Languages of the United Kingdom

28: 3945: 3812: 3800: 1746: 2479: 4035:), and a common written form was current well into the 20th century, the two varieties have usually been considered as dialects of a single tongue rather than languages in their own right; the written forms have diverged in the 21st century. The government of the United Kingdom "recognises that Scots and Ulster Scots meet the Charter's definition of a regional or minority language". Whether this implies recognition of one regional or minority language or two is a question of interpretation. Ulster Scots is defined in legislation (The North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) Northern Ireland Order 1999) as: 3788: 2487: 4252: 3764: 3776: 2953:, which aims to promote the Gaelic language to a status "commanding equal respect" with English. However, this wording has no clear meaning in law, and was chosen to prevent the assumption that the Gaelic language is in any way considered to have "equal validity or parity of esteem with English". A major limitation of the act, though, is that it does not constitute any form of recognition for the Gaelic language by the UK government, and UK public bodies operating in Scotland, as reserved bodies, are explicitly exempted from its provisions. 3012:

columns: English, Scottish Gaelic and Scots. Of approximately 5.1 million respondents, about 1.2 million (24%) could speak, read and write Scots, 3.2 million (62%) had no skills in Scots and the remainder had some degree of skill, such as understanding Scots (0.27 million, 5.2%) or being able to speak it but not read or write it (0.18 million, 3.5%). There were also small numbers of Scots speakers recorded in England and Wales on the 2011 Census, with the largest numbers being either in bordering areas (e.g.

3116: 4925: 1203: 273: 4067: 4220: 4535: 4236: 4939: 215: 4097:

Catholics claim to speak it, while 2% of Protestants claim to speak it. The disparity in the ratios as determined by political and faith community, despite the very large overlap between the two, reflects the very low numbers of respondents. Across the two communities 0% speak it as their main language at home. A 2:1 ratio would not differ markedly from that among the general population in those areas of Northern Ireland where Scots is spoken.

2695: 2511: 2872: 4522:

Spanish. In the same survey, 38% of UK citizens reported that they could speak (well enough to have a conversation) at least one language other than their mother tongue, 18% at least two languages and 6% at least three languages. 62% of UK citizens cannot speak any second language. These figures include those who describe their level of ability in the second language as "basic".

4117:, the British government committed itself to introducing an Irish Language Act, and it was hoped that a consultation period ending on 2 March 2007 could see Irish becoming an official language, having equal validity with English, recognised as an indigenous language, or aspire to become an official language in the future. However, with the restoration of the 2818:

for how many people speak it fluently. Furthermore, no question about Welsh language ability was asked in the 2001 census outside Wales, thereby ignoring a considerable population of Welsh speakers – particularly concentrated in neighbouring English counties and in London and other large cities. It is estimated that 110,000 to 150,000 people in

2810:

absolute numbers within Wales. Welsh is therefore a growing language within Wales. Of those 553,000 Welsh speakers, 57% (315,000) were considered by others to be fluent, and 477,000 people consider themselves fluent or "fair" speakers. 62% of speakers (340,000) claimed to speak the language daily, including 88% of fluent speakers.

4367:. Recent Italian-Bangladeshi migrants to the UK mostly speak standard Bengali (including other dialects). Standard Bengali is used by the community as a whole particularly in media. Sylheti had been enlisted as part of the list of native languages spoken by students in British schools, and some institutions such as the 5036:, 53,098,301 people in England and Wales, 5,044,683 people in Scotland, and 1,681,210 people in Northern Ireland can speak English "well" or "very well"; totalling 59,824,194. Therefore, out of the 60,815,385 residents of the UK over the age of three, 98% claim they can speak English "well" or "very well". 4521:

Throughout the UK, many citizens can speak a second or even a third language from secondary school education, primary school education or from private classes. A 2006 survey found that 23% of the UK population self-reported that they could hold a "basic conversation" in French, 9% in German and 8% in

3292:

British Sign Language, often abbreviated to BSL, is the language of 125,000 Deaf adults, about 0.3% of the total population of the United Kingdom. It is not exclusively the language of Deaf people; many relatives of Deaf people and others can communicate in it fluently. Recognised to be a language by

2809:

indicated in 2004 that 553,000 people (19.7% of the population of Wales in households or communal establishments) were able to speak Welsh. Based on an alternative definition, there has been a 0.9 percentage point increase when compared with the 2001 census, and an increase of approximately 35,000 in

5291: 4096:

In Northern Ireland, the use of Irish and Ulster Scots is sometimes viewed as politically loaded, despite both having been used by all communities in the past. According to the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 1999, the ratio of Unionist to Nationalist users of Ulster Scots is 2:1. About 1% of

3964:

is intended to fulfil a similar function for Ulster Scots, although hitherto it has mainly concerned itself with culture. In Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner (Comisiynydd y Gymraeg) is an independent body established to promote and facilitate use of the Welsh language, mainly by imposing Welsh

4192:

