Language
The Macedonian language was the tenth most common language spoken in Australia after English. In 2006, 67,835 people spoke the Macedonian language at home. In 2001 one-third of Macedonian speakers were aged over 65, 25.9% were aged from 55-64, 31.8% were aged from 25-54, 1.2% were aged from 13-24 and 7.7% were aged from 0-12. 53.2% or 38,826 speakers were born in the Republic of Macedonia, 37.6% or 27,051 speakers were born in Australia, 4.4% or 3,152 speakers were born in Greece and a further 1.3% or 908 speakers were born in Yugoslavia.
Most Australians born in Macedonia use the Macedonian language at home (35,070 or 86% out of 40,656 in 2006). Proficiency in English for Australians born in Macedonia was self-described by census respondents as very well by 33%, well by 33%, 26% not well (8% didn't state or said not applicable).
The most significant populations of Macedonian speakers as of 2001 were Melbourne - 30,083, Sydney - 19,980, Wollongong - 7,420, Perth - 5,772, Newcastle - 1,993, Geelong - 1,300, Queanbeyan - 1,105.
Many suburbs have large Macedonian speaking communities, the most largest are; Port Kembla (20.9%), Thomastown (16.7%), Banksia (16.1%), Coniston (15.9%) and Lalor (14.8%). In 2001, Cringila was titled the "most Macedonian" suburb in all of Australia with 32.8% of its population speaking Macedonian at home.
Read more about this topic: Macedonian Australian
Famous quotes containing the word language:
“There’s a cool web of language winds us in,
Retreat from too much joy or too much fear:
We grow sea-green at last and coldly die
In brininess and volubility.”
—Robert Graves (1895–1985)
“After all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language even when they speak the same language?”
—Russell Hoban (b. 1925)
“Translate a book a dozen times from one language to another, and what becomes of its style? Most books would be worn out and disappear in this ordeal. The pen which wrote it is soon destroyed, but the poem survives.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)