Languages of the United Kingdom
List of languages and dialects -- Living
Table:
Language

Type

Spoken in

No. of speakers in the UK

English

Germanic (West Germanic)

Throughout the United Kingdom

59,824,194; 98% (2011 census)[1]

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)

Scotland: 1,541,693; 30%[18]

Northern Ireland: 34,439; 2% (although 8.1% with some ability)[7]

Welsh

Celtic (Brythonic)

Wales (especially west and north) 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)[14]

Wales: 562,016; 19% (with 431,000, or 14.6%, considering themselves fluent)[19][20]
All skills (speaking, reading, or writing): 630,062[21]

England: 110,000 (estimated speakers in 2001)[14]
8,200 first language speakers (2011 census)[22]

Scotland and Northern Ireland: 1,000 (estimated speakers in 2001)[14]

British Sign Language

BANZSL

Throughout the United Kingdom

125,000[23] (2010 data)

Irish

Celtic (Goidelic)

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

95,000[24] (2004 data)

Angloromani

Mixed

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

90,000[25] (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,[4] (Scotland's 2001 Census) though those who have fluency in all three skills is 32,400[26]

Cornish

Celtic (Brythonic)

Cornwall (small minorities of speakers in Plymouth, London, and South Wales)

557[27] (2011 data)

Shelta

Mixed

Spoken by Irish Traveller communities throughout the United Kingdom

Est. 30,000 in UK. Fewer than 86,000 worldwide.[28]

Irish Sign Language

Francosign

Northern Ireland

Unknown

Northern Ireland Sign Language

BANZSL

Northern Ireland

Unknown

Based on the table and the context paragraphs listed.