Scots within Scotland and the regional varieties of English within England receive little or no official recognition. The dialects of northern England share some features with Scots that those of southern England do not. The regional dialects of England were once extremely varied, as is recorded in

3916:

Under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (which is not legally enforceable, but which requires states to adopt appropriate legal provision for the use of regional and minority languages) the UK government has committed itself to the recognition of certain regional languages and

3011:

The 2011 UK census was the first to ask residents of Scotland about Scots. A campaign called Aye Can was set up to help individuals answer the question. The specific wording used was "Which of these can you do? Tick all that apply" with options for 'Understand', 'Speak', 'Read' and 'Write' in three

2817:

standard, many of whom could not be regarded as fluent speakers of the language. Conversely, some first-language speakers may choose not to report themselves as such. These phenomena, also seen with other minority languages outside the UK, make it harder to establish an accurate and unbiased figure

4267:

discovered over 100 languages being spoken domestically by the families of the inner city's school children. Current school censuses collect information on over 300 language categories. Data on the total number of languages entered onto national census forms in 2021 (England and Wales and Northern

2939:

being the main stronghold of the language. The census results indicate a decline of 1,275 Gaelic speakers from 2001. A total of 87,056 people in 2011 reported having some facility with Gaelic compared to 93,282 people in 2001, a decline of 6,226. Despite this decline, revival efforts exist and the

4525:

Language teaching is compulsory in all English schools from the ages of 5 or 7. Modern and ancient languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Urdu, Mandarin, Russian, Bengali, Hebrew, and Arabic, are studied. Language teaching is compulsory from the ages of 11 or 12 in Scotland and

4682:

are variously claimed as the last refuges of the language in Shetland, where there were people "who could repeat sentences in Norn, probably passages from folk songs or poems, as late as 1893". Fragments of vocabulary survived the death of the main language and remain to this day, mainly in

9395: 1328:

shows that 28%, or roughly 862,700 people, of Wales' population aged three and over were able to speak the language in March 2024. Additionally, 32.5% (1,001,500) reported that they could understand spoken Welsh, 24.7% (759,200) could read and 22.2% (684,500) could write in Welsh.

4639:

There are small numbers of second-language speakers of revived varieties of Cornish, and these appear in the table of living languages in this article. Many people therefore regard the Cornish language not as "extinct" but as "critically endangered" or by other similar terms.

2986:

from where the Scottish elite continued the language shift northwards. Since there are no universally accepted criteria for distinguishing languages from dialects, scholars and other interested parties often disagree about the linguistic, historical and social status of

3031:

reported that of a population of 5,436,600 in Scotland, 1,508,540 people could speak Scots, or 27.74% of the population of Scotland. However, with an estimated population of 67.6 million in the UK in 2022, this percentage falls to 2.23% of the population of the UK.

2833:

indicated that on census day, the population of England and Wales as 59.6 million. Of this population, roughly 538,300 people noted that they could speak Welsh, or 0.90% of the population. Within Wales, this percentage grows to 17.8%. In addition, data from the

5287: 4156:, a derivative of Old Norse mutually intelligible with Icelandic and Faroese, died out in the 18th century after large-scale immigration by Lowland Scots speakers. To this day, many Shetlanders and Orcadians maintain a separate identity, albeit through the 6277: 2669:

the superficial appearance of a close relationship with Romance languages. The Great Vowel Shift that began in the south of England in the 15th century is one of the historical events marking the separation of Middle and Modern English.

6985: 4132:

Some resent Scottish Gaelic being promoted in the Lowlands. Gaelic place names are relatively rare in the extreme south-east (that part of Scotland which had previously been under Northumbrian rule) and the extreme north-east (part of

2825:

Nevertheless, the 2011 census recorded an overall reduction in Welsh speakers, from 582,000 in 2001 to 562,000 in 2011, despite an increase in the size of the population—a 2% drop (from 21% to 19%) in the proportion of Welsh speakers.

3079:, seen by some as a language distinct from English and by some as a dialect of English, according to the 1999 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (around 30,000 speakers). Some definitions of Ulster Scots may also include Standard 5828:

The United Kingdom declares, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Charter that it recognises that Scots and Ulster Scots meet the Charter's definition of a regional or minority language for the purposes of Part II of the

4210:

Public funding of minority languages continues to produce mixed reactions, and there is sometimes resistance to their teaching in schools. Partly as a result, proficiency in languages other than "Standard" English can vary widely.

4112:

in Northern Ireland itself. Catholic areas of Belfast have street signs in Irish similar to those in the Republic. Approximately 14% of the population speak Irish, however only 1% speak it as their main language at home. Under the

9701: 7676: 5867:

The United Kingdom declares, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Charter that it recognises that Cornish meets the Charter's definition of a regional or minority language for the purposes of Part II of the

7450: 2999:

at the other. Consequently, Scots is often regarded as one of the ancient varieties of English, but with its own distinct dialects. Alternatively Scots is sometimes treated as a distinct Germanic language, in the way

4784:

in what is now southern Scotland, England and Wales. A minority view held by a few scholars claims that Pictish was at least partially non-Indo-European or that a non-Indo-European and Brittonic language coexisted.

