LANGTON, Marcia: "Before colonization there were between 250 and 500 Indigenous languages in Australia... Today, only about 120 languages are still spoken, and often only by a handful people that may include non-Indigenous linguists"

Professor Marcia Langton AO (holds the Foundation Chair in Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Medicine) on Indigenous languages and Australian Aboriginal Ethnocide: “Estimates differ, but the consensus is that before colonization there were between 250 and 500 Indigenous languages in Australia. These languages are often based on connections to country, with specific words to describe weather patterns in the particular region (see also “seasons”). Unfortunately, Australia can also lay claim to being a nation with the highest number of lost languages. Today, only about 120 languages are still spoken, and often only by a handful people that may include non-Indigenous linguists ” (Marcia Langton, “Welcome to Country”, Hardie Grant, 2018).