How many Aboriginal languages are there?
Before British colonization, more than 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, with many more dialects, were spoken across Australia. Today, only about a dozen are still learned by children as a first language.
The languages belong to many different families. The largest is the Pama-Nyungan family, which covers most of the continent. Languages in northern Australia belong to several other families.
Colonization, forced removal of children and policies that banned Aboriginal languages in missions and schools caused many languages to be lost or endangered.
Languages today
Languages still widely spoken include Kriol, Yolngu Matha, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, Arrernte and Tiwi. Many others are spoken by smaller numbers of elders.
Communities across Australia are working to revive their languages through language centers, school programs, dictionaries, songs and apps. Some languages, such as Kaurna in Adelaide, are being revived from historical records.
Many Australian place names and words come from Aboriginal languages, including kangaroo, koala, kookaburra, wombat and billabong. The United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages, which began in 2022, has drawn further attention to language revival.