Answer the following question: When did this language develop as a distinct language spoken in the northern third of the island of Great Britain ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and eventually became a global lingua franca . It is named after the Angles , one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name , as England . Both names derive from Anglia , a peninsula in the Baltic Sea . The language is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon , and its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages , particularly Norse ( a North Germanic language ) , and to a greater extent by Latin and French . English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years . The earliest forms of English , a group of West Germanic ( Ingvaeonic ) dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century , are collectively called Old English . Middle English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England ; this was a period in which the language was influenced by French . Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London , the printing of the King James Bible and the start of the Great Vowel Shift . Modern English has been spreading around the world since the 17th century by the worldwide influence of the British Empire and the United States . Through all types of printed and electronic media of these countries , English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional contexts such as science , navigation and law . English is the largest language by number of speakers , and the third most-spoken native language in the world , after Standard Chinese and Spanish . It is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states .
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people [ nb 1 ] mainly in Europe , North America , Oceania and Southern Africa . The most widely spoken Germanic language , English , is the world 's most widely spoken language with an estimated 2 billion speakers . All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic , spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia . The West Germanic languages include the three most widely spoken Germanic languages : English with around 360-400 million native speakers ; [ nb 2 ] German , with over 100 million native speakers ; and Dutch , with 24 million native speakers . Other West Germanic languages include Afrikaans , an offshoot of Dutch , with over 7.1 million native speakers ; Low German , considered a separate collection of unstandardized dialects , with roughly 0.3 million native speakers and probably 6.7-10 million people who can understand it ( at least 5 million in Germany and 1.7 million in the Netherlands ) ; Yiddish , once used by approximately 13 million Jews in pre-World War II Europe , and Scots , both with 1.5 million native speakers ; Limburgish varieties with roughly 1.3 million speakers along the Dutch-Belgian-German border ; and the Frisian languages with over 0.5 million native speakers in the Netherlands and Germany . The largest North Germanic languages are Danish , Norwegian and Swedish , which are mutually intelligible and have a combined total of about 20 million native speakers in the Nordic countries and an additional five million second language speakers ; since the middle ages these languages have however been strongly influenced by the West Germanic language Middle Low German , and Low German words account for about 30-60% of their vocabularies according to various estimates . Other North Germanic languages are Faroese and Icelandic , which are more conservative languages with no significant Low German influence , more complex grammar and limited mutual intelligibility with the others today . The East Germanic branch included Gothic , Burgundian , and Vandalic , all of which are now extinct . The last to die off was Crimean Gothic , spoken until the late 18th century in some isolated areas of Crimea . The SIL Ethnologue lists 48 different living Germanic languages , 41 of which belong to the Western branch and six to the Northern branch ; it places Riograndenser Hunsrückisch German in neither of the categories , but it is often considered a German dialect by linguists . The total number of Germanic languages throughout history is unknown as some of them , especially the East Germanic languages , disappeared during or after the Migration Period . Some of the West Germanic languages also did not survive past the Migration Period , including Lombardic .
The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic family of languages ( the others being the North Germanic and the extinct East Germanic languages ) . The three most prevalent West Germanic languages are English , German , and Dutch . The family also includes other High and Low German languages including Afrikaans and Yiddish ( which are daughter languages of Dutch and German , respectively ) , in addition to other Franconian languages , like Luxembourgish , and Ingvaeonic ( North Sea Germanic ) languages next to English , such as the Frisian languages and Scots . Additionally , several creoles , patois , and pidgins are based on Dutch , English and German as they were languages of colonial empires .
Scots ( Scottish Gaelic : Albais ) is the West Germanic languages variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster in Ireland ( where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots ) . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic , the Celtic language that was historically restricted to most of the Highlands , the Hebrides and Galloway after the 16th century . The Scots language developed during the Middle English period as a distinct entity . Scots is recognised as an indigenous language of Scotland , a regional or minority language of Europe , and as a vulnerable language by UNESCO . As there are no universally accepted criteria for distinguishing a language from a dialect , scholars and other interested parties often disagree about the linguistic , historical and social status of Scots and particularly its relationship to English . Although a number of paradigms for distinguishing between languages and dialects exist , they often render contradictory results . Broad Scots is at one end of a bipolar linguistic continuum , with Scottish Standard English at the other . Scots is often regarded as one of the ancient varieties of English , but it has its own distinct dialects . Alternatively , Scots is sometimes treated as a distinct Germanic language , in the way that Norwegian is closely linked to but distinct from Danish . In the 2011 Scottish Census , 1.5 million people in Scotland reported being able to speak Scots .
Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots ( Ulstèr-Scotch , Irish : Albainais ) , also known as Ulster Scotch , Scots-Irish and Ullans , is the dialect of the Scots language spoken in parts of Ulster in Ireland . It is generally considered a dialect or group of dialects of Scots , although groups such as the Ulster-Scots Language Society and Ulster-Scots Academy consider it a language in its own right , and the Ulster-Scots Agency and former Department of Culture , Arts and Leisure have used the terminology Ulster-Scots language . Some definitions of Ulster Scots may also include Standard English spoken with an Ulster Scots accent . This is a situation like that of Lowland Scots and Scottish Standard English with words pronounced using the Ulster Scots phonemes closest to those of Standard English . Ulster Scots has been influenced by Hiberno-English , particularly Mid-Ulster English , and by Ulster Irish . As a result of the competing influences of English and Scots , varieties of Ulster Scots can be described as more English or more Scots .
The Lowlands ( Scots : the Lallans or the Lawlands ; Scottish Gaelic : a ' Ghalldachd , the place of the foreigner ) are a cultural and historic region of Scotland . The Lowlands is not an official geographical or administrative area of the country . There are two main topographic regions : the Lowlands and the Southern Uplands . The term Lowlands mainly refers to the Central Lowlands . However , in normal usage it refers to those parts of Scotland not in the Highlands ( or Gàidhealtachd ) . [ citation needed ] The boundary is usually considered to be a line between Stonehaven and Helensburgh ( on the Firth of Clyde ) . The Lowlands lie south and east of the line . Note that some parts of the Lowlands ( such as the Southern Uplands ) are not physically low , Merrick for example reaching 2,766 feet , while some areas indisputably in the Highlands ( such as Islay ) are low-lying . For other purposes , the boundary varies ; but if the Boundary Fault is used , then the traditional Scottish counties entirely in the Lowlands are : Ayrshire , Berwickshire , Clackmannanshire , Dumfriesshire , East Lothian , Fife , Kinross-shire , Kirkcudbrightshire , Lanarkshire , Midlothian , Peeblesshire , Renfrewshire , Roxburghshire , Selkirkshire , West Lothian and Wigtownshire . Traditional Scottish counties which straddle the Boundary fault include Angus , Dunbartonshire , Stirlingshire , Perthshire , Kincardineshire , Aberdeenshire , Banffshire and Moray . Geographically , Scotland is divided into three distinct areas : the Highlands , the Central plain ( Central Belt , in the Central Lowlands ) , and the Southern Uplands . The Lowlands cover roughly the latter two .
Caithness ( Scottish Gaelic : Gallaibh [ ˈkal̪ˠɪv ] , Scots : Caitnes ; Old Norse : Katanes ) is a historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland . Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by sea . The land boundary follows a watershed and is crossed by two roads ( the A9 and the A836 ) and by one railway ( the Far North Line ) . Across the Pentland Firth , ferries link Caithness with Orkney , and Caithness also has an airport at Wick . The Pentland Firth island of Stroma is within Caithness . The name was also used for the earldom of Caithness ( c. 1334 onwards ) and for the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ( 1708 to 1918 ) . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts , but the Caithness area as of 2019 [ update ] lies entirely within the Highland council area .
The Northern Isles ( Scots : Northren Isles ; Scottish Gaelic : Na h-Eileanan a Tuath ; Old Norse : Norðreyjar ) are a pair of archipelagos off the north coast of mainland Scotland , comprising Orkney and Shetland . The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas . There are a total of 26 inhabited islands with landscapes of the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrasting with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north , where the economy is more dependent on fishing and the oil wealth of the surrounding seas . Both have a developing renewable energy industry . They also share a common Pictish and Norse history . Both island groups were absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century and remained part of the country following the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 , and later the United Kingdom after 1801 . The islands played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century . Tourism is important to both archipelagos , with their distinctive prehistoric ruins playing a key part in their attraction , and there are regular ferry and air connections with mainland Scotland . The Scandinavian influence remains strong , especially in relation to local folklore , and both island chains have strong , although distinct , local cultures . The place-names of the islands are dominated by their Norse heritage , although some may retain pre-Celtic elements .
County Down ( Irish : Contae an Dúin ) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland , in the northeast of the island of Ireland . It covers an area of 2,448 km2 ( 945 sq mi ) and has a population of 531,665 . It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland and is within the province of Ulster . It borders County Antrim to the north , the Irish Sea to the east , County Armagh to the west , and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest . In the east of the county is Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula . The largest town is Bangor , on the northeast coast . Three other large towns and cities are on its border : Newry lies on the western border with County Armagh , while Lisburn and Belfast lie on the northern border with County Antrim . Down contains both the southernmost point of Northern Ireland ( Cranfield Point ) and the easternmost point of Ireland ( Burr Point ) . It was one of two counties of Northern Ireland to have a Protestant majority at the 2001 census . The other Protestant majority County is County Antrim to the North . [ citation needed ] In March 2018 , The Sunday Times published its list of Best Places to Live in Britain , including five in Northern Ireland . The list included three in County Down : Holywood , Newcastle , and Strangford .
