Embedded Files
Language Family: Australia is part of the Pama–Nyungan family. "Worldbook" states, "The regions in which languages of the Pama-Nyungan family are spoken cover about 90 percent of Australia. Linguists generally place over 150 languages into this family. The Pama-Nyungan languages with the most speakers include Tiwi, Walmatjari, Warlpiri, Aranda, Mabuyag, and Western-Desert." (Australian Aboriginal Language).
Dialects: "Dialect Blog" states, "The Australian Accent is renowned for its lack of regional differences. This is perhaps not surprising given that Britain settled the country fairly late in the history of the Empire (New South Wales was discovered over a decade after America’s Declaration of Independence). But it isn’t quite right to say Australian Accents exhibit no variation: those differences just aren’t particularly regional...Roughly speaking, General accents represent the most common type of English spoken in Australia. Broad accents are usually described as more extreme (and associated with more working-class speech), while Cultivated Australian accents are a prestige variety somewhat closer to the British Received Pronunciation (although actual speakers of the latter are in the minority)" (The Three Types of Australian Accents).
Toponyms: The names of places. Australia has many place names of Aboriginal origin. Wikipedia states, "Historically, European explorers and surveyors may have asked local Aboriginal people the name of a place, and named it accordingly. Where they did not ask, they may have heard the place was so-named. Due to language difficulties, the results were often misheard and misunderstood names, such as the name of the Yarra River. There are a suspicious number of place names which translate as pretty and resting place, which may imply European romanticism, and no doubt a good deal of mispronunciation and corruption in general" (List of Australian place names of Aboriginal origin).
The map below displays the percentage of Indigenous toponyms throughout Australia.
Official Languages: Australia doesn't have a legal official language, but English is technically their national language and is the language most commonly spoken. "Australian Government: Department of Home Affairs" states, "English, as our national language, connects us together and is an important unifying element of Australian society. English language proficiency is a key contributor to better educational and employment outcomes and social participation levels" (English—our national language).
The map above displays the percentage of English speakers throughout Australia.
Religions: There are many religions practiced throughout Australia, the main one being Protestantism (practiced by 23.1% of the Australian population). A few other religions practiced in Australia include Roman Catholicity (22.6%), other Christianity (4.2%), Islam (2.6%), Buddhism (2.4%), etc. The map to the right displays Christianity throughout Australia.
Religion Diffusion: "Cultural Atlas" states, "Christianity was introduced to Australia by the first British settlers in the late 18th century. The Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) began operating immediately and held a religious monopoly over the country. Eventually, other Christian denominations emerged, particularly the Catholic Church" (Australian Culture). The map to the right displays Christianity throughout Australia.
The chart above displays the different religious affiliations in Australia through the years.
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