2907:

branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish. Outside Scotland, a dialect of the language known as

7505: 6247: 4279:, particularly Jamaica, and generally also spoke English-based creole languages, hence there are significant numbers of Caribbean creole speakers (see below for Ethnologue figures). A large proportion of the 2794:, and since 1998 it has been common, for example, for almost all British Government Departments to provide both printed documentation and official websites in both English and Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the 5376: 5343: 4129:

MLA, announced to the assembly that no Irish Language Act would be brought forward. As of April 2016, no Irish Language Act applying to Northern Ireland has been passed, and none is currently planned.

2798:

unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011, this measure received Royal Assent and was passed, thus making the Welsh language an

4836:. Place name evidence suggests Cumbric speakers may have carried it into other parts of northern England as migrants from its core area further north. It may also have been spoken as far south as 7381: 8869: 6993: 8951: 8671: 6134: 3917:

the promotion of certain linguistic traditions. The UK has ratified for the higher level of protection (Section III) provided for by the Charter in respect of Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and

1405:

UK (2021 data): 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents, aged three years and over, had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language (down from 92.3%, or 49.8 million, in 2011)

5999: 7669: 6509: 3153:'s population. In the 2011 census, 11% of the population of Northern Ireland claimed "some knowledge of Irish" and 3.7% reported being able to "speak, read, write and understand" 7726: 2638:

since the mid-20th century, it has been widely dispersed around the world, and become the leading language of international discourse. Many English words are based on roots from

4289:

speak dozens of different languages, and it is difficult to determine how many people speak each language alongside English. The largest subgroup of British Asians are those of

4776:

found on monuments and the contemporary records in the area controlled by the Kingdom of the Picts. Such evidence, however, points to the language being closely related to the

7435: 6678: 4006:, although a number of paradigms exist, which give sometimes contradictory results. The distinction is therefore a subjective one, dependent on the user's frame of reference. 7541: 4636:

Cornish became extinct as a first language in the late 18th century, ceasing to have any fully competent speakers by 1800. Its cultural legacy has continued within Cornwall.

5123: 4379:

According to the 2021 census, English or Welsh was the main language of 91.1% of the residents of England and Wales. Among other languages, the most common were as follows.

4020:

to a limited degree – especially between southern dialects of Scottish and northern dialects of Irish (programmes in these two forms of Gaelic are broadcast respectively on

9876: 6859: 5695: 8734: 8709: 6781: 4050:

as a single language. Even British Sign Language is mistakenly thought of as a form of 'English' by some, rather than as a language in its own right, with a distinct

7956: 7644: 7514: 4592:

is usually celebrated in English, it can be and often is said in Latin, in part or whole, especially at multilingual gatherings. It is the official language of the

8691: 6445: 5427:

Diversity in addressing diversity: Canadian and British legislative approaches to linguistic minorities and their international legal context. In: Williams C (ed)

325: 8739: 7897:

England: 110,000 (estimated speakers in 2001) with 8,200 first language speakers (2011 census); Scotland and Northern Ireland: 1,000 (estimated speakers in 2001)

1233: 340: 8767: 4576:), and various ceremonial contexts. Latin abbreviations can also be seen on British coins. The use of Latin has declined greatly in recent years. However, the 7910:— Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects across the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website (uses Windows Media Player for content) 6065: 5368: 5179: 5601: 3277:(56%). With 59.3% of Gaelic speakers or a total of 15,723 speakers, this made the Outer Hebrides the most strongly coherent Gaelic speaking area in Scotland. 10192: 7408: 7495:

Francesco Goglia (2021). "Italian-Bangladeshis in London: Onward Migration and Its Effects on Their Linguistic Repertoire." MDPI. Retrieved on 2024-09-12.

6986:"Initial Periodical Report by the United Kingdom presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter" 1668:(2021 data): Of a population of 570,300 during the 2021 UK Census, 567 people noted that they could speak Cornish, or 0.099% of the population of Cornwall 9258: 9223: 9213: 3893: 3222: 7371: 9716: 9268: 8789: 8603: 2935:

showed that a total of 57,375 people (1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) in Scotland could speak Gaelic at that time, with the

1092: 6955: 5479: 5265: 9616: 8931: 8724: 3881: 3161: 7486:

Chiara Meluzzi, Martin J. Ball, Rajend Mesthrie (2023). The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World. pp 40. Retrieved on 2024-09-12.

6299: 3937:, but in the speech of users simply as Scottish or Scots) are protected by the lower level only (Section II). The UK government has also recognised 9218: 8779: 7855: 6938: 6229: 6034: 5854: 5815: 2532: 5054: 3307:

Abilities in the regional languages of the UK (other than Cornish) for those aged three and above were recorded in the UK census 2011 as follows.