County Antrim ( named after the town of Antrim , from Irish : Aontroim , meaning lone ridge , [ ˈeːnˠt̪ˠɾˠɪmʲ ] ) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland . Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh , the county covers an area of 3,046 square kilometres ( 1,176 sq mi ) and has a population of about 618,000 . County Antrim has a population density of 203 people per square kilometre or 526 people per square mile . It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland , as well as part of the historic province of Ulster . The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes , the Giant 's Causeway is a unique landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site , Bushmills produces whiskey , and Portrush is a popular seaside resort and night-life area . The majority of Belfast , the capital city of Northern Ireland , is in County Antrim , with the remainder being in County Down . According to the 2001 census , it is currently one of only two counties of Ireland in which a majority of the population are from a Protestant background . The other is County Down to the south .
County Londonderry ( Irish : Contae Dhoire ; Ulster-Scots : Coontie Lunnonderrie ) , also known as County Derry , is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland . Prior to the partition of Ireland , it was one of the counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward and then of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800 . Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh , the county covers an area of 2,074 km² ( 801 sq mi ) and today has a population of about 247,132 . Since 1972 , the counties in Northern Ireland , including Londonderry , have no longer been used by the state as part of the local administration . Following further reforms in 2015 , the area is now governed under three different districts ; Derry and Strabane , Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid-Ulster . Despite no longer being used for local government and administrative purposes , it is sometimes used in a cultural context in All-Ireland sporting and cultural events ( i.e . Derry GAA ) . Since 1981 , it has become one of four counties in Northern Ireland that has a Catholic majority ( 55.56% according to the 2001 Census ) , with 57% of the Catholic population residing within Derry City Council . The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage .
Berwick-upon-Tweed ( /ˌbɛrɪk-/ ( listen ) ; Scots : Sooth Berwick , Scottish Gaelic : Bearaig a Deas ) is a town in the county of Northumberland . It is the northernmost town in England , at the mouth of the River Tweed on the east coast , 2 1⁄2 miles ( 4 km ) south of the Scottish border ( the hamlet of Marshall Meadows is the actual northernmost settlement ) . Berwick is approximately 56 miles ( 90 km ) east-south east of Edinburgh , 65 miles ( 105 km ) north of Newcastle upon Tyne and 345 miles ( 555 km ) north of London . The United Kingdom census , 2011 recorded Berwick 's population as 12,043 . A civil parish and town council were created in 2008 comprising the communities of Berwick , Spittal and Tweedmouth . Berwick was founded as an Anglo-Saxon settlement during the time of the Kingdom of Northumbria , which was annexed by England in the 10th century . The area was for more than 400 years central to historic border wars between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland , and several times possession of Berwick changed hands between the two kingdoms . The last time it changed hands was when Richard of Gloucester retook it for England in 1482 . To this day many Berwickers feel a close affinity to Scotland . Berwick remains a traditional market town and also has some notable architectural features , in particular its medieval town walls , its Georgian Town Hall , its Elizabethan ramparts , and Britain 's earliest barracks buildings , which Nicholas Hawksmoor built ( 1717-21 ) for the Board of Ordnance .
Scotland ( Scots : Scotland , Scottish Gaelic : Alba [ ˈal̪ˠapə ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain , with a border with England to the southeast , and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west , the North Sea to the northeast , the Irish Sea to the south , and more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the European Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707 . By inheritance in 1603 , James VI , King of Scots , became king of England and Ireland , thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms . Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain . The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain , which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England . In 1801 , Great Britain entered into a political union with Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( in 1922 , the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom , leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927 ) . Within Scotland , the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles , titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland . The legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland ; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law . The continued existence of legal , educational , religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the 1707 union with England . In 1997 , a Scottish Parliament was re-established , in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members , having authority over many areas of domestic policy . The head of the Scottish Government is the first minister of Scotland , who is supported by the deputy first minister of Scotland .
