Languages of the United Kingdom
English, in various dialects, is the most widely spoken language of the United Kingdom, however there are a number of regional languages also spoken. There are 11 indigenous languages spoken across the British Isles: 3 Germanic languages, 5 Celtic languages and 3 Romance languages. There are also many immigrant languages spoken in the British Isles mainly within inner city areas; these languages are mainly from South Asia and Eastern Europe.
The de facto official language of the United Kingdom is English, which is spoken by approximately 59.8 million residents, or 98% of the population, over the age of three. An estimated 700,000 people speak Welsh in the UK, an official language in Wales, and the only de jure official language in any part of the UK. Approximately 1.5 million people in the UK speak Scots—although there is debate as to whether this is a distinct language, or a variety of English.
There is some discussion of the languages of the United Kingdom's three Crown dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), though they are not part of the United Kingdom.
The table below outlines living indigenous languages of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The languages of the Crown Dependencies (the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) are not included here.
| Language: English | Type | Spoken in | No. of speakers in the UK |
| English | Germanic (West Germanic) | Throughout the United Kingdom | 59,824,194; 98% (2011 census) |
| Scots (Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland) | Germanic (West Germanic) | Scotland (Scottish Lowlands, Caithness, Northern Isles) Northern Ireland (counties Down, Antrim, Londonderry), Berwick-on-Tweed | 2.6% (2011 census)
|
| Welsh | Celtic (Brythonic) | Wales (especially west) and parts of England near the Welsh–English border; Welsh communities in major English cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. | 700,000; 1% (estimate)
|
| British Sign Language | BANZSL | Throughout the United Kingdom | 125,000 (2010 data) |
| Irish | Celtic (Goidelic) | Northern Ireland, with communities in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, London etc. | 95,000 (2004 data) |
| Angloromani | Mixed | England, Scotland, Wales | 90,000 (1990 data) |
| Scottish Gaelic | Celtic (Goidelic) | Scotland (Scottish Highlands and Hebrides with substantial minorities in various Scottish cities; a small community in London) | 65,674 total, (Scotland's 2001 Census) though those who have fluency in all three skills is 31,235 |
| Cornish | Celtic (Brythonic) | Cornwall (small minorities of speakers in Plymouth, London, and South Wales) | 557 (2011 data) |
| Shelta | Mixed | Throughout the United Kingdom | Fewer than 86,000 worldwide, exact numbers in UK unknown. |
| Irish Sign Language | Francosign | Northern Ireland | Unknown |
| Northern Ireland Sign Language | BANZSL | Northern Ireland | Unknown |
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