9208: 8636: 6389: 1353:

The table below outlines living indigenous languages of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The languages of the

6459: 9504: 9315: 8831: 2991:. Although a number of paradigms for distinguishing between languages and dialects do exist, these often render contradictory results. Focused 7086: 7056: 7023: 6833: 6573: 6423: 6007: 4670:. It is likely that the language was dying out in the late 18th century, with the reports putting the last Norn speakers in the 19th century. 9280: 8926: 8704: 8204: 7949: 7116: 6935: 5846: 5807: 7613: 27: 10187: 10140: 9611: 9390: 8994: 7413: 6190: 4958: 880: 7214: 6721: 6704: 10182: 9556: 9367: 5080: 1226: 7786: 7716: 7287: 6592: 5457: 5165:

The usual resident population of England and Wales was 59,597,300 on Census Day, 21 March 2021, and 538,300 said they could speak Welsh

3948:

In Northern Ireland, the department responsible for culture displays official administrative identity in English, Irish and Ulster Scots

335: 9566: 9509: 9041: 8984: 7701: 4207:, but they have died out over time so that regional differences are now largely in pronunciation rather than in grammar or vocabulary. 4046:

closely related languages and dialects may get official recognition and support, in the UK there is a tendency to view closely related

2814: 7355:(1983). "Language, Dialect and Local Identity in Northern Pakistan". In Wolfgang-Peter Zingel; Stephanie Zingel-Avé Lallemant (eds.). 5939: 9905: 8799: 7446: 6885: 6682: 6630: 5152:

Scots - Languages - gov.scot. Out of the 67.6 million residents of the UK over the age of three, 1,508,540 (2.23%) can speak Scots,

3811: 2813:

However, there is some controversy over the actual number who speak Welsh: some statistics include people who have studied Welsh to

10177: 9551: 9410: 9362: 7942: 6745: 4121:

in May 2007, responsibility for this was passed to the Assembly, and the commitment was promptly broken. In October 2007, the then

3293:

the UK Government on 18 March 2003, BSL has the highest number of monolingual users of any indigenous minority language in the UK.

2838:

shows that 28%, or roughly 862,700 people, of Wales' population aged three and over were able to speak the language in March 2024.

1032: 7538: 5782: 4263:

Communities migrating to the UK in recent decades have brought many more languages to the country. Surveys started in 1979 by the

1514:; an estimation of 862,700 people, or 28%, of Wales' population aged three and over were able to speak the language in March 2024. 9132: 8941: 8772: 4344:. There have been efforts by numerous initiatives to document and gain recognition for the language, particularly in wake of the 4122: 7574: 5545: 3028: 2932: 9893: 9467: 9196: 9164: 9004: 8989: 8979: 8804: 8794: 8784: 8757: 8567: 6855: 5453: 1219: 4674:

from Skaw in Unst, who died about 1850, has been cited as the last native speaker of the Norn language. The remote islands of

2482:

English language proficiency in England and Wales in 2011. The 'English' category included Welsh for usual residents of Wales.

9586: 9159: 7816: 6543: 5898: 5232: 4031:

Since there is a very high level of mutual intelligibility between contemporary speakers of Scots in Scotland and in Ulster (

1146: 801: 661: 296: 7189: 6337: 9453: 9275: 8936: 8909: 6807: 6209: 6082: 5321: 4963: 4016:

are generally viewed as being languages in their own right rather than dialects of a single tongue, but they are sometimes

6112: 4037:

the variety of the Scots language which has traditionally been used in parts of Northern Ireland and in Donegal in Ireland

9626: 9571: 9514: 9433: 9377: 9345: 9179: 8864: 8629: 8262: 7637: 6303: 5977: 4340:

is also used by the community in the media and literature. The Punjabi language movement considers it to be a dialect of

3862: 3851: 2949: 1309: 361: 7756: 6911: 6773: 4268:

Ireland), and 2022 (Scotland) is not yet published but write in data in 2011 covered over 600 languages and categories.

4028:), but the relationship between Scots and English is less clear, since there is usually partial mutual intelligibility. 9601: 9581: 9524: 9489: 9137: 9105: 9069: 6163: 5166: 4728: 4101: 3154: 3100: 3049: 2445: 2134: 1539: 1141: 928: 771: 91: 5200: 3799: 9596: 9494: 9149: 9142: 9009: 8974: 8959: 8859: 8197: 7929: 7849: 7172: 5673: 4953: 4781: 3944: 2558: 188: 5131: 3210:

in the far west of Cornwall until the late 18th century, with the last native speaker thought to have died in 1777.

2540: 9681: 9233: 9191: 9115: 9110: 9014: 8892: 6307: 4844:. Most linguists think that it became extinct in the 12th century, after the incorporation of the semi-independent 4768:, which became extinct c.900 AD. There is virtually no direct attestation of Pictish, short of a limited number of 4550: 4264: 3787: 2603: 2115: 1067: 990: 923: 852: 776: 6510:"Population estimates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - Office for National Statistics" 4735:'s substrate languages) descended through Kentish signers, though proper evidence has not yet been substantiated. 9744: 9499: 9425: 9120: 8969: 8916: 8879: 8844: 8818: 8719: 8598: 8282: 7475:

The Development of Research Programme to Translate and Test the Personal well-being Questions in Sylheti and Urdu

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until 1919, for Greek, and the 1960s, for Latin), and A-Levels and Highers are still available in both subjects.

