With or Without Speech: Arandic Sign Language from Central Australia

Abstract

Australia is home to Indigenous sign languages of varying degrees of complexity. In this paper we describe some of the features of the sign language(s) used in Arandic speaking communities of Central Australia. These sign languages have been referred to as ‘alternate’ because they are semiotic systems that are not usually the primary mode of communication of a community, but rather a form of communication used alongside other semiotic systems, including speech and drawing practices. We give examples of sign use in different contexts—both with and without co-occurring speech. We draw attention to examples where the contribution that sign makes to complex utterances is in addition, or complementary, to that provided by other semiotic means. A better understanding of alternate sign languages in comparison with spoken languages on the one hand, and primary sign languages and other semiotic systems on the other will help us conceptualize the limits and powers of the human semiotic capacity.