The Official language of Australia is English and this is the first language of the majority of Australia's citizens. Although this is a widely used language across the world, Australia has its own distinct expression of it that makes us stand out from the crowd.

English is a West-Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England. The language originated from several dialects which are now referred to as 'Old English'. This era of the language dates back as far as the 5th Century, with only a limited number of written texts still available.

Old English then developed into 'Middle English', which borrowed heavily from French vocabulary and spelling conventions. These conventions can still be seen in English today, with many continuing references to French language conventions.

Modern English developed from then on and it is constantly changing and developing. It derives many similarities from Greek and Latin words and in Australia, different slants are put onto many of the traditional words.

Americanisation of the languages occurred during the Australian gold rushes and changes to popular culture occurred. Today, Australia has developed its own style of the English language that is easily recognisable world-wide. While contemporary Australians speak in General Australian English, a Broad Australian English is used to identify Australian characters in non-Australian films and television shows. This is usually identifiable by slang terms and confusing idioms.

The Australian Indigenous population also has many languages that are still spoken today. All up, there are around 150 Indigenous languages spoken throughout the country, which is a dramatic decrease since before colonial times.

Australian English is a unique language that identifies us as a nation and unites us as one!