Australia is the driest and smallest continent on the planet. Despite this, most of the plants and animals on it are unique. In addition, the largest coral reef is located off the coast of Australia.
This continent is interesting not only for its nature. Representatives of many nationalities live here, and the question involuntarily arises of what language is the official in Australia? You will find the answer to this question in our article.
Australia's cultural and ethnic diversity
The state is officially called the Commonwe alth of Australia, as it includes, in addition to the mainland of Australia, several islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans (including the large island of Tasmania). After the visit of the famous navigator James Cook to Australia, it became a British colony. After that, it began to be used as a place where all the criminal and unwanted elements of Great Britain and Ireland were sent into exile.
Howeverafter the discovery of gold on the mainland, both the British and residents of other countries voluntarily began to migrate here. The arrival of foreigners significantly changed the lives of Indigenous Australians, which led to a significant reduction in their numbers. At the moment, the number of Europeans in Australia is 90% percent, Asians are about 10%, but Aborigines are only 1%.
Australia: official language of the country
Due to the diversity of nationalities, the number of individual languages in Australia is approximately 400. What languages are spoken in Australia? The largest group of immigrant languages are Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Hindi. Of course, except for English, which is spoken by most of the country's population.
When asked what is the official language in Australia, the most obvious and expected answer is English. In fact, Australia does not have an official language. And although 80% of the population uses English in their communication, the status of an official language in the Australian Constitution is not assigned to it.
Features of Australian English
So, behind the scenes, English is the official language of Australia. True, this language is not at all British, it has a number of its own characteristics and is called Australian English. "Strain" is another of its names, which is consonant with the word "Australia" in English pronunciation.
Interestingly, Australian English is written in no way different from British Englishoption. As for the vocabulary, its composition, in addition to British words, includes American words, as well as lexemes from the languages of the indigenous inhabitants of the continent.
Unlike the British, Australians often abbreviate words, skip certain sounds, instead of pronouncing them clearly in phrases, as the British do.
Australian English has slang expressions and words that are different from British English. For example, instead of the British word countryside ("countryside"), an Australian would be more accustomed to hearing bush, and instead of friend ("friend") - mate or cobber.
Based on these facts, we can safely say that the official language of Australia is not British English, but its Australian version.
The Genesis of Australian English
Since the southern mainland was originally considered an English colony, the main and official language of Australia was British English. However, Australia was settled by people from various regions of England and the British Isles, and later by representatives of other countries of the world.
British English has been influenced by other languages and many dialects of English, not to mention jargon and slang. As a result, the children of the first European settlers, influenced by this linguistic diversity, created a completely new dialect, which is now called Australian English.
Of course, the fact that convicts were sent to the mainland could not but affectformation of a new dialect. Most of the exiles had no education, so their speech was characterized by a reduction in pronunciation and the use of various jargon and vernacular.
What languages do Aboriginal people speak in Australia?
The languages of the indigenous population of Australia are referred to by the common name Australian, although the question of their genetic relationship remains open. By the end of the 20th century, the number of Australian Aborigines had almost halved. By that time, only half of them spoke Australian languages.
Initially, there were more than 250 Australian languages. Now most of them are endangered. Indigenous people speak a variety of Australian dialects, which can be so different that speakers of different dialects often do not understand each other.
The Australian languages are divided into 16 language families and 12 distinct languages. Almost all Australian Aboriginal dialects are agglutinative (that is, words do not change in endings, various prefixes and suffixes that carry only one meaning are simply “glued” to them).
Conclusion
Now you know a little more about the amazing mainland, where representatives of different nationalities and cultures live together. Many residents of the southern country believe that it is Australian English that is the official language of Australia, even though it does not have such a legal status.
