Auslan Signbank
Auslan Signbank is a free web resource for Australian Sign Language, combining a searchable sign dictionary with information about the Australian Deaf commun…
What Auslan Signbank is
Auslan Signbank is a free web resource for Australian Sign Language, combining a searchable sign dictionary with information about the Australian Deaf community. Dictionary entries include videos of Deaf people using the listed signs. Users can look up signs with an English keyword or its first letters, browse keywords alphabetically, and filter by topic. When a keyword has signs in multiple dialects, a setting can place the preferred dialect first. Searches can also be limited to health-related vocabulary; some medical terms without a commonly used sign may have an Auslan video explanation. The site links to the Expanded Auslan Corpus, where visitors can see signs used by different people in sentences and contexts. Its annotation files cover 357 movie clips, with additions made over time. Visitors may suggest corrections or additions and report missing signs, and accepted additions can receive community feedback. Signbank says it is not a stand-alone language-learning tool and recommends interaction with Auslan users or taking a course. The site also says it does not answer specific Auslan questions or provide individual technical support. It is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Good
- Dictionary entries include videos of sign use
- Search by English keyword, topic, or alphabetically
- Preferred dialect can appear first in matches
- Links signs to sentence and context examples
Watch out
- Not designed as a stand-alone learning tool
- No individual technical support
- Offline access is not available
Who it suits
Signbank suits people looking up Auslan signs, including those who want video examples, dialect ordering, or health-related terms. It can supplement learning but is not intended to teach the language on its own.
Verdict
Auslan Signbank is a free reference for searching signs and exploring their use in context. Learners should pair it with interaction with Auslan users or a course.
Plans and prices
From Auslan Signbank's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Auslan Signbank | Free | Free Auslan signs dictionary · not designed as a stand-alone language learning tool · no individual technical support |
The facts
Each one read from Auslan Signbank's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Community feedback
- Users can suggest corrections and additions or report a missing sign, and accepted additions can receive further community feedback.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Content contributors
- The site says it is updated with information contributed by the Deaf community or derived from annotations in the Auslan Corpus.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Corpus connection
- Signbank links to the Expanded Auslan Corpus so users can view signs used by different people in sentences and contexts.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Corpus scope
- The site reports that the Expanded Auslan Corpus annotation files cover 357 movie clips, with annotations being added over time.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Dialect
- A dialect setting controls the order of signs shown for keyword matches, putting the preferred dialect first when multiple signs match.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Dictionary search
- Users can search by an English keyword or its first few letters, browse keywords alphabetically, and limit results by topic category.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Feedback limits
- The site says it does not acknowledge receipt of comments or answer specific Auslan questions, and it cannot offer individual technical support.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Health vocabulary
- Users can restrict sign searches to health-related signs; health and medical terms without a commonly used sign may have an Auslan video explanation.checked 7 Oct 2001
- History
- The acknowledgements page says the first internet version of the multimedia dictionary launched in 2004 and that the current site is an expanded multimedia edition.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Learning limit
- Signbank says it is not designed to be a stand-alone language learning tool and recommends interacting with Auslan users or attending a course.checked 7 Oct 2001
- License
- The site states that Auslan Signbank is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Purpose
- Auslan Signbank is a language resources site for Australian Sign Language, with a dictionary and information about the Australian Deaf community.checked 7 Oct 2001
Where it runs
- Sign videos
- The site includes videos of Deaf people using listed Auslan signs.checked 7 Oct 2001
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