Community languages

The remarkable linguistic diversity of the UK, reflecting our complex history, includes speakers of the indigenous languages and also of the languages of our main Asian, European and Afro-Caribbean communities as well as hundreds of smaller groups of speakers of other languages. Yet the multilingual talents of UK citizens are under-recognised, under-used and all too often viewed with suspicion. Our aims must be to recognise the opportunities offered by this multilingual wealth, ensure that talent is nurtured in future generations and meet the linguistic and cultural needs of individuals and communities.

Languages: the next generation. The final report and recommendations of the Nuffield Languages Inquiry (2000)

Welcome to community languages

There have been encouraging developments in this area over recent years. We build on these in three main ways:

providing information
supporting professional development at all levels
facilitating networking between colleagues

This initiative is supported by key policy-making bodies, in particular the Training and Development Agency (TDA).

Remember that our success depends on contributions from all of you working in the field of community languages. So please, whatever your language and wherever you are, don't hesitate to contact us with questions, comments and suggestions.

Feedback on the Community Languages Bulletin and other services

We are currently inviting feedback from practitioners and managers in the community languages field on the Community Languages Bulletin and other support offered by CILT.

If completing electronically, please email to catherine.stead@cilt.org.uk. If printing off and completing in hard copy, please send to Catherine Stead, CILT, the National Centre for Languages, 111 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HR or fax to 0845 612 5995.

Many thanks in anticipation of your time in completing the questionnaire. Feedback is invaluable in helping us to continue and improve the Bulletin and our other work to support teachers of community languages.

Download the feedback questionnaire.

Results of Language Trends 2005 survey

Report on a survey carried out to look at trends in community languages. Ethnic minority communities make provision for teaching 61 different languages across the UK. And mainstream primary and secondary schools offer at least 35 languages, either as part of the curriculum or as after-hours provision.

Read the results of the survey here

Community languages - taking a broad definition

Community Languages are spoken by members of minority groups or communities within a majority language context. Some of these are languages which have been used for hundreds of years in Britain, others are of more recent origin. There is, in fact, no precise information available about how many such languages are currently in use in the UK. However, a recent survey carried out in London has identified some 307 languages, 20 of which have over 2000 speakers.

For our purposes, the term community languages is interpreted loosely to include languages such as Japanese which for a majority of students may, in fact, be second rather than first languages.

Positively Plurilingual

This report highlights the contribution of community languages to UK education and society.

Download the report from our policy and developments page or order copies for free via the CILT online shop.

Further information

Please email the CILT enquiry line in the first instance or phone 0845 612 4041