Northern Ireland ( Irish : Tuaisceart Éireann [ ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ ] ( listen ) ; Ulster-Scots : Norlin Airlann ) is variously described as a country , province or region which is part of the United Kingdom . Located in the northeast of the island of Ireland , Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland . In 2011 , its population was 1,810,863 , constituting about 30% of the island 's total population and about 3% of the UK 's population . Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement , the Northern Ireland Assembly ( colloquially referred to as Stormont after its location ) holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters , while other areas are reserved for the British government . Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas , and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to put forward views and proposals with determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments . On 11 January 2020 , legislators in Northern Ireland formed a government for the first time since the Executive of the 5th Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed in January 2017 , following the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal . Northern Ireland was created in 1921 , when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 . Unlike Southern Ireland , which would become the Irish Free State in 1922 , the majority of Northern Ireland 's population were unionists , who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom . Most of these were the Protestant descendants of colonists from Great Britain . However , a significant minority , mostly Catholics , were nationalists who wanted a united Ireland independent of British rule . Today , the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish , while a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed both by a large minority of Catholics and Protestants and by many of those who are non-aligned . For most of the 20th century , when it came into existence , Northern Ireland was marked by discrimination and hostility between these two sides in what First Minister of Northern Ireland , David Trimble , called a cold house for Catholics .
Welsh ( Cymraeg [ kəmˈrɑːɨɡ ] ( listen ) or y Gymraeg [ ə gəmˈrɑːɨɡ ] ) is a Brittonic language of the Celtic language family . It is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa ( the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ) . Historically , it has also been known in English as British , Cambrian , Cambric and Cymric . According to the United Kingdom Census 2011 , 19 percent of residents in Wales aged three and over were able to speak Welsh . According to the 2001 Census , 21 percent of the population aged 3+ were able to speak Welsh . This suggests that there was a decrease in the number of Welsh speakers in Wales from 2001 to 2011 - from about 582,000 to 562,000 respectively . The Annual Population Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics for the year ending in March 2019 suggests that 896,900 Welsh residents ( 29 percent ) aged three or over were able to speak Welsh . The results for the most recent National Survey for Wales ( 2017-2018 ) suggest that 19 per cent of the population aged 16 and over were able to speak Welsh , with an additional 12 per cent noting that they had some Welsh speaking ability . The Welsh Language ( Wales ) Measure 2011 gave the Welsh language official status in Wales , making it the only language that is de jure official in any part of the United Kingdom , with English being de facto official . The Welsh language , along with English , is also a de jure official language of the National Assembly for Wales .
The Celtic languages ( usually /ˈkɛltɪk/ , but sometimes /ˈsɛltɪk/ ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic . They form a branch of the Indo-European language family . The term Celtic was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707 , following Paul-Yves Pezron , who made the explicit link between the Celts described by classical writers and the Welsh and Breton languages . During the 1st millennium BC , Celtic languages were spoken across much of Europe and in Asia Minor . Today , they are restricted to the northwestern fringe of Europe and a few diaspora communities . There are four living languages : Welsh , Breton , Irish and Scottish Gaelic . All are minority languages in their respective countries , though there are continuing efforts at revitalisation . Welsh is an official language in Wales and Irish is an official language of Ireland and of the European Union . Welsh is the only Celtic language not classified as endangered by UNESCO . The Cornish and Manx languages went extinct in modern times . They have been the object of revivals and now each has several hundred second-language speakers . Irish , Scottish and Manx form the Goidelic languages , while Welsh , Cornish and Breton are Brittonic .
The Brittonic , Brythonic or British Celtic languages ( Welsh : ieithoedd Brythonaidd/Prydeinig ; Cornish : yethow brythonek/predennek ; Breton : yezhoù predenek ) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family ; the other is Goidelic . The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython , meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael . The name Brittonic derives ultimately from the native Brittonic word for the island or its people . The Brittonic languages derive from the Common Brittonic language , spoken throughout Great Britain south of the Firth of Forth during the Iron Age and Roman period . In addition , North of the Forth , the Pictish language is considered to be related ; it is possible it was a Brittonic language , but it may have been a sister language . In the 5th and 6th centuries emigrating Britons also took Brittonic speech to the continent , most significantly in Brittany and Britonia . During the next few centuries the language began to split into several dialects , eventually evolving into Welsh , Cornish , Breton and Cumbric . Welsh and Breton continue to be spoken as native languages , while a revival in Cornish has led to an increase in speakers of that language . Cumbric is extinct , having been replaced by Goidelic and English speech . The Isle of Man and Orkney may also have originally spoken a Brittonic language , later replaced with a Goidelic one . Due to emigration , there is also a community of Brittonic language speakers in Y Wladfa ( the Welsh settlement in Patagonia ) .
The England-Wales border , sometimes referred to as the Wales-England border or the Anglo-Welsh border , is the border between England and Wales , two constituent countries of the United Kingdom . It runs for 160 miles ( 260 km ) from the Dee estuary , in the north , to the Severn estuary in the south . It has followed broadly the same line since the 8th century , and in part that of Offa 's Dyke ; the modern boundary was fixed in 1536 , when the former marcher lordships which occupied the border area were abolished and new county boundaries were created . The administrative boundary of Wales was confirmed in the Local Government Act 1972 . Whether Monmouthshire was part of Wales , or an English county treated for most purposes as though it were Welsh , was also settled by the 1972 Act , which included it in Wales .
