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Researchers in Australia say they have traced the country's indigenous languages back to a single, common tongue.

The languages are all derived from a mother tongue, known as Proto-Australian, that was spoken about 10,000 years ago, according to a new study.

Linguists have long debated the subject in Australia.

More than 200 languages were spoken at the time of British settlement in 1788.

The research, published in the Diachronica linguistics journal, is the first to prove that all of those languages came from the same family, said linguists at the University of Newcastle, Australia and Western Sydney University.

"Until now, it was speculated that Australia was significantly more linguistically diverse than somewhere like Europe, because it had not been proven that all Australian languages actually stemmed from the same lineage," said Associate Prof Mark Harvey from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Although an estimated 120 indigenous languages still exist, only about 20 are actively spoken today, he said.

Geographical distance

Researchers said they found "recurrent" and "systematic" traits in the sounds of words among the languages.

"[We were] essentially looking for consistent similarities, like how there's a link between 'good' and 'gut' in English and German," Associate Prof Harvey told the BBC.

He said such similarities were found in the basic vocabulary of languages "that might be 100km (60 miles) apart" in terms of where they were being spoken.

"[It] makes it very unlikely that they are the result of chance or [subsequent] language contact," said Associate Prof Robert Mailhammer from Western Sydney University.

Diversity in the north

Researchers said the language family had spread and diversified from a small area in northern Australia.

"Where you have the greatest diversity is where the original forms [of language] were, so your standard starting point would be the Kimberleys [in Western Australia] and the Top End [upper Northern Territory]," he said.

However, he said the findings did not fit well with existing understandings of how populations had moved across the continent.

People movements are usually regarded as key factors in spreading languages, Associate Prof Harvey said.

"So there are still lots of questions about how we understand the pre-history of Australia," he said.

Last year, scientists found evidence to suggest that indigenous Australians have lived on the continent for at least 65,000 years.

Aboriginal Australians are believed to be the world's oldest continuous civilisation.</s>SYDNEY-All indigenous languages in Australia descend from a single common tongue, a study revealed Wednesday in findings that shed new light on the country’s cultural history. More than 250 languages were spoken at the time of British settlement in 1788 and after three years investigating their origins, researchers said they had finally proven a long-held theory that they all derive from so-called Proto-Australian. The existence of a common parent language gives further weight to the idea that all Aboriginal Australians descend from a single group that landed on the continent at least 65,000 years ago, and spread out over the following millenia, becoming ethnically and linguistically distinct. The project used a standard method in historical linguistics to establish whether similarity between languages was due to inheritance from a common ancestor, as opposed to transfer from one language to another through human contact. Western Sydney University chief investigator Robert Mailhammer said the findings repeatedly revealed similarities between languages that were not in contact. “We discovered that the sounds of words we compared showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities across a set of languages that are spread out in a geographically discontinuous way,” he said.

“This makes it very unlikely that they are the result of chance or language contact.”

He added that the findings pointed to Proto-Australian being spoken about 12,000 years ago.

“This raises more questions around how the languages spread and how the linguistic findings connect to the genetic findings,” he said.

University of Newcastle historical linguist Mark Harvey said he hoped the research, published in the linguistics journal Diachronica, would enhance the understanding of Australian and human history.

“Until now, it was speculated that Australia was significantly more linguistically diverse than somewhere like Europe, because it had not been proven that all Australian languages actually stemmed from the same lineage,” he said.

“This is the first demonstration that all Australian languages are part of the same language family.”

He said this language likely spread across Australia from a small area in the country’s north that was first populated thousands of years ago.

“This spread is likely to have been carried out by at least some population movement whose material and genetic traces have remained somewhat elusive,” he added.

“However, with further interdisciplinary research, this new linguistic evidence is likely to give us a more precise reconstruction of Australian prehistory from what is currently known.”

Only around 120 of the original 250 tongues are still spoken today, with many at risk of being lost as elders die off without passing on the language to younger generations.</s>After decades of debate, Australian researchers say they have finally proven a theory that all Indigenous languages descend from one common language that would have been spoken about 12,000 years ago.

Proof that indigenous languages all come from the same root. (Credit: ABC)

After decades of debate, Australian researchers say they have finally proven a theory that all Indigenous languages descend from one common language.

Experts from Western Sydney University and the University of Newcastle have spent three years investigating the origins of Indigenous languages in Australia.

Their findings have been published in the historical linguistics journal, Diachronica.

Western Sydney University Associate Professor of linguistics Robert Mailhammer said there were about 250 Australian Indigenous languages spoken at the time of European settlement.

"The question that we asked was did all of those languages come from a common source," he said.

"Our team have been the first to be able to demonstrate this through the evidence gathered."

