Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today speak around 120 different, distinct, and unique language groups and dialects. However, this is a fraction of the original breadth of Australian indigenous languages, many of which were lost following colonisation, resulting in the irretrievable loss of dialects spoken for generations.
Our vibrant Australian Aboriginal language map puts these figures into a visual context, showing how hundreds of clans, communities, and cultural groups used their own language dialects, painting a picture of how much the country we now call Australia has changed.
Events such as Indigenous Literacy Day, held annually in September, help to recognise the 600 to 700 original Aboriginal languages. Still, more work and acknowledgement are needed to preserve and retain the remaining few Aboriginal languages.
The History of Language in Australia
When we share education about the volume of Aboriginal languages that once coloured the land and symbolised diverse cultures and ways of life, many people are surprised to learn that the ancestors of today’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people spoke hundreds of different cultural languages.
Part of the reason behind the decline of Indigenous culture languages in Australia is that following the colonisation of Australia, Indigenous communities were suppressed and had their cultural languages taken from them, along with their land, homes, culture, autonomy, and family members.
Assimilation Policy and the Loss of Linguistic Diversity in Language Groups
Government policies stripped Indigenous people of their right to speak their languages, silencing dialects that had pre-existed colonisation for thousands of years. Assimilation policy demanded that Aboriginal people communicate in English as a ‘lingua franca’ not only with colonisers but within their own families and homes.
In 1953, the Commonwealth Office of Education stated that this process would not disrupt the traditional social structure any more than removing their right to follow their ‘religions and superstitions.’
A research study completed in 2016 revealed the sad truth that only around 10% of today’s Aboriginal people continue to speak an Indigenous language at home. However, this is far from surprising given that generations of First Nations people were forbidden from speaking Aboriginal languages, and children were prohibited from communicating in their cultural dialects, even in school playgrounds.
Some Elders and community leaders believe that there is still an opportunity for those ancient, sleeping languages that have been lost to be revived in Aboriginal culture.
Which Torres Strait and Indigenous Languages Remain in Use?
There are an estimated 120 languages and dialects used today by Aboriginal and First Nations people, although some communities use similar languages within a distinct dialect–much as people from different regions might both speak English but have alternative accents, phraseology, and terms. Each cultural language is specific to the people and place from which it originates and is intertwined with history, culture, family, and tradition.
In some regions of Australia, such as Arnhem Land, numerous dialects are spoken within a relatively small area, but other language dialects have a wider scope, with one Indigenous language used across much of the vast Western Desert. Three primary Aboriginal languages remain in the Torres Strait: Kala Lagaw Ya, Meriam Mir, and Yumplatok. These cultural languages are interspersed with other regional dialects and vary between the islands, with, for example, Meriam Mir spoken by only around 200 people on the eastern islands.
The first edition of the Bible in an Aboriginal language was published just sixteen years ago, when a Kriol Bible was completed, a dialect spoken in northern Australia–a stark contrast compared to the Māori Bible published in 1868.
Why Is it Important to Respect and Acknowledge Aboriginal Languages?
Language is so much more than a means to communicate. Language allows us to share our experiences, beliefs, and ideas and influences how we express our knowledge, convey laws and rules, interact as families and communities, and refer to our country, land, lives, and relationships.
The languages spoken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a deep spiritual connection to culture and belief, and only by preserving and protecting these unique culture dialects can we support the work to ensure Indigenous communities maintain those links to the land and their ancestors.
Were we today to be told that, by law and under threat of punishment, we were to learn another foreign language and use it in our public and private lives, it would destroy our sense of identity and create an incredible void of loss in literature, art, music, story, and heritage. This reality is precisely how so many Aboriginal languages have been lost to time–making it even more vital that we work collectively to protect those language that remain.
The richness of Australian linguistic heritage reflects the deep cultural and historical significance of the many languages spoken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Each language carries unique traditions, knowledge systems, and spiritual connections to the land, forming an integral part of the nation’s identity.
Over millennia, these cultural Australian languages evolved alongside the diverse ways of life of Australia’s First Nations people. However, colonisation and the subsequent policies of language suppression led to the rapid erosion of this invaluable linguistic diversity. Today, efforts to preserve and revitalise Australia’s Indigenous languages are essential to maintaining the cultural integrity of the continent’s original inhabitants, ensuring their voices and stories endure for future generations.
The connection between Aboriginal languages and cultural practices is profound, especially in the context of yarning circles. These circles, deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions, serve as a space for storytelling, sharing knowledge, and building relationships. The use of Aboriginal languages within yarning circles not only strengthens communication but also reinforces cultural identity, ensuring that traditional wisdom is passed down in its most authentic form.
