AUSLAN Past/Present tense forms

[Adam Schembri, Deaf Studies]

Yes, I would agree with Des. In terms of DO and DID, this signer
appears to have been using some borrowed vocabulary from Australasian
Signed English (ASE). The ASE sign for DO is in fact borrowed from the
ASL fingerspelt D-O, and DID is a similar form with, I think, a
slightly different handshape and orientation. The ASE sign is, however,
regularly used by some Auslan signers.

As for SEE and SAW, there are signs in ASE for these two, but it is
possible that the signer in question could have been using an Auslan
sign SEE + FINISH (which may also mean 'witness' in certain contexts).

Generally, like ASL and other signed languages, Auslan verbs are not
marked for tense. In ASE, irregular past tense forms all have separate
signs (i.e., the sign for SWIM is produced with a B handshape, but for
SWAM, the same sign is produced with an S handshape).

Adam

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Adam Schembri
Centre for Deaf Studies
University of Bristol
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Bristol BS8 1TN
United Kingdom
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Email: Adam.Schembri at bristol.ac.uk
Website: www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/DeafStudies