Lyla Lindsey
Australia has no official language, but English is the country's de facto national language. Introduced to Australia in 1788 with the arrival of British settlers, English gradually overtook Indigenous languages to become the most widely spoken language in the country. While English is the only language used in the home by 72% of the population, the increase in the migrant population over the past decade has seen a decline in the number of people speaking only English at home. In 2021, 5.8 million people (22.8% of the population) reported using a language other than English at home, with Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese among the most commonly spoken languages.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is English the official language of Australia? | No, English has no official legal status in Australia. |
| What is the de facto official and national language of Australia? | English |
| What percentage of Australians speak English at home? | 72% |
| What percentage of Australians speak a language other than English at home? | 22.8% in 2021; 22.3% in 2021 (another source) |
| What percentage of Australians reported speaking English "not well" or "not at all" in the 2016 census? | 3.5% |
| What are the most common languages spoken by Australians at home other than English? | Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Italian, Cantonese, Greek, Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, Nepali, and French |
| What are the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in Australia? | Kriol, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole), Djambarrpuyngu, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, Murrinh Patha, and Tiwi |
| What are some unique features of Australian English? | "Rained out" instead of "rained off"; "but" at the beginning of a sentence; "yeah no" and "no yeah" as discourse markers; high rising terminal; yod-dropping; unique vocabulary, such as "sweet as" and "real good"; use of nicknames, such as "Gazza" and "Smitty" |
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What You'll Learn
English is not Australia's official language
English was introduced to Australia in 1788 with the arrival of British settlers, gradually overtaking Indigenous languages to become the majority language. However, it has no official legal status. The lack of an official language in Australia can be attributed to its colonial history and the widespread use of English, making it unnecessary to designate an official language.
Australia's linguistic landscape is diverse, with around 120 to 170 Indigenous languages and dialects still spoken today. However, many of these languages are endangered. The country has also seen an increase in the use of languages other than English at home, with 5.8 million people (22.8% of the population) reporting the use of a different language in 2021. The most common of these include Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese.
The Australian government has recognized the importance of preserving Indigenous languages, committing funding to teach First Nations languages in primary schools and supporting Indigenous Language Centres. Additionally, the Australian sign language, Auslan, is used by over 16,000 people, and the country has a rich history of Indigenous sign languages.
While English is not Australia's official language, it is the dominant language in the country, with a unique Australian dialect and a diverse range of influences that reflect the country's multicultural society.
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English is Australia's de facto national language
Australian English has developed its own distinctive accent, lexicon, phonology, idioms, grammar, and spelling. It differs from other varieties of English, including British and American English, in several ways. For example, the suffix "-ly" is sometimes omitted, as in "really good" becoming "real good." Australian English also uses certain expressions that are unique or differ from those in other varieties of English, such as "rained out" to describe an outdoor event cancelled due to bad weather (as opposed to "rained off" in British English).
The language also exhibits a high rising terminal, sometimes called Australian questioning intonation, which was initially spread by young people and is more common among women than men. Numerous ethnocultural dialects of Australian English have emerged, influenced by the languages of minority non-English-speaking backgrounds, such as Afro-Asiatic languages and Asian languages. These dialects contain features of General Australian English blended with non-English language elements.
Despite English being the dominant language, Australia is home to a diverse range of languages. Approximately 22.3% of Australians used a language other than English at home in 2021, with Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese being some of the most commonly spoken languages other than English. Additionally, around 120 to 170 Indigenous languages and dialects are still spoken today, with Kriol and Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) being the most widely spoken.
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Indigenous languages in Australia
English is the de facto official and national language of Australia, despite having no official legal status. It was introduced to Australia in 1788 with British settlement and gradually overtook Indigenous languages to become the most widely spoken language in the country.
There are more than 250 Indigenous languages in Australia, including around 800 dialects. Each language is specific to a particular place and people. In some areas, like Arnhem Land, many different languages are spoken over a small area. In other areas, like the huge Western Desert, dialects of one language are spoken. The Indigenous languages of Australia comprise numerous language families and isolates, perhaps as many as 13, spoken by the Indigenous peoples of mainland Australia and a few nearby islands. Most Australian languages belong to the widespread Pama–Nyungan family, while the remainder are classified as "non-Pama–Nyungan".
The status and knowledge of Aboriginal languages today varies greatly. Many languages became extinct with settlement as the encroachment of colonial society broke up Indigenous cultures. At the start of the 21st century, fewer than 150 Aboriginal languages remained in daily use, with the majority being highly endangered. In 2020, 90% of the barely more than 100 languages still spoken were considered endangered. Only thirteen languages are still being transmitted to children.
