Australia is incredibly rich linguistically—both ancient and modern. Here’s a clear breakdown 👇

---

1️⃣ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Languages (Indigenous languages)

🕰️ Oldest continuous languages on Earth

• Spoken for at least 60,000 years

• Before European colonisation, there were:

  • 250–300 distinct languages

  • 700+ dialects

🗺️ Language families

Major groupings include:

• Pama–Nyungan (covers ~90% of the continent)

• Non–Pama–Nyungan (mainly northern Australia)

🗣️ Current situation

• Around 120–150 languages still spoken today

• Only ~13 languages are considered strong (spoken by children daily)

• Many are endangered, but revitalisation programs are growing

🌱 Well-known Indigenous languages

• Pitjantjatjara

• Yolŋu Matha

• Arrernte

• Warlpiri

• Tiwi

• Kala Lagaw Ya (Torres Strait)

👉 These languages often encode:

• Deep ecological knowledge

• Kinship systems

• Spiritual relationships to land (“Country”)

---

2️⃣ English in Australia

🇦🇺 Australian English (de facto national language)

Not officially declared, but used in:

• Government

• Education

• Media

• Law

🎙️ Main varieties

• Broad Australian (classic “Aussie accent”)

• General Australian (most common)

• Cultivated Australian (closer to British RP)

🧠 Features

• Unique slang (arvo, mate, servo)

• Rising intonation (“Australian Question Intonation”)

• Aboriginal words adopted into English:

  • kangaroo, boomerang, billabong

---

3️⃣ Community & Migrant Languages

Australia is one of the most multilingual countries in the world 🌐

🏙️ Most spoken languages after English

• Mandarin

• Arabic

• Vietnamese

• Cantonese

• Punjabi

• Greek

• Italian

Over 300 languages are spoken in Australian homes today.

---

4️⃣ Sign Languages

🤟 Auslan (Australian Sign Language)

• Primary language of the Deaf community

• Recognised officially (but not constitutionally)

• Has its own grammar—not signed English

---

5️⃣ Quick comparison table

---

🧠 One-line takeaway

Australia has no official language—but it has one of the world’s oldest linguistic heritages and one of its most multilingual societies.

If you want, I can:

• explain how Aboriginal languages differ structurally from English

• show which languages are spoken in each Australian state

• or compare Australia’s language situation with New Zealand or Canada

Just tell me where you want to go next 🙂