At the time when the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove in January 1788 intent on establishing a permanent presence, scholars estimate that there might have been around 250 Aboriginal languages in Australia. Since the earliest days of population influx, first by Europeans and subsequently by others, there has been constant language loss: so much so that the Third National Indigenous Languages Survey in 2019 and National Indigenous Languages Report (2020) reported that 90% of those original 250 languages were considered endangered, with only thirteen languages now being fully used and passed on to the coming generation of children. However, around Australia communities are working to prevent further language loss and reawaken over 31 languages. For more information about Aboriginal languages today see https://aiatsis.gov.au/research/current-projects/third-national-indigenous-languages-survey.