Linguists have long theorised that Indigenous languages all stem from one ancestor language, dubbed Proto-Australian.

The researchers studied Indigenous languages across the country, discovering the sounds of words showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities.

The team said its findings suggest Proto-Australian would have been spoken about 12,000 years ago, suggesting the languages recorded today were not spoken by the first inhabitants of Australia.

"We think the language would have spread from areas in the north [of Australia] and then all across Australia, either in one big wave or in two smaller waves all around the continent," Dr Mailhammer said.

"The interesting question for us is why did this one language spread and why did it supersede all of the other languages that were there?"

'Can we do it again?'

The research has been welcomed by other experts in the field, including the University of Newcastle's Dr Ray Kelly.

Dr Kelly is a speaker of the Dunghutti language from the Macleay Valley region of northern NSW, and said Indigenous languages had long been viewed in isolation.

"It throws up this perception that our languages are distinct, they don't communicate to each other and they have no relationship," he said.

"This other idea suggests something quite different."

Dr Kelly said the research might be able to help Indigenous languages survive in the modern world, as new generations could theoretically borrow missing pieces of their ancestral tongues from neighbouring regions' dialects.

"It says to Indigenous people, if we do actually come from a single family language, then we're in a good position because we've got neighbouring languages that are doing better," he said.

"Can we learn from each other and borrow from each other which we would have done naturally over the last many thousands of years. Can we do it again?

"As Indigenous people we have to be involved in that deep analysis."

The Australian Research Council project is wrapping up, with researchers using their findings to compile a book detailing the sounds and structure of the Proto-Australian language.</s>The existence of a common parent language gives further weight to the idea that all Aboriginal Australians descend from a single group that landed on the continent at least 65,000 years ago, and spread out over the following millenia, becoming ethnically and linguistically distinct.

The project used a standard method in historical linguistics to establish whether similarity between languages was due to inheritance from a common ancestor, as opposed to transfer from one language to another through human contact.

Western Sydney University chief investigator Robert Mailhammer said the findings repeatedly revealed similarities between languages that were not in contact.

"We discovered that the sounds of words we compared showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities across a set of languages that are spread out in a geographically discontinuous way," he said.

"This makes it very unlikely that they are the result of chance or language contact."

He added that the findings pointed to Proto-Australian being spoken about 12,000 years ago.</s>All of the indigenous languages spoken by Australia's Aboriginal peoples branched out from one language that was spoken in a small area in northern Australia around 10,000 years ago, new research has suggested

Around 250 distinct indigenous languages were spoken in Australia when European explorers first landed in the continent in the late 18th century.

Anthropologists had long speculated that Australia was significantly more linguistically diverse than places like Europe, as there was no evidence to suggest that the indigenous languages emerged from a common source.

However, a three-year study of the Aboriginal languages by researchers from the University of Newcastle and Western Sydney University has now revealed that they are derived from one language: Proto-Australian.

Researchers came to this conclusion after unearthing recurrent similarities between languages that were not in geographic contact.

"We discovered that the sounds of words we compared showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities across a set of languages that are spread out in a geographically discontinuous way – which makes it very unlikely that they are the result of chance or language contact," said Robert Mailhammer from Western Sydney University.

"While a multitude of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken at the time of European settlement, the findings also imply that indigenous Australian languages only spread after the end of the last ice age, some 10,000-12,000 years ago."

The language family is believed to have spread from a small area in northern Australia through population movement.

Australia's Aboriginal peoples are believed to be the world's oldest continuous civilization, with archaeological records suggesting that they have been living in the continent for at least 65,000 years.

"This is the first demonstration that all Australian languages are part of the same language family," said historical linguist Mark Harvey.

"With further interdisciplinary research, this new linguistic evidence is likely to give us a more precise reconstruction of Australian prehistory from what is currently known."

The findings are published in the linguistics journal Diachronica.</s>Indigenous languages come from just one common ancestor, researchers say

After decades of debate, Australian researchers say they have finally proven a theory that all Indigenous languages descend from one common language.

Experts from Western Sydney University and the University of Newcastle have spent three years investigating the origins of Indigenous languages in Australia.

Their findings have been published in the historical linguistics journal, Diachronica.

Western Sydney University Associate Professor of linguistics Robert Mailhammer said there were about 250 Australian Indigenous languages spoken at the time of European settlement.

"The question that we asked was did all of those languages come from a common source," he said.

"Our team have been the first to be able to demonstrate this through the evidence gathered."

Linguists have long theorised that Indigenous languages all stem from one ancestor language, dubbed Proto-Australian.

The researchers studied Indigenous languages across the country, discovering the sounds of words showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities.

