UK & World News
- 30 January 2013, 18:27
Polish Is Second Most Common Language
Polish is the second most common main language in England and Wales with more than half a million speakers, according to new figures from the 2011 Census.
Nearly one in 10 people in England and Wales - 8% - reported speaking a different main language other than English or Welsh in the census, findings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown.
Polish was the second most commonly reported main language with 546,000 speakers, reflecting the fact that more than half a million Poles have migrated to England and Wales in the last decade.
The new population has wrought changes across Britain, from Polish beers like Zywiec or Zamkowe Jasne served alongside British brews at London pubs, to Polish food including pulpety and delicje now common across the aisles of supermarkets.
Poles began arriving in Britain en masse after 2004, when eight Eastern European nations - Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, and Estonia - joined the European Union.
Redcar and Cleveland local authority had the highest percentage of people with English as their main language at 99% of the population, with Ealing listing the highest proportion of Polish speakers at 6%.
In all but three of the London boroughs - the City of London, Richmond Upon Thames, and Hillingdon - more than 100 languages were listed as main languages.
Of the four million residents of England and Wales whose main language was other than English, 1.7 million said they could speak English very well, 726,000 could speak English but not well and 138,000 could not speak English at all.
The least common main language in England and Wales was listed as Manx-Gaelic with 33 speakers, followed by 58 Gaelic Scottish speakers.
Because statisticians only began asking questions about foreign language use in the most recent census, there are no past figures available for use as reference.
Update:
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what do you think?
stevie may
English isnt the first language anymore
TIM x
Don't know why everyone is voting you down citizen smith you are right for once
El Bubsio
Well, if 92% of people still speak English or welsh, I'd say that makes it the first language, wouldn't you?
shirley sutton
What till they get results of 2012 census - be higher still
bjnk
shirley,there is not a 2012 census.
El Bubsio
Ooooh, scary, it might be 8.1%. You'll have a heart attack then.
Name witheld
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
shirley sutton
Already have round here
d and d Phillips
I can believe it! Every second person in Blackpool seems to speak Polish.
Rob Shaw
But to be fair, most british people in Blackpool can barely speak english
johnny_1234
whats the first, urdu!
Bazil Brush
they dare not tell you that but its true
ali baba
Foreigners account for 8 to 10% Get a grip. English are bad workers, most are complete spongers, living off the government. Long live foreign workers.
Diane Rogers
But they are ours,some one in their family would have paid into the system
shirley sutton
Most of the foreigners claim housing benefits and send their money back home if they all went back there'd be More jobs for the Brits
shirley sutton
Take no notice of him Diane stuff he took for bodybuilding etc affecting his brain!!!!
Diane Rogers
Was wondering Shirley
shirley sutton
He said it!!!
El Bubsio
Actually, Shirley, as has been pointed out to you on here before (and you ignore because it doesn't fit your lazy, stereotyping views), foreign workers pay more into the system and take less out per head that British people do.
Louisa Gieldon
Shirley and Diane, it's such a treat reading your articulate and erudite comments on the world. Keep 'em coming. I'm writing them all down, ready for the publication of "Shirley and Diane's big bumper book of jokes". Coming to a bookshop near you soon. I'll send you two lovelies complementary copies!
princesslaalaa
Had a good LOL reading some of the comments on here. Don't blame the foreign workers, blame the government who won't pay British workers a living wage!!
Diane Rogers
I'm on minimum wage I do ok
El Bubsio
Lol, as usual Diane, you're alright so everyone else should be too. Selfish all the way.
Robinson56Chris
Forelock tugging again, Diane? Go on, gaffer, hit me one more time.
Louisa Gieldon
Good for you Diane. You are a shining beacon of contentment and peace.
matt smith
All this is OK in moderation. But it's not, it's a saturation. Too much too soon.
Robert Hare
I wonder what's the 2nd most spoken language in Poland then???? But it's not English.
El Bubsio
Actually, this from wikipedia - "The Polish language, part of the West Slavic branch of the Slavic languages, functions as the official language of Poland. Until recent decades Russian was commonly learned as a second language but has been replaced by English and German as the most common second languages studied and spoken." So it would appear that it is.
Tricky One
I worked with a Polish guy for a few months. What El bub says is correct.
El Bubsio
Thanks tricky. It would appear we have a few factophobic people on here judging by the thumbs down. A terrible affliction.
Louisa Gieldon
Actually Robert, many many Poles speak very good English
shaun spencer
Just wait for the bulgarians and romanians next year.theres expected to be more of them coming over than the poles.
shirley sutton
Yeah and they'll take low paid jobs and claim housing benefits and there'll be loads of th in one house but councils won't so anything cos they're foreign and they don't want to upset them but Brits get no help
Tricky One
Hahaha.