Wales ( Welsh : Cymru [ ˈkəmri ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It is bordered by England to the east , the Irish Sea to the north and west , and the Bristol Channel to the south . It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 ( 8,023 sq mi ) . Wales has over 1,680 miles ( 2,700 km ) of coastline and is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas , including Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa ) , its highest summit . The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable , maritime climate . Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century , and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations . Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England 's conquest of Wales , though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century . The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century . Welsh Liberalism , exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George , was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party . Welsh national feeling grew over the century ; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962 . Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998 , the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters .
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north . The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest . England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain , which lies in the North Atlantic , and includes over 100 smaller islands , such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight . It is the largest country of British Isles . The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period , but takes its name from the Angles , a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula , who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries . England became a unified state in the 10th century , and since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century , has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world . The English language , the Anglican Church , and English law - the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world - developed in England , and the country 's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations . The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England , transforming its society into the world 's first industrialised nation . England 's terrain is chiefly low hills and plains , especially in central and southern England . However , there is upland and mountainous terrain in the north ( for example , the Lake District and Pennines ) and in the west ( for example , Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills ) .
British Sign Language ( BSL ) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom ( UK ) , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK . There are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL , plus an estimated 20,000 children . In 2011 , 15,000 people living in England and Wales reported themselves using BSL as their main language . The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands , body , face , and head . Many thousands of people who are not deaf also use BSL , as hearing relatives of deaf people , sign language interpreters or as a result of other contact with the British deaf community .
BANZSL , or British , Australian and New Zealand Sign Language , is the language of which British Sign Language ( BSL ) , Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language ( NZSL ) may be considered dialects . These three languages may technically be considered dialects of a single language ( BANZSL ) due to their use of the same grammar , manual alphabet , and the high degree of lexical overlap . The term BANZSL was coined by Trevor Johnston and Adam Schembri . BSL , Auslan and NZSL all have their roots in a deaf sign language used in Britain during the 19th century . American Sign Language and BANZSL are unrelated sign languages . However there is still significant overlap in vocabulary , probably due largely to relatively recent borrowing of lexicon by signers of all three dialects of BANZSL , with many younger signers unaware which signs are recent imports . Between Auslan , BSL and NZSL , 82% of signs are identical ( per Swadesh lists ) . When considering identical as well as similar or related signs there are 98% cognate signs between the languages . By comparison , ASL and BANZSL have only 31% signs identical , or 44% cognate . According to Henri Wittmann ( 1991 ) , Swedish Sign Language also descends from BSL . From Swedish SL arose Portuguese Sign Language and Finnish Sign Language , the latter with local admixture ; Danish Sign Language is largely mutually intelligible with Swedish SL , though Wittmann places it in the French Sign Language family .
The Irish language ( also known as Irish Gaelic ) ( Irish : Gaeilge ) is a recognised minority language in Northern Ireland . The dialect spoken there is known as Ulster Irish ( Gaeilge Uladh ) . Protection for the Irish language in Northern Ireland stems largely from the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . According to the 2011 UK Census , in Northern Ireland 184,898 ( 10.65% ) claim to have some knowledge of Irish , of whom 104,943 ( 6.05% ) can speak the language to varying degrees . Some 4,130 people ( 0.2% ) use Irish as their main home language .
The Goidelic /ɡɔɪˈdɛlɪk/ or Gaelic languages ( Irish : teangacha Gaelacha ; Scottish Gaelic : cànanan Goidhealach ; Manx : çhengaghyn Gaelgagh ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages , the other being the Brittonic languages . Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle of Man to Scotland . There are three modern Goidelic languages : Irish ( Gaeilge ) , Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig ) and Manx ( Gaelg ) , which died out in the 20th century but has since been revived to some degree .
