Apparently, despite perceptions to the contrary, we in the UK love languages. Topping the list of language lovers are Londoners, with 78% having studied another language.
I’m not convinced by this survey. I think there’s a world of difference between having studied a language and being able to speak it or be fluent in it. The news item also doesn’t say if there was any differentiation between people raised in the UK and people who had immigrated; I suspect an influx of people from sensible countries may have skewed the London figures.
Still, it shows that at least we want to speak other languages, even if it doesn’t necessarily prove that we can. I’m also intrigued by the nearly badly-named Cilt and the OCR’s “Asset Languages” scheme, which I might investigate further.
Freelance editor and proofreader