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'{{Short description|none}} {{Redirect|Australian language|the Polynesian language spoken on the [[Austral Islands]]|Austral language}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox country languages|country=Australia|main=[[Australian English]]|indigenous=120 to 170 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and dialects|sign=[[Auslan]] and several others|official=None at Federal level|minority=Over 300}}The '''languages of Australia''' are the major historic and current languages used in Australia and its offshore islands. Over 250 [[Australian Aboriginal languages]] are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact.<ref name=":92">{{Cite book |last=Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications |url=https://www.arts.gov.au/what-we-do/indigenous-arts-and-languages/indigenous-languages-and-arts-program/national-indigenous-languages-report |title=National Indigenous Languages Report |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |year=2020 |location=Canberra |pages=13}}</ref> English is the majority language of Australia today. Although English has no official legal status, it is the ''[[de facto]]'' official and national language.<ref name="language22">{{Cite web |title=Pluralist Nations: Pluralist Language Policies? |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/04/speech18b.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220020910/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/04/speech18b.htm |archive-date=20 December 2008 |access-date=11 January 2009 |work=1995 Global Cultural Diversity Conference Proceedings, Sydney |publisher=[[Department of Immigration and Citizenship]]}} "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><ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last=Ward |first=Rowena |date=2019 |title='National' and 'Official' Languages Across the Independent Asia-Pacific |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/portalv16i1/2.6510 |journal=Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies |volume=16 |issue=1/2 |pages=83–4 |quote=The use of English in Australia is one example of both a de facto national and official language: it is widely used and is the language of government and the courts, but has never been legally designated as the country's official language.}}</ref> [[Australian English]] is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Bruce |title=The Vocabulary Of Australian English |url=http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=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 |archive-date=20 March 2011 |access-date=5 April 2010 |publisher=National Museum of Australia}}</ref> and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.<ref name="Fourth Edition 20053">"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005.</ref> Around 120 to 170 Indigenous languages and dialects are spoken today, but many of these are endangered. [[Creole language|Creole]] languages such [[Australian Kriol|Kriol]] and [[Torres Strait Creole|Yumplatok]] (Torres Strait Creole) are the most widely-spoken Indigenous languages. Other distinctively Australian languages include the Australian sign language [[Auslan]], [[Australian Aboriginal sign languages|Indigenous sign languages]], and [[Norfuk language|Norf'k-Pitcairn]], spoken mostly on Norfolk Island. Major waves of immigration following the Second World War and in the 21st century considerably increased the number of community languages spoken in Australia. In 2021, 5.8 million people used a language other than English at home. The most common of these languages were Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Punjabi, Greek, Italian and Hindi. ==English== {{Main|Australian English}} [[File:Australia 2021 English language spoken at home.png|thumb|Population who speaks only English at home in 2021]] English was introduced into Australia on British settlement in 1788 and in the following decades gradually overtook Indigenous languages to become the majority language of Australia.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last=Leitner |first=Gerhard |title=Australia's Many Voices, Australian English the national language |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter |year=2004 |isbn=3-11-018194-0 |location=Berlin and New York |pages=5–6}}</ref> Although English is not the official language of Australia in law, it is the ''[[de facto]]'' official and national language.<ref name="language22"/><ref name=":24"/> It is the most widely spoken language in the country, and is used as the only language in the home by 72% of the population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Language spoken at home {{pipe}} Australia {{pipe}} Community profile |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/language}}</ref> The increase in the migrant population over the past decade has seen a decline in the number of people speaking only English at home.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Australia 2021 census community profiles, time series profile |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/AUS |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Percentage of population speaking only English at home: 2011, 2016 and 2021 !State/Territory !2011 !2016 !2021 |- |New South Wales<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=New South Wales 2021 Census Community Profiles, Time Series Profile |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/1 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |72.5 |68.5 |67.6 |- |Victoria<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Victoria 2021 Census Community Profiles, time series profile |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/2 |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |72.4 |67.9 |67.2 |- |Queensland<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Queensland 2021 Census community profiles, time series profile |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/3 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |84.8 |81.2 |81.2 |- |South Australia<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=South