Australians spoke an average of 338 fewer words each day between 2005 and 2019, a decline an oral historian says may point to a loss of listening skills. The historian warned that AI tools and chatbots promise quicker responses and so-called “empathetic” listening, even as hearing different views and entering different worlds remain integral to humanity.
The reduction amounted to “a staggering loss of 120,000 spoken words per person, compared with the year before,” the writer said. Those figures track a fall in daily speech; the writer linked it to concerns about listening, not to a claim that AI caused the decline.
What the recordings preserve
“Language is culture. It tells us who we are,” the writer said. The writer led a team at the National Library of Australia between 2018 and early 2024, responsible for what the article describes as the largest oral history collection in the southern hemisphere. Founded in 1957, the collection holds more than 58,000 hours of recordings.
Much of the material is available online through Trove. It includes First Nations Australians speaking about deep history and sharing first-person memories dating back to the 19th century. The collection also holds testimony from First Nations Australians who were part of the Stolen Generations.
While working on a book and accompanying podcast, the writer has listened to hundreds more hours of recordings, adding to thousands of Australians’ accounts heard across different eras, places and backgrounds. These voices preserve past Australian accents, words no longer spoken and stories of professions that no longer exist.
Some recordings capture major public events and political divisions. The collection holds memories of the 1891 Queensland shearers’ strikes and the conscription debates of the first world war. One Australian prime minister recalled winning election after their party spent 23 years in opposition.
Other accounts trace individual lives. Dame Mary Gilmore, born in 1865, spoke about tallow candles and life before electricity. A mother described seeking refuge in Australia after crossing pirate-infested seas following the Vietnam war. A pioneer stationed in Antarctica reflected on distance.
Listening across generations
The next voice might belong to Dr Ella Stack, a Darwin doctor who survived Cyclone Tracy, stayed to help, recorded survivors’ memories and later ensured Darwin was rebuilt as mayor. The writer also said people’s humorous memories sometimes made them cry with laughter.
Listening to people with different backgrounds and perspectives can improve mental and physical wellbeing, encourage information exchange, deepen understanding, spark ideas and build empathy, the historian said. “Empathy is the richest gift listening offers,” the writer said. “That will be our greatest loss if we speak and hear less.”
The writer said listening allows people to engage with others’ experiences without demanding instant gratification or artificial agreement. It can teach people patience, help them value difference and let them disagree without needless destruction. Those are the capacities the writer sets against AI tools and chatbots promising quicker responses and so-called “empathetic” listening.
People separated by a century or more, and by different backgrounds and experiences, can still connect through shared experiences of love, loss, change, challenge, joy and resilience, the writer said. “These voices from the past can resonate as powerfully as ever in our present.”