B. Proto-Oceanic
Explanation:
- It is well known that, before the settlers, Aboriginal people and other native tribes lived in Australia, which can still be traced today. Although Australia does not have an official language, English is the national language because it is used by over 75% of the population.
- Australian English is a variant of the standard with a different accent and vocabulary, and is slightly different in grammar and pronunciation. In addition to English, you can often hear Mandarin, Arabic, Italian and other languages.
- However, the astonishing fact is that there are over 250 indigenous languages in Australia, admittedly some of them extinct, on the way to extinction or endangered by European influences throughout history. Today, less than 20 of these languages are used in everyday use by all age groups, which means they have a chance to survive. There are about 50,000 speakers.
- It is believed that there were over 400 Aboriginal languages before Europeans first set foot on the Australian continent. These languages are distributed in about 28 language families, and the links between them are not clear today. Nonetheless, the languages are covered by the name "Australian Language Family".
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