AUSLAN Past/Present tense forms

[Don & Theresa Grushkin]

Adam:

Thanks for the clarification.  Re: SEE vs. SAW, she explained that SEE is
with the index finger, while SAW looks like the ASL SEE (with the "2"
handshape).  I didn't see anything that looked like a "FINISH" marker.

--Don G.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Adam Schembri, Deaf Studies" <Adam.Schembri at BRISTOL.AC.UK>
To: <SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2001 3:00 AM
Subject: Re: AUSLAN Past/Present tense forms


> 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
>
> ----------------------
> Adam Schembri
> Centre for Deaf Studies
> University of Bristol
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