Abstract
This study investigates clause constructions in Auslan. It looks at the alignment of constituent semantic role
with constituent position and order in clauses, changes in the morphology of signs according to position and/or role, and the
interpretation of omitted arguments. The aim is to determine if there are grammatical relations in Auslan. The most frequent
constituent order parallels English, thus Auslan might be said to also instantiate a basic SVO word order. However, every possible
constituent order pattern is also attested without there being other coding and behavioural properties associated with grammatical
relations that could explain this flexibility. I conclude that constituent order in Auslan is the result of the interaction of
pragmatic and semantic factors, visual representation, and language contact with English, rather than autochthonous grammatical
relations. Auslan grammar draws on both so-called gestural and so-called linguistic resources at the clause level, not just at the
word (sign) level.
Morphological Theory and Sign Languages
