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Aborigines, Indigenous Australians
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Languages
The Indigenous languages mainland Australia and Tasmania have not been shown to be related to any languages outside Australia. There were more than 250 languages spoken by Indigenous Australians prior to the arrival Europeans. Most these are now either extinct or moribund, with only about fifteen languages still being spoken by all age groups.
Linguists classify mainland Australian languages into two distinct groups: the Pama-Nyungan languages and the non-Pama-Nyungan. The Pama-Nyungan languages comprise the majority, covering most Australia, and are a family related languages. In the north, stretching from the Western Kimberley to the Gulf Carpentaria, are found a number groups languages which have not been shown to be related to the Pama-Nyungan family or to each other; these are known as the non-Pama-Nyungan languages.
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