The National Indigenous Languages Survey, conducted in 2005, 2014, and 2019, found a total of 47 languages with 42,300 speakers, with 11 languages having only approximately 100 speakers. The seven most widely spoken Australian languages, such as Warlpiri, Murrinh-patha, and Tiwi, have between 1,000 and 3,000 speakers. Creole languages such as Kriol and Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) are the most widely spoken Indigenous languages.
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), Djambarrpuyngu (3,839), Pitjantjatjara (3,399), Warlpiri (2,592), Murrinh Patha (2,063), and Tiwi (2,053). There were also over 10,000 people who spoke an Indigenous language that could not be further defined or classified.
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The increase in non-English speakers in Australia
English was introduced to Australia in 1788 with British settlement and gradually became the majority language of Australia. However, it is not the official language of Australia in law. The increase in the migrant population over the past few decades has resulted in a decline in the number of people speaking only English at home.
In 2016, 4.9 million people reported speaking a language other than English at home, with 820,000 of those people reporting that they spoke English "not well" or "not at all". This number has been increasing, with 560,000 people reporting in 2006, 655,000 in 2011, and 820,000 in 2016. This increase is partly due to the rise in Australia's overall population. As a proportion of the total population, the number of people who speak English "not well" or "not at all" rose from 2.8% in 2006 to 3.5% in 2016.
In 2021, 5.8 million people (22.8% of the population) reported using a language other than English at home. The most common of these were Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), and Cantonese (1.2%). The increase in non-English speakers in Australia can be attributed to the sharp rise in immigration, especially from Asia, in the 21st century.
While the number of people with limited English proficiency has increased, it is important to note that the vast majority of bilingual Australian residents (over 4 million out of 4.9 million) report speaking English "well" or "very well". Additionally, most permanent and temporary migrants are required to have a certain level of English language proficiency to obtain a visa.
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Australian English vs. other English dialects
English is the de facto official and national language of Australia, though it has no official legal status. It was introduced to the country in 1788 with the arrival of British settlers and gradually replaced Indigenous languages to become the majority language.
Australian English has since evolved into a distinct dialect with a unique accent and lexicon, differing slightly from other English varieties in grammar and spelling. It shares the most similarity with New Zealand English. The dialect is relatively consistent across Australia, though it does encompass regional and sociocultural variations.
The most obvious difference between Australian English and other English dialects is its unique pronunciation. Like most English dialects, it is distinguished primarily by the phonetic quality of its vowels. The vowels can be divided according to length, with long vowels (including monophthongs and diphthongs) and short vowels (consisting only of monophthongs). There are also pairs of long and short vowels with overlapping vowel quality, which is a feature also present in some regional southeastern dialects of the UK and eastern seaboard dialects in the US.
Another notable difference is that Australian English is uniformly non-rhotic, meaning the /ɹ/ sound does not appear at the end of a syllable or before a consonant. This is a feature shared with North American English. Additionally, Australian English exhibits intervocalic alveolar flapping, where prevocalic /t/ and /d/ become the alveolar tap [ɾ] in certain contexts.
In terms of vocabulary, Australian English has some unique terms and deviations from standard English. For example, in Tasmanian English, the word "cordial" is used to refer to carbonated soft drinks. Tasmanian English also retains some words from historic English dialects that are now extinct, such as "jerry" for fog and "yaffler" for a loud-mouthed, obnoxious person.
Regional variations in Australian English also exist due to the country's passion for sports and differing non-linguistic traditions. For example, the word "football" refers to different codes of football in different states or regions.
In summary, Australian English has distinct pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling features that set it apart from other English dialects. It has evolved from a mixture of sources since the late 18th century and continues to exhibit regional and sociocultural variations.
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Frequently asked questions
No, English has no official legal status in Australia, but it is the de facto official and national language.
According to a 2021 census, 72% of Australians speak only English at home, while 22.3% speak a non-English language at home.
According to the 2016 census, 820,000 Australians reported speaking English "not well" or "not at all". However, it's important to note that self-reporting may not accurately reflect an individual's language capabilities.
Yes, Australian English has a distinctive accent and lexicon, and differs from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling. "General Australian" is considered the standard dialect, free of pronounced regional or sociocultural markers.
The most common languages spoken by Australians at home, besides English, include Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Italian, Cantonese, and Greek.
