Descriptions in Storytelling

In English we give context and set a scene. When telling stories in Australian sign language, description adds a rich context and experience to the story, and allows the story to be more clearly visualised.

Description is often given using the lexicalised (as found in the dictionary) sign for an object, for example, car:

Then, depiction how the object looks, moves or feels using non-manual features and enactment.
For example, the following shows that the above 'car' was moving quite fast:

And depiction shows the action of a car overtaking another:

See how I'm describing a situation with my hands? These are not lexicalised signs, but depicting signs to describe what happened in the situation. The Non-Manual features (facial expression) indicate what sort of an experience it was for the driver. 

Introducing Oneself, and Fingerspelling

When introducing oneself, it is necessary to fingerspell one's name. Using the fingerspelling tool on the Auslan signbank, one can type in their name like so:

Then, to say where you come from, you use this sign:

Then use the sign for where you come from!

Using the Auslan signbank, you can use the numbers to say how old you are. Instead of the hand movement beginning at the chest (for example, 25 on its own), to indicate that you are talking about age, the hand shapes begin at the nose:

From the nose, the below video indicates "25 years old'