration 7
- exploring the nature of culture and how it is related to ways of thinking
and using language, for example by comparing the cultural concept of Deaf
identity with a medical model of deafness
- reflecting on ways that Auslan describes and reflects Deaf culture, comparing
this to the relationship between their own hearing/background language and
culture
- analysing how concepts related to cultural practices are expressed through
language, for example, by identifying elements of naming systems such as the use
of pointing, NMFs and name signs, as in the case of number name signs of older
deaf people who attended the Victorian School for Deaf Children
- identifying and discussing core cultural concepts reflected in Auslan, such as
the collective nature of the Deaf community, the importance of respect for
elders and of reciprocity and responsibility, for example, how signing TAP-2h++
reflects the shared understanding of responsibility to share information and
pass on knowledge, or greater use of the ‘flat hand’ rather than the ‘point
hand’ and use of full titles in acknowledgements and forms of address when
introducing an esteemed elder
- identifying culturally significant attitudes and beliefs conveyed through
Auslan that relate to history, significant individuals, places or events, for
example, frustration with the use of ‘voice’ in front of deaf signers can be
traced to the historical oppression of signed languages
- comparing elements of communication in different contexts and exchanges that
are culturally specific, such as back-channelling, the use of silence or eye
contact, head nodding to indicate understanding rather than agreement, and the
implications of such cultural variability in contexts such as in courts of law
- observing that concepts may be culture and language specific, for example, in
relation to time and space, as in the spatial mapping for timelines in Auslan
- exploring ways in which production and affect related to the sign for COCHLEAR
IMPLANT have evolved due to shifting values and perceptions within the Deaf
community in relation to the implant, noting, for example, the transition from a
negative affect to more neutral production of the sign