A QUESTION OF LANGUAGE
SOME 4.2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UK DON’T HAVE ENGLISH OR WELSH AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE
O NE IN 13 people in England and Wales have a main language other than English and Welsh, figures have revealed.
Data from the Office for National Statistics have shown there are 88 other first languages spoken by 4.2 million people across the two countries.
Experts have said this linguistic diversity could potentially be a “huge asset” if harnessed correctly, especially in the world of business, but at the moment it is often undervalued.
Topping the list of most popular alternative first languages is Polish, with more than half a million people (546,000) aged three and over speaking the language as their mother tongue. That is double the second most commonly-spoken language of Punjabi, used by 273,000 people. A further 269,000 people spoke Urdu as their first language, followed by the 221,000 that spoke Bengali. Also in the top ten was Gujarati - an Indian language spoken by 213,000 people.
Arabic was a first language for 159,000 individuals, ahead of the 147,000 people who spoke French as their main language.
Chinese is spoken by 141,000 people - more than the 133,000 who speak Portuguese and 130,000 who speak Spanish.
Vicky Gough, adviser for the British Council, said: “There are one million pupils in the UK who are bilingual and could be a huge asset to this country, but their languages are often not valued.
“The cost to the UK in lost exports due topoorlanguageskillsisaneye-watering £48 billion a year, so our bilingual pupils are a potentially lucrative untapped resource, and harnessing their linguistic abilities would help the next generation of British people to compete as global citizens.
“One of the most important things we can do to help integrate young people whose first language is not English is to value their home languages and to make it easier for them to get accreditation in them.
“We need to recognise that although English is vitally important in global business, we desperately need other languages too.”
However, some 702,000 people in England and Wales say they cannot speak the English language well and 162,000 people say they cannot speak it at all, which can often pose educational and social barriers. A recent parliamentary green paper stated that: “With improved levels of English, people will be less vulnerable to isolation and loneliness and can build their confidence to speak up for themselves. “Supporting people to improve their English skills is important to achieving the vision. “The government provides full funding of course costs for people who are unemployed and looking for work so they can gain the English language skills they need to find employment.”
A NEWCASTLE-based law firm is cementing its sponsorship of a local charity ahead of the Great North Run.
Winn Solicitors is lending support to the Sunshine Fund’s GNR team for the fourth year running and will also now be sponsoring a Mini and Junior team for the first time.
The charity raises money for disabled children who need specialist equipment that can’t be provided by the NHS or any other means and helps make their lives so much easier.
Many families who have been helped by the Sunshine Fund decide to give back by taking part in their Great North Run teams and even some workers from Winn Solicitors have put on their running shoes.
The fund has a team of 80 runners in the adult run and for the first time ever and has a group of 25 kids taking part in the Mini and Junior Great North Run, proving that no matter what your disability, you can still get involved and have fun.
Amy Thompson, digital marketing manager for Winn Solicitors, said: “We’re proud to be sponsoring the Sunshine Fund’s Great North Run team for the fourth year running, and to be supporting their first Mini and Junior team.
“We’re really excited to see the children that they support taking part in this year’s run – they’re an inspiration and a reminder of the incredible work that the Sunshine Fund do to support disabled children and their families.”
Lauren Thompson, community fundraiser for the Sunshine Fund, added: “The Great North Run is such a big event in our diary each year because we love seeing so many people from across the world travel to our region and support so many wonderful charities.
“More importantly, we couldn’t be prouder of Team Sunshine who put their all into fundraising for local children with disabilities, children that they haven’t even met but still want to a difference to their lives. We’re thrilled to have Winn Solicitors support our GNR team this year and welcome their runners for a fourth year. We look forward to working with them every year as staff really get behind the event and go above and beyond to fundraise for our children. If you would like to be a part of Team Sunshine, we have guaranteed places available and would love to hear from you. Please contact us directly on 0191 201 6090 or email lauren.thompson@trinitymirror.com”.