4228: 1320:

official language in any part of the United Kingdom. Welsh is spoken by 538,300 people in Wales according to the

573: 4152:) were ceded to Scotland in lieu of an unpaid dowry in 1472, and never spoke Gaelic; its traditional vernacular 9691: 9479: 9405: 9300: 9253: 9169: 9089: 9049: 8839: 8622: 8557: 8307: 8133: 7281: 4705: 4310: 3297: 3130:

for most of their recorded history, and they brought their Gaelic speech with them to other countries, notably

2536: 2206: 1715: 870: 796: 786: 763: 577: 194: 3973:

and cultural groups and local government's language needs. It receives funding from the UK government and the

10133: 9900: 9706: 9636: 9606: 9576: 9541: 9443: 9415: 9333: 9241: 9125: 8904: 8654: 8479: 8161: 7359:. Mitteilungen des Deutschen Orient-Instituts. Vol. 23. Hamburg: Deutsches Orient-Institut. p. 183. 6534:

Romaine, Suzanne (2008), "Irish in a Global Context", in Caoilfhionn Nic Pháidín and Seán Ó Cearnaigh (ed.),

6272: 5153: 4998: 4993: 4025: 3041: 1810: 1151: 1128: 791: 283: 263: 4613:

At one time, Latin and Greek were commonly taught in British schools (and were required for entrance to the

4363:, which is mostly a spoken language with no standard form, and is also generally considered as a dialect of 10019: 9943: 9915: 9861: 9664: 9654: 9591: 9546: 9519: 9372: 9357: 9054: 9029: 8964: 8854: 8572: 8524: 8394: 8389: 8190: 7357:

Pakistan in Its Fourth Decade: Current Political, Social and Economic Situation and Prospects for the 1980s

6963: 5487: 5257: 3966: 2791: 1958: 995: 3961: 3952:

A number of bodies have been established to oversee the promotion of the regional languages: in Scotland,

9910: 9888: 9856: 9851: 9833: 9774: 9696: 9686: 9621: 9484: 9448: 9246: 9024: 8663: 4709: 3850:

to be treated equally throughout the public sector. This was further enforced through the passing of the

2795: 2216: 2103: 1774: 1702: 1009: 985: 977: 933: 899: 781: 7839: 6226: 6041: 5046: 9970: 9871: 9711: 8529: 8354: 7309:

Hussain, Serena (2015). "Missing From the 'Minority Mainstream': Pahari-speaking Diaspora in Britain".

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origin (representing approximately two thirds of direct migrants from South Asia to the UK), from both

4204: 4199: 4104:

has met with the considerable suspicion of Unionists, who have associated it with the largely Catholic

3884:

will “provide official recognition of the status of the Irish language” (in addition to English), with

2830: 2774:

Both the English and Welsh languages have official, but not always equal, status in Wales. English has

2658: 1511: 1321: 1136: 402: 6397: 5720: 5344:"Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" 1745: 10106: 9866: 9671: 9644: 9154: 9034: 8534: 8496: 8139: 6446:"2011 Census: KS206EW Household language, local authorities in England and Wales (Excel sheet 268Kb)" 5753: 4692: 4118: 3157:. In another survey, from 1999, 1% of respondents said they spoke it as their main language at home. 2996: 2354: 1263:. A number of regional and migrant languages are also spoken. Regional English variant languages are 963: 943: 875: 815: 432: 7163: 6367: 5398:

Mac Síthigh, Daithí (March 2018). "Official status of languages in the United Kingdom and Ireland".

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are in English and Latin as a tribute to Wallsend's role as one of the outposts of the Roman empire.

4021: 2782:, status in only the public service, the judiciary, and elsewhere as prescribed in legislation. The 2478: 10004: 9534: 9174: 8921: 8454: 7078: 7048: 7015: 6570: 4671: 4655: 4554: 4240: 4194: 3866: 2968: 2835: 2521: 2430: 2092: 2054: 1935: 1780: 1495: 1325: 709: 7237: 7108: 6829: 6419: 6068:, by Hywel M Jones, page 115, 13.5.1.6, England. Published February 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2016. 3775: 3763: 3149:

It has been estimated that the active Irish-language scene probably comprises 5 to 10 per cent of

2943:

The Gaelic language was given official recognition for the first time in Scotland in 2005, by the

10149: 10062: 9883: 9818: 9529: 9186: 8424: 8384: 8364: 8344: 8247: 7604: 5914: 4727:

that fell into disuse and was superseded by BSL in the 17th century. There are weak rumours that

4566: 4368: 4349: 4164:

dialects of Lowland Scots, rather than their former tongue. Norn was also spoken at one point in

