When you walk through London, it’s not unusual to hear four or five different languages before you even reach the end of your street. Tamil on the bus. Polish at the corner shop. Somali and Portuguese blending into the background hum of the city. And yet, in the UK — one of the most linguistically diverse countries in Europe — most people still speak only English.
In the debut episode of Live on the Record, I explore this contradiction: How many languages does the UK really speak? And why do so many Brits stop at just one?
According to data from the British Council, fewer than 40% of British adults feel confident enough to have a conversation in another language. Compared to many European countries, where bilingualism and even trilingualism are seen as normal, the UK stands out for its linguistic isolation. This podcast episode is not an academic lecture or a policy rant — it's a short, reflective walk through the voices that make up the UK, and a look at why English alone so often dominates.
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