Aboriginal languages

Naturally, Australian English borrows many words from the Aboriginal languages—‘koala’, ‘kangaroo’ and ‘dingo’ being some of the more obvious, as well as many of our place names. The nation’s capital Canberra is derived from a local word meaning ‘meeting place’.

Only about 20 of the Aboriginal languages still surviving are fluently spoken by both adults and children and are actively passed on to the next generations. Some examples of these include Warlpiri and Pitjantjatjara in central Australia. A further 70 of the original 700 or so distinct languages that existed at the time of European arrival in Australia are now spoken by Aboriginal elders only.

There are about 30 bilingual schools (located in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia), in which Aboriginal children are taught in both their primary language and English. Recent revived interest in maintaining Aboriginal culture has also resulted in about 50 educational institutions that teach Aboriginal languages as a second language.