Main Language Spoken at Home - Underlying Concepts
Name of variable
The name of the variable is Main Language Spoken at Home.
Definition of variable
Nominal definition
Main Language Spoken at Home is defined as the main language spoken by a person in the home on a regular basis, to communicate with other residents and regular visitors to the home.
Main Language Spoken at Home is an attribute of the counting unit 'person'.
Operational definition
Operationally, Main Language Spoken at Home is defined as the main language reported by a person as being spoken in the home. If the person speaks more than one language at home, they are asked to report the language spoken most often.
The definition of language is provided in the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2011 (ABS cat. no. 1267.0).
Discussion of conceptual issues
The variable provides data about the languages spoken most frequently or commonly in Australian homes. It does not collect data about the full range of languages spoken by a person in the home. The full range of languages spoken in the home can be collected using the variable "Languages Spoken at Home".
Main Language Spoken at Home is one of five language variables. The other language variables are, First Language Spoken, Languages Spoken at Home, Main Language Other Than English Spoken at Home, and Proficiency in Spoken English.
The Main Language Spoken at Home variable and the ASCL recognise that approximately one percent of the Australian population use non verbal forms of communication. For coding purposes, Auslan and similar sign languages are recognised as separate languages. However Signed English/finger spelling is considered to be another form of English and is coded against English.
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