Revealed: where Australia’s Indigenous languages are spoken

It may come as a surprise to many Aussies, but there are hundreds of different Indigenous languages spoken across our nation.

It may come as a surprise to many Aussies, but there are hundreds of different Indigenous languages spoken across our nation.

According to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) organisation, there are more than 250 Indigenous languages, including about 800 dialects.

“Each language is specific to a particular place and people,” AIATSIS states on its website.

“In some areas like Arnhem Land, many different languages are spoken over a small area. In other areas, like the huge Western Desert, dialects of one language are spoken.”

But where exactly are these languages spoken?

With Australians set to vote in the voice to parliament referendum on October 14, New Corp Australia created this interactive map based on data provided by AIATSIS, showing the different languages and where they are spoken in different states.

CLICK ON THE DIFFERENT ICONS TO PINPOINT DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken in 2021, with 76,978 (9.5%) speaking an Indigenous language — up from 63,754 (9.8%) in 2016.

This included:

• 52,139 people who spoke traditional languages

• 15,026 people who spoke new contact languages (Kriol, Yumplatok, Gurindji Kriol and Light Warlpiri)

• 1371 people who spoke of Aboriginal English

“The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who spoke an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home has declined over time from 16.4% in 1991 to 9.5% in 2021,” the ABS states.

“During the same period, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who spoke English at home increased (78.9% to 84.1%).”

The most commonly spoken languages overall in 2021 were Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) in QLD; Kriol; and Djambarrpuyngu, which were both more common in the Northern Territory.

While most Indigenous languages were spoken in the Northern Territory with 58.5% — and the least spoken in Tasmania with 0.6%.

Research Unit for Indigenous Language Associate Professor Nicholas Thieberger said there wasn’t one common Indigenous language, but rather “vastly different languages across the country”.

He said languages are still being transmitted from parent to child, but there has been a push to revitalise different Indigenous languages so they are not lost to history.

“These are Australia’s languages, these aren’t spoken anywhere else in the world,” Associate Professor Thieberger said.

“They are part of a part of our collective treasures in Australia.”

Originally published as Revealed: where Australia’s Indigenous languages are spoken