3843: 3198:

throughout the Middle Ages. Its use began to decline from the 14th century, especially after the

2876: 2787: 2575: 2525: 1426: 1394: 1287:. There are many non-native languages spoken by immigrants, including Polish, Punjabi, and Urdu. 1062: 694: 254: 8016: 7403: 6187: 4058:. The boundaries are not always clear cut, which makes it hard to estimate numbers of speakers. 1499:

Welsh communities in major English cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

9999: 9064: 8562: 8359: 7158: 6718: 4845: 4732: 4602: 4539: 3831: 3258: 2975: 2622:. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of 2619: 1968:(Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Somerset; also parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Herefordshire) 1623:(2022 data): 135,915, or 2.5%, of the Scottish population at the time of Scotland's 2022 census 1057: 744: 642: 6600: 5076: 2571:

In the 2011 UK census, 98% of people over the age of three were reported as speaking English.

10154: 9994: 9950: 9813: 9399: 8582: 8514: 8484: 8439: 8434: 8409: 8267: 8166: 8156: 8123: 7778: 7372:"What India Can Learn From UK Pahari Speakers' Efforts to Preserve Their Linguistic Heritage" 7271: 5443: 5096: 4930: 4800: 4724: 4701: 4437: 4032: 4017: 3978: 3953: 3938: 3930: 3885: 3287: 3199: 3172: 3076: 3070: 2861: 2344: 2332: 2201: 2078: 2019: 1965: 1891: 1886: 1881: 1762: 1662:

UK (2022 data): 567 people noted that they could speak Cornish in 2021 UK Census, or 0.00083%

1521: 1416: 1288: 1207: 1102: 908: 749: 734: 729: 590: 559: 176: 96: 8552: 7477:. pp.16. Köln: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Retrieved on 30 June 2020. 10014: 9955: 9920: 9808: 9781: 9292: 8474: 8464: 8414: 8374: 8332: 8327: 8322: 8312: 8297: 8292: 8287: 8272: 8257: 8252: 8242: 8237: 8232: 8227: 8066: 8038: 5947: 4884: 4683:

place-names and terms referring to plants, animals, weather, mood, and fishing vocabulary.

4614: 4328:) is the most spoken language. Since it is a spoken language lacking a standardised form, 4283:

population, especially African-born immigrants speak French as a first or second language.

4256: 4114: 3186: 3059: 2806: 2172: 1940: 1795: 1569: 1268: 1022: 739: 647: 585: 554: 532: 448: 151: 8021: 5514: 4251: 2486: 8: 10091: 10009: 9987: 9982: 9965: 9960: 9938: 9828: 9786: 8577: 8519: 8459: 8449: 8429: 8419: 8404: 8399: 8379: 8349: 8317: 8302: 8277: 8213: 8128: 7721: 7352: 6881: 6622: 4849: 4833: 4712: 4580:

retains Latin in official and quasi-official contexts. Latin remains the language of the

4467: 4423: 4407: 4356: 4109: 4105: 4089: 3750:

Distribution of those who stated they could speak a regional language in the 2011 census.

2944: 2778:

official status everywhere, whereas Welsh has limited, but still considerable, official,

2732: 2222: 2098: 1804: 1697: 1648: 1488: 1047: 1017: 865: 699: 182: 155: 6738: 6652: 5575: 4301:, they number over 2 million in the UK and are the largest Punjabi community outside of 2924:

mainland. This variety has around 2000 speakers, amounting to 1.3% of the population of

10086: 10042: 9823: 9801: 9796: 9764: 9676: 8849: 8489: 8444: 8369: 8339: 8171: 7334: 5778: 5448: 4983: 4973: 4503: 4485: 4317: 4144:

Two areas with mostly Norse-derived placenames (and some Pictish), the Northern Isles (

4043: 3250: 3246: 3001: 2925: 2917: 2689: 2129: 2012: 1842: 1838: 1832: 1818: 1603: 1596: 1548: 1458: 1445: 1422: 1390: 1354: 1108: 1042: 1037: 938: 913: 860: 10101: 10047: 9649: 7925: 7845: 7812: 7695: 7559: 7326: 7277: 7168: 6539: 5238: 5228: 5227:. Barry Tomalin. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 65. 4837: 4822: 4808: 4765: 4443: 4389: 4302: 3016:) or in areas that had recruited large numbers of Scottish workers in the past (e.g. 3013: 2799: 2703: 1923: 1852: 1433: 1176: 1162: 1097: 1027: 953: 918: 669: 139: 62: 54: 47: 7338: 6079:"World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - United Kingdom : Welsh" 4352:(NHS) have started to provide Pothwari translation services throughout the country. 243:

Statistics undertaken with assumptions and large disparities between home countries.

