British Sign Language, (0.002%)[c][12]Irish Sign Language, Signed English, Northern Ireland Sign Language
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a.^ Statistics indicate respondents who can speak at least "well". b.^ Statistics indicate respondents with at least basic ability. c.^ Statistics undertaken with assumptions and large disparities between home countries.
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English, in various dialects, is the most widely spoken language of the United Kingdom,[13] but a number of regional and migrant languages are also spoken. Regional indigenous languages are Scots and Ulster Scots and the Celtic languages, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and, as a revived language with few speakers, Cornish. British Sign Language is also used. There are also many languages spoken by immigrants who arrived recently to the United Kingdom, mainly within inner city areas; these languages are mainly from continental Europe and South Asia.[14]
The de facto official language of the United Kingdom is English.[15] Additionally, Welsh is an official language, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, in Wales.[16][17] Welsh is spoken by 538,300 people in Wales according to the 2021 census.[18] Approximately 124,000 people speak Irish in Northern Ireland, which is an official language in Northern Ireland alongside English.[19]
^According to the 2011 census, 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".
^"United Kingdom". Languages Across Europe. BBC. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
^"United Kingdom; Key Facts". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^"English language". Directgov. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
^Scotland's Census 2011 – Language, All people aged 3 and over. Out of the 60,815,385 residents of the UK over the age of three, 1,541,693 (2.5%) can speak Scots, link Archived 22 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
^[1] Archived 15 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Annual Population Survey - Ability to speak Welsh by local authority and year. Out of the 3,021,300 residents of Wales over the age of three, 874,600 (29%) can speak Welsh. Retrieved 02 February 2020.
^"Language in England and Wales: 2011". Retrieved 10 September 2022.
^"The rebirth of Britain's 'lost' languages". Retrieved 25 October 2022.
^Hurn, Brian J. (2013). Cross-cultural communication : theory and practice. Barry Tomalin. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-230-39114-7. OCLC 844188225.
^Cite error: The named reference ulsterscots was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"2011 Census: Quick Statistics". Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
^"BSL Statistics". Sign Language Week. British Deaf Association. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
^"Home". Cambridge University Press. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
^"Language in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
^"Language in England and Wales: 2011". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
^"Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
^"Welsh Language Measure receives Royal Assent". Welsh Government. 11 February 2011. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
^"Welsh language in Wales (Census 2021)". GOV.WALES. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
^"Irish language and Ulster Scots bill clears final hurdle in Parliament". BBC News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
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