Australia 2021 census community profiles, time series profile |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/4 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of statistice}}</ref> |81.6 |78.2 |77.6 |- |Western Australia<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Western Australia 2021 census community profile, time series profile |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/5 |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |79.3 |75.2 |75.3 |- |Tasmania<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Tasmania 2021 census community profile, time series profile |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/5 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |91.7 |88.3 |86.1 |- |Northern Territory<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Northern Territory 2021 census community profiles, time series profile |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/5 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |62.8 |58.0 |57.3 |- |Australian Capital Territory<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Australian Capital Territory 2021 census community profile, time series profile |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/8ACTE |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> |77.8 |72.7 |71.3 |- |Australia<ref name=":6" /> |76.8 |72.7 |72.0 |} [[Australian English]] is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Bruce |title=The Vocabulary Of Australian English |url=http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=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 |archive-date=20 March 2011 |access-date=5 April 2010 |publisher=National Museum of Australia}}</ref> and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.<ref name="Fourth Edition 20053"/> [[General Australian]] serves as the standard dialect.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Lalande |first=Line |date=4 May 2020 |title=Australian English in a nutshell |url=https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/blogue-blog/australian-english-eng |publisher=Government of Canada}}</ref> == Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages == {{Main|Australian Aboriginal languages}} Humans arrived in Australia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago<ref>Flood, Josephine (2019). ''The Original Australians''. Sydney: Allen and Unwin. p.&nbsp;217. {{ISBN|9781760527075}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Veth |first1=Peter |title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume 1, Indigenous and Colonial Australia |last2=O'Connor |first2=Sue |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9781107011533 |editor-last=Bashford |editor-first=Alison |location=Cambridge |pages=19 |chapter=The past 50,000 years: an archaeological view |editor-last2=MacIntyre |editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref> but it is possible that the ancestor language of existing Indigenous languages is as recent as 12,000 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marchese |first=David |date=28 March 2018 |title=Indigenous languages come from just one common ancestor, researchers say |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-28/indigenous-language-comes-from-a-single-root-tongue/9594414 |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=ABC news}}</ref> Over 250 [[Australian Aboriginal languages]] are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact.<ref name=":92"/> The National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) for 2018-19 found that more than 120 Indigenous language varieties were in use or being revived, although 70 of those in use are endangered.<ref name=":12">National Indigenous Language Report (2020). pp. 42, 65</ref> The 2021 census found that 167 Indigenous languages were spoken at home by 76,978 Indigenous Australians.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title=Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Census |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-census/2021 |access-date=7 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> NILS and the Australian Bureau of Statistics use different classifications for Indigenous Australian languages.<ref name=":16">National Indigenous Languages Report (2020). p. 46</ref> According to the 2021 census, the classifiable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages with the most speakers are Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) (7,596 speakers), Kriol (7,403), [[Dhuwal language|Djambarrpuyngu]] (3,839), [[Pitjantjatjara dialect|Pitjantjatjara]] (3,399), [[Warlpiri language|Warlpiri]] (2,592), [[Murrinh-patha language|Murrinh Patha]] (2,063) and [[Tiwi language|Tiwi]] (2,053). There were also over 10,000 people who spoke an Indigenous language which could not be further defined or classified.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |date=25 October 2022 |title=Language Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/language-statistics-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> === Torres Strait Island languages === {{Main|Torres Strait Island languages}} Three languages are spoken on the islands of the [[Torres Strait]], within Australian territory, by the Melanesian inhabitants of the area: Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) (7,596 speakers used the language at home in 2021), [[Kalaw Lagaw Ya]] (875 speakers) and [[Meriam language|Meriam Mir]] (256 speakers).<ref name=":17" /> Meriam Mir is a [[Papuan languages|Papuan language]], while Kalaw Lagaw Ya is an Australian language. === Creoles === A number of English-based [[Creole language|creoles]] have arisen in Australia after European contact, of which Kriol and Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) are among the strongest and fastest-growing Indigenous languages. Kriol is spoken in the [[Northern Territory]] and [[Western Australia]], and Torres Strait Creole in Queensland and south-west Papua. It is estimated that there are 20,000 to 30,000 speakers of Indigenous creole languages.