Angloromani or Anglo-Romani ( literally English Romani ; also known as Angloromany , Rummaness , or Pogadi Chib ) is a mixed language involving the presence of Romani vocabulary and syntax in the English used by descendants of Romanichal Travellers in the United Kingdom , Australia , Canada , New Zealand , United States , and South Africa . After their arrival to Great Britain in the 16th century , Romani used the Romani language until the late nineteenth century ( and perhaps a generation longer in Wales ) . It was replaced by English as the everyday and family language of British Romani , leading to what is known as Para-Romani or the presence of Romani features in the English used by the Romani . An example of a phrase in Angloromani is : The mush was jalling down the drom with his gry ( 'The man was walking down the road with his horse ' ) This differs from the presence of loanwords ( such as that used locally in Edinburgh and Northumberland ) from the Romani language , such as lollipop ( originally a toffee apple ) , pal ( originally Romani phral 'brother ' ) , and chav ( originally chavo 'boy ' ) .
A mixed language is a language that arises among a bilingual group combining aspects of two or more languages but not clearly deriving primarily from any single language . It differs from a creole or pidgin language in that , whereas creoles/pidgins arise from populations trying to imitate a language in which they have no fluency , a mixed language arises in a population that is fluent in both of the source languages . Because all languages show some degree of mixing by virtue of containing loanwords , it is a matter of controversy whether the concept of a mixed language can meaningfully be distinguished from the type of contact and borrowing seen in all languages . Scholars debate to what extent language mixture can be distinguished from other mechanisms such as code-switching , substrata , or lexical borrowing .
Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig [ ˈkaːlɪkʲ ] ( listen ) , Am Faclair Beag Scottish Gaelic pronunciation : [ 'gaːlɪgʲ ] ) or Scots Gaelic , sometimes also referred to simply as Gaelic , is a Goidelic language of the Celtic and Indo-European language family , native to the Gaels of Scotland . As a Goidelic language , Scottish Gaelic , like Modern Irish and Manx , developed out of Old Irish . It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period , although a common literary language was shared by Gaels in both Ireland and Scotland down to the 16th century . Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking , as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language placenames . In the 2011 census of Scotland , 57,375 people ( 1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old ) reported as able to speak Gaelic , 1,275 fewer than in 2001 . The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides . Nevertheless , there are revival efforts , and the number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses . Outside Scotland , a dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in eastern Canada since the 18th century . In the 2016 national census , nearly 4,000 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic . Scottish Gaelic is not an official language of the United Kingdom . However , it is classed as an indigenous language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , which the British government has ratified , and the Gaelic Language ( Scotland ) Act 2005 established a language-development body , Bòrd na Gàidhlig .
The Highlands ( Scots : the Hielans ; Scottish Gaelic : A Ghàidhealtachd [ ə ˈɣɛːəl̪ˠt̪ʰəxk ] , 'the place of the Gaels ' ) is a historic region of Scotland . Culturally , the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the later Middle Ages into the modern period , when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands . The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault , although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined , particularly to the east . The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands . The Scottish Gaelic name of A ' Ghàidhealtachd literally means the place of the Gaels and traditionally , from a Gaelic-speaking point of view , includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands . The area is very sparsely populated , with many mountain ranges dominating the region , and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles , Ben Nevis . Before the middle of the 19th century the Highlands was home to a much larger population , but from circa 1841 and for the next 160 years , the natural increase in population was exceeded by emigration ( mostly to Canada , the United States , Australia and New Zealand , and migration to the industrial cities of Scotland and England . ) : xxiii , 414 and passim The area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe . At 9.1 per km2 ( 23.6 per square mile ) in 2012 , the population density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotland 's as a whole , comparable with that of Bolivia , Chad and Russia . The Highland Council is the administrative body for much of the Highlands , with its administrative centre at Inverness . However , the Highlands also includes parts of the council areas of Aberdeenshire , Angus , Argyll and Bute , Moray , North Ayrshire , Perth and Kinross , Stirling and West Dunbartonshire . The Scottish highlands is the only area in the British Isles to have the taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest : see Caledonian Forest .
The Hebrides ( /ˈhɛbrɪdiːz/ ; Scottish Gaelic : Innse Gall , pronounced [ ˈĩːʃə ˈkaul̪ˠ ] ; Old Norse : Suðreyjar ) comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland . There are two main groups : the Inner and Outer Hebrides . These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic , and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive influences of Celtic- , Norse- , and English-speaking peoples . This diversity is reflected in the names given to the islands , which are derived from the languages that have been spoken there in historic and perhaps prehistoric times . The Hebrides are the source of much of Scottish Gaelic literature and Gaelic music . Today the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting , fishing , tourism , the oil industry , and renewable energy . The Hebrides have lower biodiversity than mainland Scotland , but there is a significant presence of seals and seabirds .
