Do people in the United Kingdom speak English? Without a doubt! However, English is not the sole language spoken in UK and London. In truth, English is not the only language spoken in the United Kingdom; several others exist. And we may add to that the enormous number of different languages spoken by the UK’s varied population. So, what are the most frequent languages in England and the United Kingdom, and who speaks them?
English: 58.1 million speakers
Some are startled to hear that English is not the country’s official language. However, it is the de facto language of the United Kingdom since it is the primary language of around 92% of the population. In the United Kingdom, there are many different dialects of English, but everyone can understand each other.
Indigenous languages: 2.3 million speakers
There are 14 indigenous languages spoken in the United Kingdom. Cornish, a language spoken in Cornwall, possibly has the fewest speakers, with just approximately 500 individuals speaking it fluently. Here are some of the major indigenous languages still spoken in the United Kingdom.
Helô, Welsh! Welsh is the only language declared as an official language in any area of the United Kingdom – in Wales, of course! A million people speak Welsh; most live in Wales, although some live in other areas of the UK. Welsh is a Celtic language, and English is Germanic. Thus, the languages are not mutually intelligible – in fact, they are pretty unlike!
Scots
Scots is the UK’s second most-spoken language, with over 1.5 million speakers in Scotland. Some people consider Scots to be a dialect of English. However, it is classified as a separate language in the United Kingdom.
95,000 individuals speak Gaelic across the British Isles, 74,000 of whom live in the Republic of Ireland rather than the UK; to be explicit, the Republic of Ireland is part of the British Isles, not the UK.
Foreign/Immigrant Languages: 4.2 million speakers
In addition to these native languages, you will hear many additional languages in the UK. Over 300 languages are said to be spoken in London alone! In addition to immigrant populations, the UK welcomes millions of students, tourists, and business travellers worldwide each year.
Bengali has been officially recognised as the second most-spoken language in London, followed by Polish and Turkish, with about 165,311 London residents speaking one of the three as their native language.
More than 2 million British Asians of Punjabi descent live beyond the limits of South Asia, making them the biggest Punjabi community outside South Asia’s borders. This group originates from either Pakistan or India, and their ongoing usage of Punjabi has elevated it to the fourth most widely spoken language in the United Kingdom.
Other immigrant languages include French, Gujarati, Chinese, Tamil, Arabic, Somali, Romanian, and Italian.
WE ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU, MINORITIES.
The United Kingdom’s diverse range of languages adds to its intrigue and cultural richness. Although English is the primary language, learning it will enable you to communicate with most individuals. However, with the variety of languages spoken, such as Polish, Punjabi, or Somali, you are bound to find someone who speaks your language.
Please get in touch with us today to benefit from our translation and interpretation services.