The team said its findings suggest Proto-Australian would have been spoken about 12,000 years ago, suggesting the languages recorded today were not spoken by the first inhabitants of Australia.

"We think the language would have spread from areas in the north [of Australia] and then all across Australia, either in one big wave or in two smaller waves all around the continent," Dr Mailhammer said.

"The interesting question for us is why did this one language spread and why did it supersede all of the other languages that were there?"

'Can we do it again?'

The research has been welcomed by other experts in the field, including the University of Newcastle's Dr Ray Kelly.

Dr Kelly is a speaker of the Dunghutti language from the Macleay Valley region of northern NSW, and said Indigenous languages had long been viewed in isolation.

"It throws up this perception that our languages are distinct, they don't communicate to each other and they have no relationship," he said.

"This other idea suggests something quite different."

Dr Kelly said the research may be useful in demonstrating a sense of connection rather than disconnection in Indigenous history.

The Australian Research Council project is wrapping up, with researchers using their findings to compile a book detailing the sounds and structure of the Proto-Australian language.</s>All Australian indigenous languages derived from one common language, NSW researchers have discovered.

A three-year study by the University of Newcastle and Western Sydney University looked at whether languages were similar because they had the same ancestor, or because of human contact or chance.

WSU associate professor Robert Mailhammer said the results showed there were repeated similarities between languages that were not in contact, and that the language "family" most likely began in a small area in northern Australia.

"We discovered that the sounds of words we compared showed recurrent systematic differences and similarities across a set of languages that are spread out in a geographically discontinuous way," he said.

"Which makes it very unlikely that they are the result of chance or language contact," Prof Mailhammer said.

There were more than 250 indigenous languages across Australia at the time of European settlement in 1788, compared with about 120 spoken today, according to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

The research also found that Australian indigenous languages spread after the end of the last ice age, about 10,000-12,000 years ago.

The findings have been published in Diachronica, a journal of historical linguistics.</s>Snack time at the Lower Nicola Indian Band’s language nest program is a busy affair.

The table is full — kids as young as a couple months old are seated alongside their siblings, parents and elders — and until I stepped into the room, the talk around the table was strictly in nłeʔkepmxcin, the traditional language of this First Nations community.

In many ways, the scene unfolding inside the house located next to the band hall in Shulus closely resembles an afternoon any child might spend at grandma and grandpa’s house. That much is by design, explained Aiona Anderson, the person who brought the language nest program to Shulus.

The language nest program currently runs three days a week in Shulus. It is geared towards young kids — ideally under five years old — but parents and elders also benefit from the courses, said Anderson.

“We’re emulate the home of spápzeʔ and yéyeʔ — grandpa and grandma. It’s more like a natural home, we play games, speak in the language and eat with them,” said Anderson.

Generations of people from the Lower Nicola Indian Band have had their language stripped away from them through the legacy of the residential school system, said Anderson, who attended residential school herself. Kids were punished for speaking nłeʔkepmxcin, and gradually lost the ability to pass the language down to their children.

The language nest program is partially about empowering a new generation of speakers, but also serves as a program where elders can reclaim their traditional role as teachers within the community, said Anderson.

Lani Mackenzie counts herself among those who have seen the value in learning her people’s language.

“My mother went to residential school. She learned a bit of the words, but not a whole lot,” she said. “My vocabulary and my understanding has grown tons since I’ve come here.”

Her son is also apart of the language nest, and has picked up nłeʔkepmxcin even quicker than her, she said.

“He’s at the age where he’s starting to talk. Every day he says something new,” she said. “Sometimes when the elders are talking, he understands more than I do — so he’ll get the joke before I will.”

Language nest programs originated in New Zealand, explained Anderson, where indigenous groups have similarly dealt with the ongoing effects of colonization on their culture. The idea behind the programs is to reinvigorate the next generation to help a language survive, where it otherwise may have been lost forever.

“We have the opportunity to have something like this, where we can revitalize not only our language but our culture, our identities and our connection to each other and our community — and our pride in who we are,” said Anderson.

Provincial funding could lead to growth of language nests

The language nest in Shulus is the first of its kind among nłeʔkepmxcin-speaking First Nations. But similar programs may soon be developed in other communities, thanks in part to a $50 million investment by the provincial government in language revitalization programs, announced as part of the B.C. government’s budget in February.

The funding will support local programs through the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, a First Nations-run Crown corporation with a mandate to support indigenous heritage programs. In addition to the language nests, the FPCC will aim to expand other community immersion programs such as the one-on-one mentor-apprentice program and the Silent Speakers program, which is geared towards those who understand but do not speak their language.

LNIB’s language nest received $21,652 through the FPCC in 2016, funding which helped the program get off the ground. The infusion of $50 million from the provincial government means the group can afford to support more language revitalization projects in communities across B.C.

