|
English is the official language,[20] and is spoken and written
in a distinct variety known as Australian English. According
to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in
the home for around 80% of the population. The next most common
languages spoken at home are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%)
and Greek (1.4%). A considerable proportion of first- and
second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is believed that
there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages
at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of these
languages have survived, and all but 20 of them are now endangered.
An indigenous language remains the main language for about
50,000 (0.02%) people. Australia has a sign language known
as Auslan, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf
people.
|