Cornish ( Standard Written Form : Kernewek or Kernowek ) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family . It is a revived language that became extinct as a first language in Cornwall in the late 18th century . A revival began in the early 20th century . Some have expressed the opinion that the language is an important part of Cornish identity , culture and heritage . Cornish is currently recognised under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . It has a growing number of second language speakers . A few parents are inspired to create new first language speakers , by teaching their children the language from birth . Along with Welsh and Breton , Cornish is descended directly from the Common Brittonic language spoken throughout much of Great Britain before the English language came to dominate . It was the main language of Cornwall for centuries until it was pushed westwards by English , maintaining close links with its sister language Breton , with which it was mutually intelligible until well into the Middle Ages . Cornish continued to function as a common community language in parts of Cornwall until the mid 18th century . There is some evidence of knowledge of the language persisting into the 19th century , possibly almost overlapping the beginning of revival efforts . A process to revive the language was begun in the early 20th century , with a number of orthographical systems still in use , although an attempt was made to impose a Standard Written Form in 2008 .
Cornwall ( /ˈkɔːrnwɔːl , -wəl/ ; Cornish : Kernow [ ˈkɛrnɔʊ ] ) is a ceremonial county in South West England , bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea , to the south by the English Channel , and to the east by Devon , the River Tamar forming the border between them . Cornwall is the westernmost part of the South West Peninsula of the island of Great Britain . The southwesternmost point is Land 's End and the southernmost Lizard Point . Cornwall has a population of 568,210 and an area of 3,563 km2 ( 1,376 sq mi ) . The county has been administered since 2009 by the unitary authority , Cornwall Council . The ceremonial county of Cornwall also includes the Isles of Scilly , which are administered separately . The administrative centre of Cornwall is Truro , its only city . Cornwall is the homeland of the Cornish people and the cultural and ethnic origin of the Cornish diaspora . It retains a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history , and is recognised as one of the Celtic nations . It was formerly a Brythonic kingdom and subsequently a royal duchy . The Cornish nationalist movement contests the present constitutional status of Cornwall and seeks greater autonomy within the United Kingdom in the form of a devolved legislative Cornish Assembly with powers similar to those in Wales and Scotland . In 2014 , Cornish people were granted minority status under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities , giving them recognition as a distinct ethnic group .
Shelta ( /ˈʃɛltə/ ; Irish : Seiltis ) is a language spoken by Irish Travellers , particularly in Ireland and the United Kingdom . It is widely known as the Cant , to its native speakers in Ireland as De Gammon , and to the linguistic community as Shelta . It was often used as a cryptolect to exclude outsiders from comprehending conversations between Travellers , although this aspect is frequently over-emphasised . The exact number of native speakers is hard to determine due to sociolinguistic issues but Ethnologue puts the number of speakers at 30,000 in the UK , 6,000 in Ireland , and 50,000 in the US . The figure for at least the UK is dated to 1990 ; it is not clear if the other figures are from the same source . Linguistically Shelta is today seen as a mixed language that stems from a community of travelling people in Ireland that was originally predominantly Irish-speaking . The community later went through a period of widespread bilingualism that resulted in a language based heavily on Hiberno-English with heavy influences from Irish . As different varieties of Shelta display different degrees of anglicisation ( see below ) , it is hard to determine the extent of the Irish substratum . The Oxford Companion to the English Language puts it at 2,000-3,000 words .
Irish Sign Language ( ISL , Irish : Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann ) is the sign language of Ireland , used primarily in the Republic of Ireland . It is also used in Northern Ireland , alongside British Sign Language ( BSL ) . Irish Sign Language is more closely related to French Sign Language ( LSF ) than to BSL , though it has influence from both languages . It has influenced sign languages in Australia and South Africa , and has little relation to either spoken Irish or English .
The French Sign Language ( LSF ) or Francosign family is a language family of sign languages which includes French Sign Language and American Sign Language . The FSL family descends from Old French Sign Language , which developed among the deaf community in Paris . The earliest mention of Old French Sign Language is by the abbé Charles-Michel de l'Épée in the late 17th century , but it could have existed for centuries prior . Several European sign languages , such as Russian Sign Language , derive from it , as does American Sign Language , established when French educator Laurent Clerc taught his language at the American School for the Deaf . Others , such as Spanish Sign Language , are thought to be related to French Sign Language even if they are not directly descendant from it .
Northern Ireland Sign language ( NISL ) is a sign language used mainly by deaf people in Northern Ireland . NISL is described as being related to Irish Sign Language ( ISL ) at the syntactic level while the lexicon is based on British Sign Language ( BSL ) and American Sign Language ( ASL ) . [ citation needed ] A number of practitioners see Northern Ireland Sign Language as a distinct and separate language from both BSL and ISL though many 'Anglo-Irish ' [ further explanation needed ] Northern Irish signers argue against the use of the acronym NISL and believe that while their variety is distinct , it is still a part of British Sign Language . As of March 2004 [ update ] the British Government recognises only British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as the official sign languages used in Northern Ireland .