10096: 10079: 10074: 10057: 10037: 9843: 8696: 8096: 7984: 7979: 7376: 7318: 7252: 6907: 6267: 6259: 5553: 5407: 4988: 4944: 4892: 4876: 4871: 4818: 4804: 4777: 4753: 4744: 4659: 4631: 4497: 4491: 4479: 4473: 4449: 4433: 4429: 4413: 4395: 4364: 4360: 4341: 4329: 4306: 4161: 4157: 3970: 3957: 3922: 3877: 3218: 3191: 3180: 2847: 2768: 2736: 2724: 2716: 2643: 2607: 2583: 2500: 2460: 2257: 2247: 2242: 2120: 2042: 2037: 1987: 1982: 1790: 1785: 1754: 1740: 1644: 1639: 1592: 1559: 1544: 1484: 1337: 1296: 1272: 1246: 1052: 948: 627: 549: 510: 473: 377: 330: 159: 135: 131: 123: 77: 43: 7934: 6945:, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Status as of: 17 March 2011 6329: 5895: 1579:

Spoken by English Romanichal Traveller communities in England, Scotland and Wales

1554:

Northern Ireland, with communities in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, London etc.

1182: 9769: 9659: 9350: 9310: 8107: 8071: 8045: 8004: 7560:"Introducing the Sylheti language and its speakers, and the SOAS Sylheti project" 7545: 7322: 6942: 6803: 6725: 6577: 6484: 6263: 6233: 6213: 6194: 5902: 5696:"Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion" 5626: 5546:"Welsh language data from the Annual Population Survey: April 2023 to March 2024" 5003: 4968: 4908: 4841: 4589: 4585: 4577: 4461: 4419: 4383: 4321: 4181: 4009: 3830:

Certain nations and regions of the UK have frameworks for the promotion of their

3176: 3139: 3080: 3005: 2909: 2896: 2892: 2887: 2855: 2760: 2720: 2699: 2586:

immigrants from around present-day northern Germany, who came to be known as the

2385: 2327: 2151: 2146: 2007: 1999: 1945: 1913: 1769: 1758: 1686: 1587: 1385: 1358: 1280: 637: 622: 614: 600: 595: 539: 520: 505: 500: 392: 202: 147: 119: 105: 86: 81: 6206: 5313: 4564:

Latin is also used to a limited degree in certain official mottoes, for example

3253:- 27,400 In the 2001 census, each island overall was over 50% Gaelic speaking – 9382: 9263: 9201: 8762: 8645: 8050: 8033: 7994: 6104: 6078: 5969: 5550:

Welsh language data from the Annual Population Survey: April 2023 to March 2024

5013: 4904: 4880: 4663: 4597: 4558: 4509: 4455: 4401: 4290: 4286: 4075: 4013: 3974: 3926: 3918: 3870: 3847: 3203: 3115: 3110: 3045: 2988: 2983: 2962: 2936: 2851: 2783: 2683: 2666: 2654: 2631: 2627: 2599: 2415: 2400: 2274: 2108: 2073: 2066: 2049: 2027: 1927: 1680: 1574: 1479: 1441: 1412: 1333: 1284: 1276: 1264: 1260: 958: 885: 544: 527: 407: 387: 382: 313: 163: 127: 73: 69: 5651: 4092:, despite being used historically by many Protestant and unionist communities. 3929:

in Scotland and Northern Ireland (in the latter territory officially known as

2646:

and of European intellectual life. The language was further influenced by the

10171: 9438: 8999: 8897: 8887: 8686: 8681: 8102: 8089: 7999: 7748: 7330: 7256: 5411: 5242: 4888: 4716: 4649: 4572: 4333: 4280: 4272: 4153: 4138: 3270: 3143: 2679: 2635: 2623: 2611: 2315: 2279: 2177: 2158: 2061: 2032: 1994: 1971: 1899: 1869: 1846: 1454: 719: 684: 632: 515: 468: 463: 458: 443: 438: 320: 308: 272: 170: 38: 7155:

Viking revaluations : Viking Society Centenary Symposium 14-15 May 1992

6248:"Gaelic in contemporary Scotland: contradictions, challenges and strategies" 2665:, and vocabulary and spelling conventions began to give what had now become 2578:

language brought around the 5th century CE to the east coast of what is now

9305: 8676: 7878:

A Commodity of Good Names: essays in honour of Margaret Gelling, Shaun Tyas

4773: 4168:, apparently dying out much earlier than Shetland and Orkney. However, the 4085: 4066: 3214: 3127: 3104: 3053: 2752: 2587: 2294: 2139: 1657:(even smaller minorities of speakers in Plymouth, London, and South Wales) 1072: 828: 453: 414: 397: 291: 8614: 5222: 4219: 4176:

speaking population in the Western Isles; to what degree this happened in

9791: 9721: 7238:"A Comparative Perspective on the Education of Black Children in Britain" 5739: 5665: 4899: 4561:, and on other official occasions such as the dissolution of Parliament. 4276: 4126: 3135: 2992: 2972: 2921: 2614:

throughout most of England. It spread into what was to become south-east

2591: 2289: 2269: 1873: 1750: 1630: 1626: 1450: 1362: 823: 704: 679: 478: 419: 301: 101: 5576:"Irish language and Ulster Scots bill clears final hurdle in Parliament" 4534: 4275:

speak English as their first language. Their ancestors mostly came from

4235: 8026: 7876:

James, A. G. (2008): 'A Cumbric Diaspora?' in Padel and Parsons (eds.)

