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Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL)

Definition

Language is one of several useful indicators of the cultural diversity of Australia’s society. The ASCL provides a basis for the standardised collection, publication and analysis of data relating to languages used or spoken by the Australian population. It is used to classify data from the ABS Census of Population and Housing and is also recommended for use in administrative data collections where data on language is collected.

The ASCL is designed for use in the collection, aggregation and dissemination of data relating to language usage in Australia and to classify the following ABS language variables: 

  • First Language Spoken
  • Languages Spoken at Home
  • Main Language Spoken and
  • Main Language Other than English Spoken at Home

Data classified by language can be used across a range of organisations, including in the fields of health, community services, and education, to understand the diversity of languages used in communities and improve service delivery.

Data from the Census of Population and Housing, classified using the ASCL, also contributes to measuring Target 16 Cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourishing in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

In the classification, languages are arranged in progressively broader categories based primarily on their relationship to a common ancestral language (genetic affinity). This means that those Languages that are closely related, in terms of their evolution from a common ancestor, are closely aligned in the structure of the classification. Geographic proximity has been used as a secondary criterion, to order groups.

Definition of language

While the ASCL does not attempt to offer an exhaustive definition of language, the following definition encompasses the essential elements of language as used in ASCL.

The Macquarie Dictionary (Sixth Edition, 2013) defines language as "Communication in the distinctively human manner, using a system of arbitrary symbols with conventionally assigned meanings, as by voice, writing, or sign language. Any set or system of such symbols as used in a more or less uniform fashion by a number of people, who are thus enabled to communicate intelligibly with one another."

The term "Language" is used to describe the base (finest) level categories in ASCL. Most Languages in the ASCL are those languages which are universally recognised as distinct and separate languages, including creoles, pidgins and sign languages. In a few cases, a language variation (dialect) is included as a stand-alone group if one of the following criteria are met:

  • failure to separately include language variations may decrease the usefulness of language data by limiting analysis to the parent language only when a more detailed breakdown is required
  • the boundary between a language and its variations are not always clear or agreed
  • stakeholders consulted preferred certain variations as separate categories.

Classification Structure

The structure of the ASCL now has four hierarchical levels. The categories at the most detailed level of the classification are termed ‘Languages’. These are grouped together to form Narrow groups, which in turn are grouped to form Sub Family and Language Family groups. Language Family groups are the highest level of the classification. Please see further detail relating to each of the Language groups listed below.

Classification Levels

Name Description Code structure #
Sub family group

Sub family groups (four-digit codes) are the second level of the 2025 classification. The classification contains 49 Sub family groups, created by aggregating the most closely related Narrow groups. Within each Sub family group, Narrow groups are ordered by the similarity of the location where the Languages originated (geographic proximity).

Sub family group example

Sub family group Name
1111 Pama-Nyungan Languages
1113 Bunaban Languages
1311 Celtic Languages
2711 Malayo-Polynesian Languages
9
Language family group

The Language family group level is the highest and most general level of the classification. The Language family group level is represented by a two-digit code and is the first and broadest level of the classification. Each Language family is made up of Sub family groups which have originated from the same common ancestral language.

Language family group example

Language family group Name
11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages
13 Indo-European Languages
27 Austronesian Languages
51
Narrow group

Narrow groups (six-digit codes) make up the third level of the classification. The 2025 classification contains 95 Narrow groups, created by aggregating the most closely related Languages. Within Narrow groups, Language groups have been organised alphabetically.

Narrow group example

Narrow group Name
111111 Thura-Yura Languages
111117 Wadjari Languages
131111 Insular Languages
390
Language

The fourth and most detailed level of the classification is the Language level (denoted by eight-digit codes). There are 444 Languages at this level of the classification, including 204 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages.

Language example

Language Name
11111111 Adnyamathanha
11113616 Dharug
13111111 Gaelic (Scotland)
27111115 Tagalog

 

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Comments

A pictorial representation of the ASCL structure, including examples, is shown below:

This image is a pictorial representation of the ASCL structure. Two examples of the structure are given either side of the group descriptions down the middle. The first group description, titled 'Broad Groups', is the broadest level of ASCL and is denoted by 1-digit codes. Broad groups are formed by aggregating geographically proximate narrow groups and there are 9 broad groups, including one 'other' group. The next section, titled 'Narrow Groups (2-digit)', is the second level of the classification and is denoted by 2-digit codes. Narrow groups are formed by aggregating similar languages according to the classification criteria (generic affinity and geographic proximity) and there are 51 narrow groups including 7 'other'. The third section is titled 'Narrow-Groups (3-digit)'. There are 3-digit narrow groups for Australian Indigenous Languages only, these 3-digit levels sit between the 2-digit narrow group and the 4-digit language level of the classification. These 3-digit narrow groups provide meaningful and useful groupings for the large number of Indigenous Languages and there are 13 3-digit categories. The fourth and final section is titled ‘Languages’, this is the most detailed level of the classification and is denoted by 4-digit codes. It contains identified languages spoken in Australia. There are 435 languages, consisting of 218 non-Indigenous languages. This indicates 44 nec categories. On the left hand side sits an example for Non-Indigenous Languages, beginning with a the broad group '1 Northern European Languages' flows to the narrow group (2-digit) of 11 Celtic. Finally flowing to the languages of 1101 Gaelic (Scotland), 1102 Irish, 1103 Welsh and 1199 Celtic, nec. On the right hand side sits a second example titled 'Australian Indigenous Languages'. Beginning with the broad group '8 Australian Indigenous Languages' then flowing to the narrow group (2-digit) of 82 Yolngu Matha. The Narrow group (3-digit) of 821 Dhangu is next then the languages containing 8211 Galpu, 8212 Golumala, 8213 Wangurri and 8299 Dhangu, nec.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), ABS Website, accessed 5 September 2024.
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/australian-standard-classification-languages-ascl

Related content

Relation Count
Value Domains referencing this Classification 2