“We’re really focusing on providing funding to support immersion type programs because we want to create new speakers,” said Tracey Herbert, CEO of FPCC. “That’s really important for language revitalization.”

The provincial funding will allow the FPCC to explore multiple language revitalization programs simultaneously across the province, and better co-ordinate programming across multiple communities, she said.

“The thing we’re really going to emphasize is coming together and collaborating between those communities that share a language, and really co-ordinating our work and being strategic about investments in the language,” said Herbert.

Which means that while the language nest in Lower Nicola is a first among nłeʔkepmxcin-speaking First Nations communities, it might not be the last.</s>ADEALAIDE: An attempt to legalise euthanasia in an Australian state has been defeated by a single vote in parliament. The South Australian Parliament rejected the bill today 24 votes to 23.

South Australia almost became the only Australian state or territory to allow assisted suicide. Australia's Northern Territory became one of the world's first jurisdictions to legalize mercy killing in 1996.

Renowned pro-euthanasia doctor Philip Nitschke helped four people die before the Australian Parliament overturned the law in 1997. While the Australian Parliament can overturn territories' laws, it does not have the same power over state laws. South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said today he felt "gutted" by the defeat. But he was sure a new bill would be introduced in time.</s>Intelligence manifests in different forms. This was made obvious to me in primary school when I completed the mandatory Howard Gardener multiple-choice test designed to measurethe “nine-types-of-intelligence”. My result stated I had a mix of “intra-personal” and “linguistic” intelligence. In other words, I was a pretentious, bookish introvert with no friends. The test also found I had no ounce of “bodily-kinesthetic” intelligence: my inability to participate in the beep test without having an asthma attack. But at least the test demonstrated intelligence is multi-pronged, and that we can’t rely on a standardised model to determine competence.

Apparently this mindset doesn’t apply when it comes to language.

For decades, the Coalition Government has pushed for higher standards of English language requirements for migrants. Just this month, Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge called for formal requirements “that encourage English proficiency”.

Minister Tudge’s conception of ‘proficiency’ is no doubt drawn from stipulations of the different competency levels within the five standardised English language tests accepted by the Department of Home Affairs, including the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This kind of testing is not only common for English, competency in many European languages is measured by the Common European Framework of Languages (CEFR), a comparable language-proficiency test. European nations, along with Australia, have either entertained, or even implemented methods of standardised language testing in vetting migrant intake.

If you’re learning a European language at USyd, each of your classes probably aims for students to reach certain CEFR level by the end of the semester. Dr Carolyn Stott of the University’s French Department told Honi that demonstrating one’s competence according to the CEFR can be useful in terms of applying for exchange or even general employability.

The use of the CEFR in is held in quite high esteem; it is an international standard used fr an international standard held in fourty different languages. The CEFR encompasses six levels of competence: from breakthrough (A1) to mastery (C2). Like IELTS, the CEFR tests different aspects of language learning such as reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Yet its usage is still problematic. The idea that the CEFR provides a holistic assessment of a person’s ability in language is a fallacy. When you really scrutinise the specifications of the six levels of competence, the pedantic differences between them becomes clear. For example, the differences between a C1 (Effective Operational Efficiency) and C2 (Mastery) level in reading are so subtle that their diagnoses seem only to paraphrase each other.

This raises questions about the way people are assessed in their competencies when the criteria appears so interchangeable.Philia Thalgott, head of the Education Policy Division at the Council of Europe, maintains “the CEFR is descriptive—not normative–and must be adapted for migration contexts”.

Author Jean-Jacques Weber, in his 2015 book Language Racism goes even further and suggests the use of the CEFR within Europe developed from the residual influence of eugenic thery, where only migrants who are able to reach the highest plateau of what is supposedly an ‘objective’ and ‘scientific’ standardised language test are the ones who could possibly integrate themselves into a civilised European society.

This idea isn’t all too far fetched. In the parliamentary debate leading up to a vote on new citizenship laws in Luxembourg in 2008, the A1 level threshold proposed for migrants by left-leaning parties was chastised by the more conservative parties as not constituting high enough an intellectual hurdle.

It’s possible that the CEFR guidelines are helpful for students when it comes to getting a job, or going on exchange. But it’s evident that standardised language tests of its kind are increasingly being used as a tool to curb migrant intake under an agenda that merits individuals only on the basis of their ability to speak a foreign language. The danger lies in the dubious nature of these tests, and the authority they carry.
The linguistics journal Diachronica publishes Australian research implying that a tracement of the country's indigenous languages can be made back to a single, common language known as Proto-Australian, which was spoken around 10,000-years ago.