Pama–Nyungan languages
As the most widespread family of Aboriginal languages, the Pama–Nyungan languages account for around three-quarters of Australia's indigenous languages. The name is derived from the words for 'man' at the two end-points of the range: in northeast Australia, "man" is pama; in southwest Australia "man" is nyunga).
The term originates in Kenneth L. Hale's work on Australian languages, which led him to conclude that a closely interrelated family of languages had spread and proliferated over most of the continent. About a dozen other families were concentrated along the North Coast.
However, while the Pama–Nyungan family accounts for most of the geographic spread and the most significant number of languages, most are spoken by small groups of speakers. Many have become extinct due to disease or the elimination of speakers; almost all of those that remain are spoken by dwindling numbers of elderly people, although a few remain spoken vigorously in relatively isolated areas where identity remains strong.