El Bubsio
Oh, tut tut Shirley. I've just checked the encyclopedia of stereotypes and drivel (2013 edition) and you forgot to mention they'll all be defiling our beautiful English virgins and talking about us in foreignese too.
Louisa Gieldon
Foreignese sounds so nice. Maybe Shirley and Diane will get a Rumanian admirer with a violin. I expect this will be deleted soon.
TIM x
Urdu is the most common followed by polish. Native English will die out eventually and only be on airport signs. Blair has a lot to answer for for what he has done to this country. I guess I better get to evening classes because how on earth am I going to explain important health and safety issues to the 90% of workers in my factory who do not have English as their first language? This is your multicultural dream Mr Blair . . Its not racism to want common sense with immigration. Cameron must declare economic emergency NOW and close our borders immediately. Or Enoch Powell's speech will become prophetic
shirley sutton
Blair didn't take us into this the Tories did years ago when they joined eu
Tricky One
Urdu!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha. Gold :)
Robinson56Chris
Tim, stop blowing it all out of proportion. 92% of people in this country speak English as their first language. Polish speakers are 1%, Urdu - 0.5%. Get a grip.
Louisa Gieldon
Tim i think you are hallucinating!
JessRowley86
This country is a joke. But having said that i used to work for a food factory where they employed polish people. If everyone got asked to work longer all us English would say no straight away but the polish would work every hour god sent. They worked their back sides off and us English would happily let them do all the extra hours because we would rather go home. So i understand why companies would rather give jobs to them. Apparently at that food factory now it is all polish staff now and it doesn't surprise me. But they all spoke or learnt English to communicate with us which i thought was nice.
Eric Clutterbean
if you meet an english speaker in london its just like bumping into one on holiday in asian country
Tricky One
I've worked all over London for 15 years. You're talking nonsense
Louisa Gieldon
Eric so you don't turn your nose up at a holiday in one of those dirty foreign places then?
Tricky One
Funniest collection of replies to a story on this site ever. Amusing gibberish! Thanks :)
field_pete
Referendum now please.
El Bubsio
I have a great idea. Why don't all the bigots stand at the ports and airports and shake their fists and tut constantly? After all, that's presumably what you're doing at home and the resulting combined wind may be enough to blow all these trillions of foreign invaders back home, thereby saving good old blighty. Just think, when all those businesses are collapsing, the owners will have loads of extra time to thank you.
Tricky One
:)
Louisa Gieldon
I love love love it when some fool who doesn't know i'm half Polish starts ranting at me about Poles! When i tell them about my dad and give them my "I idolised my Polish father" routine ( all true) they are mortified. Got a neanderthal in McDonalds the other day. Even though there were Poles all around ( women and children!) he started. So did I and two Polish women clapped me! Brilliant fun is fool baiting!
Robinson56Chris
I have to say, the standards of bigots and racists on here has slipped even lower, if that was possible. I'm not even going to waste any brain space on them. They're just thick basically.
El Bubsio
Oooh, Chris, you big ol' lefty dogooder. It's a good job, judging by this story and the scoring, that stupidity isn't contagious, or we'd all be grazing our knuckles on the pavement by now. :-)
Louisa Gieldon
Bubs and chris. Now we are not just reds and do gooders, we are tree huggers! All sound good to me! Haven't read the comments below yet. As i'm 50% Polish i'm thinking i'm gonna get a good laugh! Keep up the red wedge boys!
Louisa Gieldon
Ahhhhhh but it is such a beautiful language. Music to my ears and reminds me of my father and his equally Polish friends talking to each other when i was but a lass!
shirley sutton
5:16pm on 30/1/2013
Says it all doesn't it - If count up all the other languages we are in the minority in our own country!!!!
Diane Rogers
6:08pm on 30/1/2013
Well said
shirley sutton
6:24pm on 30/1/2013
Wait til the Albanians get here - where they finding the money for all their housing benefit??
ali baba
6:27pm on 30/1/2013
Thank god your a minority
shirley sutton
7:09pm on 30/1/2013
Think you've had too much of whatever you took for bodybuilding - affects the brain!!!!
El Bubsio
1:55am on 31/1/2013
Actually, Shirley. If you put your bigoted histrionics aside for a moment and bother to read the article properly, you'd see it state - "Nearly one in 10 people in England and Wales - 8% - reported speaking a different main language other than English or Welsh in the census, findings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown." So, 8% in total speak a different language. That's all different languages. And it's actually nearly one in twelve, not one in ten (good biased reporting there sky). That hardly makes you a minority now does it.