<ref>National Indigenous Languages Report (2020). pp. 42, 54-55</ref> ===Tasmanian languages=== {{Main|Tasmanian languages}} Before British colonisation, there were perhaps five to sixteen languages on Tasmania,<ref>Crowley, ''Field Linguistics,'' 2007:3</ref> possibly related to one another in four [[Language family|language families]].<ref name="Bowern">Claire Bowern, September 2012, "The riddle of Tasmanian languages", ''Proc. R. Soc. B'', 279, 4590–4595, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1842</ref> The last speaker of a traditional Tasmanian language died in 1905.<ref>NJB Plomley, 1976b. ''Friendly mission: the Tasmanian journals of George Augustus Robinson 1829–34. Kingsgrove. pp. xiv–xv.''</ref> [[Palawa kani]] is an in-progress constructed language, built from a composite of surviving words from various Tasmanian Aboriginal languages.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 July 2019 |title=T16: Palawa kani |url=https://collection.aiatsis.gov.au/austlang/language/T16}}</ref> === Indigenous sign languages === {{Main|Australian Aboriginal sign languages}} Traditional Indigenous languages often incorporated sign systems to aid communication with the hearing impaired, to complement verbal communication, and to replace verbal communication when the spoken language was forbidden for cultural reasons. Many of these sign systems are still in use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Fiona |date=19 June 2021 |title=Aboriginal sign languages have been used for thousands of years |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-19/australian-indigenous-sign-languages/100185504 |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=ABC News online}}</ref> ==Other languages== {{Culture of Australia}} === Sign languages === The Australian sign language [[Auslan]] was used at home by 16,242 people at the time of the 2021 census.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing: Cultural diversity data summary, 2021, TABLE 5. LANGUAGE USED AT HOME BY STATE AND TERRITORY |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-diversity-census/2021#data-downloads |access-date=7 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> Over 2,000 people used other sign languages at home in 2021. There is a small community of people who use [[Australian Irish Sign Language]].<ref>{{cite web |title=austririshsign-adam-0376 |url=https://www.elararchive.org/uncategorized/SO_9c3cfc02-f7c0-4571-8e5e-5e5983ebd5a8/ |access-date=24 December 2022 |website=Endangered Languages Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Australian Irish Sign Language: a minority sign language within a larger sign language community |url=https://cultureincrisis.org/projects/australian-irish-sign-language-a-minority-sign-language-within-a-larger-sign-language-community |access-date=24 December 2022 |website=Culture in Crisis}}</ref> === Norf'k-Pitcairn === [[Norfuk language|Norf'k-Pitcairn]], a creole of 18th century English and Tahitian, was introduced to Norfolk Island by Pitcairn settlers after 1856. In 2021, it was used at home by 907 people, mostly on Norfolk Island.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2022 |title=Understanding ancestry, language and birthplace of the Norfolk Island population |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/understanding-ancestry-language-and-birthplace-norfolk-island-population |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> === Other spoken languages === The proportion of Australians speaking a language other than English increased after the Second World War due to the immigration of refugees and displaced persons from European countries. In the 21st century, there was another sharp increase in immigration, especially from Asia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=Cultural diversity of Australia |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/cultural-diversity-australia |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> In 2021, 5.8 million people (22.8% of the population) reported using a language other than English at home. The ten most common of these were: Mandarin (2.7% of census respondents), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%), Punjabi (0.9%), Greek (0.9%), Italian (0.9%), Hindi (0.8%), Spanish (0.7%) and Nepali (0.5%). == Language education == English is the language of school education in Australia and is a key learning area in the Australian curriculum up to Year 10.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 August 2022 |title=Australian Curriculum |url=https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Government, Department of Education}}</ref> Languages are also a key learning area up to Year 10 and include Arabic, Auslan, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese, as well as the Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages, and Framework for Classical Languages including Classical Greek and Latin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian curriculum, Learning areas |url=https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/f-10-curriculum-overview/learning-areas |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Curriculum}}</ref> Year 12 enrolments in Languages Other than English declined over the 10 years to 2021 and are the lowest of all subject areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hennebry-Leunig |first=Mairin |date=6 May 2021 |title=Is your kid studying a second language at school? How much they learn will depend on where you live |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-06/child-studying-second-language-school-learning-depends-where/100118720 |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Year 12 subject enrolments |url=https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia-data-portal/year-12-subject-enrolments |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority}}</ref> There are a number of Indigenous language programs inside and outside the school system. The Australian Government has committed $14.1 million over the four years to 2025-2026 to teach First Nations languages in primary schools across Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 October 2022 |title=First Nations languages in Australian primary schools |url=https://www.education.gov.au/schooling/announcements/first-nations-languages-australian-primary-schools |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Government, Department of Education}}</ref> There are also 20 Indigenous Language Centres across Australia which receive funding from the Australian Government and other sources.