Universal Language Of Aboriginal Australians

There is great diversity among different Indigenous communities and societies in Australia, each with its own unique mixture of cultures, customs and languages. In present-day Australia these groups are further divided into local communities. At the time of initial European settlement, over 250 languages were spoken; it is currently estimated that 120 to 145 of these remain in use, and all but 13 are considered to be endangered. Aboriginal people today mostly speak English, with Aboriginal phrases and words being added to create Australian Aboriginal English (which also has a tangible influence of Indigenous languages in the phonology and grammatical structure).

This is mainly the language which is being used by the refugee groups. These people are not very fluent with the local standard language (Wardhaugh, 1993). In Australia, the ethnolect could be found among the Anglo and non-Anglo speakers. The most significant feature of the “ethnolect” in Australian language is the pronunciation of word “er”. The Anglo speakers have got their background from Greek speakers and hence their pronunciations vary from non-Anglo speakers. Hence in Australia there are different groups of people with various backgrounds speaking in different English language.

We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations, this blemished chapter in our nation’s history. 108 years on an emotional speech was provided to the Aboriginal culture to say sorry and create equality between all Australian citizens. This speech truly inspired our nation to take action upon this topic and is now known as a memorable day in Australia’s history.

This is mostly applicable to Indigenous Australians who have special needs of service such as

The languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders hold a very special and rich part of their heritage.

Aboriginal culture is so diverse in Victoria, with 38 languages and 11 language families. Many of the 38 languages are further divided according to clan groups and their traditional lands; while the 11 language families are grouped based on a common language, i.e. shared words, grammar and sounds. The uniqueness of each language is based on the location, and each one is entrenched to that land.

Understanding how Aboriginal people communicate. Being silent is very important in their culture. We must understand that when they are being silent, it if a form of prayer or connection and not a sign of rudeness. Another communication strategy is when Aboriginal people take a break from everyday communication. This is just their way of reflecting and getting back in tune with themselves. It is not something we need to be offended by. Understanding that the Aborigines are just trying to catch up and that they may need assistance and a helping hand to understand and catch up to the Western world, which was forced upon them

English is spoken throughout many countries and it is the main language we know of today

Although English is the official language of Australia, Australia's multicultural society has created many subcategories of Australian English. It can be broke down to different groups based on the ethno-cultural groups such as Lebanese English or Greek English as well as Indigenous English. However, Australian accents comprehensively were separated into broad, general, and cultivated varieties (ABC, 2016). General accent represent the most common accents and it is natural and less strong. Conversely, Broad accents are correlated with working-class speech and are quite strong, but cultivated accents are partly close to British English.

There are also influences from contact languages. Bauer (2002) states that English speakers formed a large enough community to maintain English as their primary language. Since the original colonists would be adult, they would not adapt their English much to the local languages. While their children would have the possibility of learning other surrounding languages, they would also have before them a model of English which paid little attention to the phonetics and phonology of the contact languages. Even today, when it is seen as politically correct to pronounce the aboriginal languages in the aboriginal way, the pronunciations that are heard are strongly influenced by English, even among the group of speakers who make a genuine attempt to

What is Language? Language as we know it is a form of communication, however if we stop to really think about the concept of what language is, we can see, it is any means used to communicate a feeling, an idea, or the way we exchange points of view with others. Speech, which is the definition of spoken language, is only one example of the different methods we humans use to communicate, as we know other species utilize their own form of language. As children we learn to speak within our family circle and as we grow up our language skills broaden and become endless. Of course we must keep in mind; the development of language can be affected by many factors such as education, culture, environment, a person’s illnesses, the time period a person lives or lived, and whether a language is primary or secondary.

Before European Colonisation there were 250 Aboriginal languages with 600 dialects but today there are only around 30 (Dingo, 2013). For example, Traditional languages, Creole languages and Aboriginal English (Oakley, n.d). Most Aboriginal families speak one more languages as their main language, this may not include standard Australian English (Central Land Council, ND). Aboriginal language is not just a form of communication but as a method of right to land and boundaries. Language is part of songs, art and cultural practises with the Aboriginal community. For example, dream time stories like how the kangaroo got its tail (Central Land Council, ND).

With the brief knowledge that I have about Australia, I would imagine that any language that has survived the spread of English would be located in the center of Australia, away from cities and tourist attractions. According to the “Aboriginal Language” page of the Central Land Council website, over eighteen distinct Aboriginal languages still exist in Modern Australia. I was correct to assume that many of these languages are found in the deserts of Central Australia. Some large cities in this area- Alice Springs or Tennant Creek- contain large populations of people who speak more than one Aborigine language. Another area that fosters a few Aborigine languages is the Northern Territory. Here, students are taught their ancestral language in

The term language describes any body of sounds, words, symbols or gestures used by specific groups of people to communicate with each other (Language, n. d.). There are many types of languages including speech, body language, sign language, and written languages such as mathematics, music and symbols. Language has many functions that are determined by the mode in which they are presented. The way language is conveyed can alter the intended meaning or context for example a difference in tone can change a comment from complimentary to sarcastic.

Although, there is no agreed definition of language among linguists, but we can say that language is the most sophisticated way of communication between any two human beings and far more complex than any other system of communication. The ability of acquiring and using languages is one of the properties that differs us as human beings from other species.