New national survey asks Australians to help map the nation’s languages

A new survey led by The Australian National University (ANU) is inviting multilingual Australians to help researchers build a more complete picture of the languages spoken and signed across the country.  

Australia may be one of the world’s most multilingual nations, but researchers say the full extent of the country’s linguistic diversity is still not known.  

Researchers are launching the Languages in Australia Survey, inviting multilingual people across the country to share information about the languages they speak or sign and when they learned them.  

Australia ranks fifth globally for linguistic diversity, with more than 400 languages spoken or signed by more than six million people.  

But researchers say existing sources, including the Australian Census, do not always capture the full extent of Australia’s linguistic diversity.  

Study lead Professor Evan Kidd from the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics said the survey would help researchers better understand the changing nature of multilingualism in Australia.  

“Australia has always been multilingual, and the number of people who speak or sign a language other than English at home has doubled in the past two decades,” Professor Kidd said.  

“The survey will help us better understand the rich tapestry of multilingualism that exists here.” 

The short, anonymous online survey asks participants about the languages they speak or sign, including when and how they learned them.  

Researchers will combine the citizen-generated data with publicly available Census information to create a more comprehensive picture of Australia’s linguistic diversity.  

“Knowing what languages are spoken and where they are spoken is important for many government services like education and health,” Professor Kidd said.  

“More generally, understanding and even improving our multilingual capabilities will have a net positive effect on Australia, which is located in the most linguistically diverse region of the world.” 

The researchers hope the findings will support future language policy, planning and research, while providing a clearer picture of the languages used by Australians today.  

The Languages in Australia Survey is open to multilingual people who currently live in Australia.