5881: 4813: 4607: 4581: 4546: 4224: 4055: 4047: 3266: 3254: 2662: 1917: 1865: 1822: 1814: 1340:, which is an official language in Northern Ireland alongside English. 1187: 1114: 724: 8182: 4088:. In modern Northern Ireland, the Irish language is closely tied with 10069: 9977: 8010: 4829: 4667: 4313:, is currently the third most spoken language in the United Kingdom. 4177: 4169: 4165: 4134: 3274: 2979: 2764: 2756: 2694: 2647: 2310: 2284: 1861: 1437: 1169: 1156: 838: 833: 6066:

Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg, A statistical overview of the Welsh language

2510: 1291:

is sometimes used as well as liturgical and hobby languages such as

214: 9930: 4938: 4825: 4769: 4761: 4593: 4298: 4244: 4145: 3996: 3858: 3195: 3131: 3088: 2900: 2746: 2615: 2590:. The fusion of these settlers' dialects became what is now termed 1907: 1665: 1654: 1620: 1607: 1469: 1256: 1250: 674: 7907: 7443:

Equality and Diversity Service Users Annual Compliance Report 2016

6739:"The GP Patient Survey in Northern Ireland 2009/10 Summary Report" 9756: 8083: 8077: 4794: 4749: 4071: 4051: 4002: 3239: 3238:: Percentage of speakers 69% (76% understand Welsh). Population: 3235: 3207: 3150: 3084: 2880: 2871: 2819: 2728: 2579: 1953: 1903: 1800: 1472:: 27.74%, or 1,508,540 Scots speakers (Scottish Census Data 2022) 1303: 714: 689: 6956:"Comisiynydd y Gymraeg - Aim of the Welsh Language Commissioner" 5369:"Language in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics" 3083:

spoken with an Ulster Scots accent. The language was brought to

2759:, which began in 1865 and is situated mainly along the coast of 1494:

Wales (especially west and north) and parts of England near the

10052: 5008: 4698: 4149: 3934: 2940:

number of speakers of the language under age 20 has increased.

2913: 2904: 2651: 2195: 2182: 1895: 1857: 1828: 1720: 1675: 1526: 345: 209: 143: 109: 5602:"Language, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics" 3994:

There are no universally accepted criteria for distinguishing

3960:

has an all-Ireland remit as a cross-border language body, and

3194:, a Brythonic Celtic language related to Welsh, was spoken in 229:

Statistics indicate respondents who can speak at least "well".

10029: 4757: 4675: 4294: 4173: 3839: 3262: 3120: 3017: 2740: 2639: 2002:(additional varieties of which spoken throughout South Wales) 1507: 1313: 1292: 372: 7558:

Simard, Candide; Dopierala, Sarah M; Thaut, E Marie (2020).

6744:. Department of Health, Social Services, and Public Safety. 236:

Statistics indicate respondents with at least basic ability.

6390:"How to fill in your questionnaire: Individual question 16" 4720: 4679: 4337: 3021: 7157:. Viking Society for Northern Research. 1993. p. 78. 5847:"List of declarations made with respect to treaty No. 148" 5808:"List of declarations made with respect to treaty No. 148" 4184:

was spoken in parts of the county until the 20th century.

2642:, because Latin in some form was the lingua franca of the 7548:

Dhaka Tribune. 12 July 2017. Retrieved on 10 August 2020.

6359: 5729:, 2011 NHS, Catalogue No. 99‑004‑XWE (Ottawa: 2013‑06‑26) 3225:. The UN classes it as a critically endangered language. 6936:

List of declarations made with respect to treaty No. 148

4553:

for certain official business between the clerks of the

3873:

region of Scotland has a policy to promote the language.

6719:"Census 2001 Scotland: Gaelic speakers by council area" 6460:"Scotland's Census 2022 - Rounded population estimates" 6181: 5224:

Cross-cultural communication : theory and practice

1610:

with substantial minorities in various Scottish cities)

6563: 6396:. General Register Office for Scotland. Archived from 5802: 5800: 3941:

as a language in its own right of the United Kingdom.

3221:

was named as a historical regional language under the

2995:

is at one end of a bipolar linguistic continuum, with

2372:

Distribution of languages of the United Kingdom (2021)

7311:

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

6778:

Bound Volume Hansard – Written Ministerial Statements

6709:(PowerPoint) Linguae Celticae. Retrieved 1 June 2008. 5970:"'Historic' assembly vote for new Welsh language law" 5740:"EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES" 4172:

speaking population were entirely assimilated by the

2490:

Percentage of English as main language in London 2021

7557: 7409:

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

7187: 6856:"Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service" 4920: 3228: 2362: 1510:(2021 data): 17.8%; 538,300 people according to the 9743: 7964: 6990: