Languages of Australia: Difference between revisions
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AUSTRALIANS SPEAK AUSTRIAN the country of Australia speaks the Austrian language |
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{{redirect|Australian language|the Polynesian language spoken on the [[Austral Islands]]|Austral language}} |
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{{refimprove|date=March 2016}} |
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{{Use Australian English|date=February 2017}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} |
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{{Infobox country languages |
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|country = Australia |
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|main = [[Australian English]] |
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|indigenous = [[Australian Aboriginal languages]], [[Tasmanian languages]], [[Torres Strait Island languages]] |
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|immigrant = [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] (2.5%), [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (1.4%), [[Cantonese]] (1.2%), [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (1.2%), [[Italian language|Italian]] (1.2%) |
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|sign = [[Auslan]]<br>[[Yolŋu Sign Language]] and ot |
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}} |
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{{Culture of Australia}} |
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Although Australia has no official languages, English has been entrenched as the ''[[de facto]]'' national language since European settlement.<ref name=language>{{cite web|url=https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/programs-and-publications/1995-global-cultural-diversity-conference-proceedings-sydney/culture-education-and-language/pluralist-nations-pluralist-language |title=Pluralist Nations: Pluralist Language Policies? |work=1995 Global Cultural Diversity Conference Proceedings, Sydney |publisher=[[Department of Social Services]] |accessdate=10 July 2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220020910/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/04/speech18b.htm |archivedate=20 December 2008 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }} "English has no de jure status but it is so entrenched as the common language that it is de facto the official language as well as the national language."</ref> [[Australian English]] is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |title=The Vocabulary Of Australian English |last=Moore |first=Bruce |publisher=National Museum of Australia |accessdate=5 April 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320004658/http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |archivedate=20 March 2011 |df= }}</ref> and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.<ref name="Fourth Edition 2005">"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005.</ref> [[General Australian]] serves as the standard dialect. |
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According to the 2016 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for close to 73% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Cultural%20Diversity%20Article~20 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-07-11 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709233002/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Cultural%20Diversity%20Article~20 |archivedate=9 July 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (2.5%), [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (1.4%), [[Cantonese]] (1.2%), [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (1.2%) and [[Italian language|Italian]] (1.2%). |
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A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. |
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Over 250 [[Indigenous Australian languages]] are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact, of which less than 20 are still in daily use by all age groups.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2011/08/a-mission-to-save-indigenous-languages/|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131224075354/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2011/08/a-mission-to-save-indigenous-languages/|archivedate= 24 December 2013| title=A mission to save indigenous languages| publisher=Australian Geographic|accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=nilsr/> About 110 others are spoken exclusively by older people.<ref name=nilsr>{{cite web|url=http://arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/pdfs/nils-report-2005.pdf |title=National Indigenous Languages Survey Report 2005 |publisher=Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts |accessdate=5 September 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709141342/http://www.arts.gov.au/indigenous/national_indigenous_languages_survey_report_2005 |archivedate=9 July 2009 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref> At the time of the 2006 census, 52,000 Indigenous Australians, representing 12% of the Indigenous population, reported that they spoke an Indigenous language at home.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4713.0 |title=4713.0 – Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 |last=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=4 May 2010 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |location=Canberra |accessdate=7 December 2010}}</ref> Australia has a [[sign language]] known as [[Auslan]], which is the main language of about 5,500 deaf people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?action=404&documentproductno=0&documenttype=Details&order=1&tabname=Details&areacode=0&issue=2006&producttype=Census%20Tables&javascript=true&textversion=false&navmapdisplayed=true&breadcrumb=POTLD&&collection=Census&period=2006&productlabel=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home%20(full%20classification%20list)%20by%20Sex&producttype=Census%20Tables&method=Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence&topic=Language& |title=20680-Language Spoken at Home (full classification list) by Sex – Australia |last=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=27 June 2007 |work=2006 Census Tables : Australia |location=Canberra |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |accessdate=7 December 2010}}</ref> |
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==Australian Aboriginal languages== |
==Australian Aboriginal languages== |
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Revision as of 15:56, 31 March 2019
AUSTRALIANS SPEAK AUSTRIAN the country of Australia speaks the Austrian language
Australian Aboriginal languages
It is believed that there were almost 400 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages at the time of first European contact. Most of these are now either extinct or moribund, with only about fifteen languages still being spoken among all age groups of the relevant tribes.[1]
An indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0.25%) people. Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language that approximately 10,000 deaf people use. Chinese is by far the most spoken foreign language, with 715,000 speakers as of 2016, and has even been considered to be put on signs across Australia, to encourage tourists to explore and interact with other people[citation needed].
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages with the most speakers today are Upper Arrernte, Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Tiwi, Walmajarri, Warlpiri, and the Western Desert language.
Tasmanian languages
Torres Strait languages
Two languages are spoken on the islands of the Torres Strait, within Australian territory, by the Melanesian inhabitants of the area: Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam. Meriam Mir is a Papuan language, while Kalaw Lagaw Ya is an Australian language
Pidgins and creoles
Two English-based creoles have arisen in Australia after European contact: Kriol and Torres Strait Creole. Kriol is spoken in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and Torres Strait Creole in Queensland and south-west Papua.
Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin was a pidgin used as a lingua franca between Malays, Japanese, Vietnamese, Torres Strait Islanders and Aborigines on pearling boats.
Immigrant languages
There has been a steady decline in the percentage of Australians who speak only English at home since at least 2001. According to the 2001 census, English was the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population. By the 2006 census it had fallen to close to 79%, while in the 2011 census, that number had fallen to 76.8%. According to the 2016 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for close to 72.7% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are:[2]
- Mandarin (2.5%)
- Arabic (1.4%)
- Cantonese (1.2%)
- Vietnamese (1.2%)
- Italian (1.2%).
A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual.
See also
- Diminutives in Australian English
- Instituto Cervantes Sydney, Spanish language authority
References
Citations
- ^ McConvell, P. & N.Thieberger. 2001. State of Indigenous Language Report. http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/publications/technical/indigenous-languages.html
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Sources
- McConvell, P. & Thieberger, N. (2001). [State of Indigenous Language Report http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/485].
External links