<ref>National Indigenous Languages Report (2020). p. 21</ref> Australia is a significant destination for overseas students studying English. Over 79,000 overseas students enrolled in intensive English courses in Australia in 2022. This was below the pre-Covid peak of 156,478 enrolments in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 April 2023 |title=International Student Data – full year data (based on data finalised in December 2022) |url=https://www.education.gov.au/international-education-data-and-research/international-student-monthly-summary-and-data-tables#toc-international-student-data-full-year-data-based-on-data-finalised-in-december-2022- |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Australian Government, Department of Education}}</ref> == Languages in Parliament == Although English is the primary language used for addressing any [[legislature]] in Australia, due to Australia's multiculturalism, many politicians have used other languages in parliamentary speeches before. === Federal === In 2016, [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Malcolm Turnbull]] spoke [[Ngunnawal language|Ngunnawal]] in a parliamentary speech, becoming the first ever Prime Minister to use an Indigenous language in Parliament.<ref name="aiatsis">https://aiatsis.gov.au/blog/indigenous-languages-australian-parliaments</ref> In 1988, [[Trish Crossin]] became the first [[Australian Senate|Senator]] to give a [[maiden speech]] in an Indigenous language, speaking in [[Gumatj language|Gumatj]], a [[Yolŋu languages|Yolŋu]] dialect.<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 1999, [[Aden Ridgeway]] introduced himself to the Senate in [[Gumbaynggirr language|Gumbaynggirr]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2008, [[Rob Oakeshott]] became the first politician to use an Indigenous language in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], after he used three [[Dhanggati language|Dhanggati]] words in his speech. In June 2013, he became the first politician to give a speech to any Australian parliament entirely in an Indigenous language, after giving a speech in Dhanggati with help from a linguist.<ref name="aiatsis"/> In August 2016, [[Linda Burney]] gave an [[Acknowledgement of Country]] in [[Wiradjuri language|Wiradjuri]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2016, Senator [[Pat Dodson]] spoke [[Yawuru language|Yawuru]] in the Senate, with the Senate President even responding in Yawuru.<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2016, Senator [[Malarndirri McCarthy]] gave an Acknowledgement of Country in [[Yanyuwa language|Yanyuwa]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2022, two MPs spoke both [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]] in their maiden speeches: [[Jerome Laxale]] and [[Zoe McKenzie]], both of whom are of [[French Australians|French]] background.<ref>https://thewest.com.au/politics/french-flavour-to-mps-first-speeches-c-8362141.amp</ref> In the same year, [[Sam Lim]] used three languages in his maiden speech: [[Malay language|Malay]], [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] and English (in that order).<ref>https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/terima-kasih-malaysian-born-australian-mp-sam-lim-praised-for-multilingual-inaugural-speech</ref> === New South Wales === The first politician to use an Indigenous language in the [[Parliament of New South Wales]] was [[Troy Grant]] in 2014, who used Wiradjuri in the closing sentence of the Acknowledgement of Country.<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2019, [[Sarah Mitchell]] gave an Acknowledgment of Country in English, which was translated into Dhanggati.<ref name="aiatsis"/> === Northern Territory === In 1981, [[Neil Bell (politician)|Neil Bell]] became the first politician to use an Indigenous language in a maiden speech to the [[Northern Territory Legislative Assembly]], speaking in [[Pitjantjatjara dialect|Pitjantjatjara]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2008, [[Alison Anderson]] spoke in the [[Western Desert language]] during her first speech as [[Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> In 2012, [[Bess Price]] spoke [[Warlpiri language|Warlpiri]] in her maiden speech.<ref name="aiatsis"/> In the same sitting of parliament, [[Yingiya Mark Guyula]] spoke Yolŋu in his maiden speech.<ref name="aiatsis"/> === Queensland === In 2018, [[Cynthia Lui]] became the first politician to address an Australian parliament in a Torres Strait Islander language, addressing the [[Queensland Legislative Assembly]] in [[Kala Lagaw Ya]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> === Western Australia === [[Josie Farrer]] was the first politician to use an Indigenous language in the [[Parliament of Western Australia]], speaking in both [[Kija language|Kija]] and [[Australian Kriol|Kriol]].<ref name="aiatsis"/> == See also == * [[Diminutives in Australian English]] {{Clear}} == References == === Citations === {{Reflist}} === Sources === {{Refbegin}} * McConvell, P. & Thieberger, N. (2001). [State of Indigenous Language Report http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/485]. {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Languages of Australia}} * [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=AU Ethnologue report for Australia] * [http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au Census Data (Australian government)] *[[Tamil Australians]] {{Australia topics}} {{Languages of Australia}} {{Oceania topic|Languages of}} {{Australian Aboriginal languages}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Languages of Australia| ]] [[Category:Australian culture]]'