English is the number one and primary language spoken in London. While it is the dominant language in all boroughs, London is highly multilingual, with over 300 different languages used across the city. Beyond English, the most common foreign languages spoken at home include Bengali, Polish, Turkish, Romanian, and Spanish.
Polish, Turkish, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Portuguese, Arabic, and Tamil are among the most common second languages, each concentrated in different parts of London. For example, Bengali is strong in Tower Hamlets, Punjabi in Hillingdon, and Polish across several western boroughs.
The person known for speaking 42 languages fluently is Canadian polyglot Powell Alexander Janulus, who received the Guinness World Record in 1985 after passing fluency tests in those languages, working as a court interpreter and learning new languages continuously. While Janulus is the most specific answer for 42 languages, other hyperpolyglots like Ziad Fazah and historical figures like Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti have claimed even higher numbers, though with varying levels of verification.
Based on enrolment figures from 2019 to 2024, they have revealed that those opting to learn the language has surged 155% in the last 5 years. Irish was listed just behind Swedish, which saw a 208% rise in enrolments. Korean was in third place, followed by Welsh then Cornish.
Mainstream RP is the most common version heard today, and is used, for example, by many presenters on the BBC. Contemporary RP is used by younger upper-middle-class speakers, and shares certain similarities with Estuary English.
Chinese. Thanks to the huge population of China and the thousands of Chinese communities around the world, Chinese is officially the world's most spoken language with over 1 billion speakers! ...
Bengali is the second most spoken language in London after English because of the significant presence of the Bangladeshi community. Approximately 71,000 people in London communicate in Bengali, reflecting the language's cultural significance and strong community ties within the city.
Discover the origins and history of Britain's oldest language, Welsh, and how it's used on a daily basis in modern Wales. If Welsh can seem complex and beautiful, it's because it's spent 4,000 years evolving. What's certain is that it's Britain's oldest language.
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million.
However, with the right motivation, a person can learn as many languages as possible. Sir John Bowring, a Hong Kong governor in the 19th century, was said to know more than 200 languages. He was also fluent in 100 languages. In history, he is the polyglot who knows most languages.
Nineteen-year-old Mahmood Akram from India has amazed the world by mastering 400 languages while simultaneously pursuing multiple university degrees. His linguistic journey began early under the guidance of his father, a linguistics expert, and by the age of six, he had already surpassed his mentor's knowledge.
Russian would be the easier language to learn. Still not easy though. Also keep in mind that Russian is a lot more homogeneous than Arabic , which means understanding spoken Arabic dialects is very, very difficult.
The top 3 languages to learn often cited for global utility, business, and speaker numbers are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and English, with others like French, German, Arabic, Hindi, and Portuguese also highly recommended for specific regional or economic advantages, but the core trio covers vast populations and crucial economic zones.
Papua New Guinea has more living languages than any other country. Papua New Guinea has 840 living languages — more than any other country. A living language is one that is spoken by at least one person as their first language.
