Languages
English, a West Germanic language, is the de facto national language of Australia and is spoken by the majority of the population, regardless of other languages spoken. Most Australians speak Australian English, however Australian Aboriginal English and Torres Strait English, along with various creoles and pidgins, are spoken by some Indigenous Australians. Australia is home to a great number of unique but endangered Indigenous Australian languages, as well as Australian Aboriginal sign languages. Australia's hearing-impaired community primarily uses Auslan, a member of the BANZSL language family.
The diverse backgrounds of Australians lead to a great number of community languages being spoken:
| Language | Speakers | Language | Speakers | Language | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English only | 15,581,333 | Korean | 54,623 | Portuguese | 25,779 |
| Italian | 316,895 | Turkish | 53,857 | Assyrian | 23,526 |
| Greek | 252,226 | Serbian | 52,534 | Indonesian | 23,164 |
| Arabic | 243,662 | French | 43,216 | Persian | 22,841 |
| Mandarin | 220,600 | Danish | 42,036 | Hungarian | 21,565 |
| Vietnamese | 194,863 | Maltese | 36,514 | Hindi | 20,223 |
| Spanish | 98,001 | Russian | 36,502 | Urdu | 19,288 |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | 92,331 | Dutch | 36,183 | Bengali | 15,743 |
| German | 75,634 | Japanese | 35,111 | Punjabi | 13,164 |
| Cantonese | 70,011 | Tamil | 32,700 | ||
| Macedonian | 67,836 | Hebrew | 67,835 | ||
| Croatian | 63,612 | Romanian | 29,055 | ||
| Polish | 53,389 | Khmer | 24,715 |
Read more about this topic: Australian
Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”
—Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1934)
“No doubt, to a man of sense, travel offers advantages. As many languages as he has, as many friends, as many arts and trades, so many times is he a man. A foreign country is a point of comparison, wherefrom to judge his own.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Science and technology multiply around us. To an increasing extent they dictate the languages in which we speak and think. Either we use those languages, or we remain mute.”
—J.G. (James Graham)