This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
Top baby boys name in London in 2013 was Mohammed.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
99.9% of them will grow up speaking English. They may also speak another language too.
There are some adult immigrants who never learn English. Anyone born here or who arrives as a child speaks English.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
Lots of places outside the UK also speak English.
True of course, it probably links in with my perception that a lot of our London's new arrivals are from eastern Europe and the commonwealth countries. Rizzo's post on the top baby boy name of last year helps reinforce that perception.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
1. English is the most-spoken language in the country 2. English is the most-spoken language in every London Borough 3. In this country, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together 4. In every London Borough, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together 5. Across London 22.1% of Londoners list a language other than English as their first language 6. Among London Boroughs, the lowest level of English as a first language is Newham, where "only" 56.6% of people speak English as a first language. This means that, in Newham, all other first languages put together count for 41.4% of people. 7. We are a very, very long way from having English as the second main language in any London Borough.
There are more than 80 languages in use in London, as a "main language". This is one of the best features of our great city.
Another great part of our city is that it remains - and has always been - a great melting pot welcoming people from around the world. Isn't it brilliant that 57% of babies born last year in London were to mothers born abroad and who want to raise their children in the greatest capital on Earth?
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
Top baby boys name in London in 2013 was Mohammed.
Yes, based on a small sample "survey". But in the UK, Muhammed was the 29th most popular name in the UK in 2013
Oliver Jack Charlie Harry Oscar Thomas Jacob Ethan Noah James William Joshua George Leo Max Henry Alfie Lucas Daniel Dylan Finley Alexander Freddie Isaac Samuel Joseph Archie Muhammad Benjamin Lewis Logan Matthew Sebastian Jake Edward Zachary Aidan Luke Mason Riley Ryan Elliott Toby Reuben Adam Theo Connor Nathan Jayden Liam
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
1. English is the most-spoken language in the country 2. English is the most-spoken language in every London Borough 3. In this country, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together 4. In every London Borough, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together 5. Across London 22.1% of Londoners list a language other than English as their first language 6. Among London Boroughs, the lowest level of English as a first language is Newham, where "only" 56.6% of people speak English as a first language. This means that, in Newham, all other first languages put together count for 41.4% of people. 7. We are a very, very long way from having English as the second main language in any London Borough.
There are more than 80 languages in use in London, as a "main language". This is one of the best features of our great city.
Another great part of our city is that it remains - and has always been - a great melting pot welcoming people from around the world. Isn't it brilliant that 57% of babies born last year in London were to mothers born abroad and who want to raise their children in the greatest capital on Earth?
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
Does it matter?
Yes
Yes, of course it matters. People in London need to be able to converse in lots of different languages. Otherwise we'll end up with lots of people who can only speak one language (say, English) moaning that lots of other, multi-lingual people get preferential treatment when jobs are handed out. So smart people will embrace the change, roll up their sleeves and learn to converse in more languages!
I love it that so many languages are spoken in London and elsewhere. I can get by in English, French, German and I also have a substantial smattering of Mandarin. For my son it is English, Mandarin, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese and I admit to being very proud of that.
This was in 2011 - any chance that by now English is the 2nd most spoken language in any London Borough ?
No
Could be heading that way though. I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
6. Among London Boroughs, the lowest level of English as a first language is Newham, where "only" 56.6% of people speak English as a first language. This means that, in Newham, all other first languages put together count for 41.4% of people.
Are you suggesting 2% of people in Newham don't speak?
Because I don't think that English should be a minority language in England or any defined region within it.
Hardly a minority language is it? Just because English may not be the native tongue to residents of certain boroughs does not mean they cannot speak it.
Where is the Nepalese community in Greenwich mostly based? As a Greenwich borough resident I really struggle to believe that Nepalese is the second language in the borough.
The people who maintain the borough web site don't seem to be aware of this fact either.
I was in a Tesco store in Weybridge on bank holiday Monday and my son wanted the loo. So I asked a Tesco assistant on the shop floor where the toilets were, but she snapped back "I don't speak English, sorry" and walked off. "Ah, thanks very much" I said and went off to find another 'assistant'. It might be great that so many different languages are spoken here, but I don't think it unreasonable for newcomers settling and working here to speak English.
I was in a Tesco store in Weybridge on bank holiday Monday and my son wanted the loo. So I asked a Tesco assistant on the shop floor where the toilets were, but she snapped back "I don't speak English, sorry" and walked off. "Ah, thanks very much" I said and went off to find another 'assistant'. It might be great that so many different languages are spoken here, but I don't think it unreasonable for newcomers settling and working here to speak English.
Are you sure they worked there ? I'd be pretty surprised if a major supermarket would employ someone on the working floor that literally couldn't speak English.
All those European newcomers arriving in North America fell over themselves to learn Mohican, Cree, Shawnee, Cheyenne, Apache, Dakota, Huron, Pawnee and so on. Oops sorry, the European newcomers were more engaged in supplying Native North Americans with smallpox infested blankets.
Comments
I'm sure I read in everyone's favourite paper last week, that 57% of London's babies are born to mothers originally from outside the UK.
Tower Hamlets comes to mind
There are some adult immigrants who never learn English. Anyone born here or who arrives as a child speaks English.
2. English is the most-spoken language in every London Borough
3. In this country, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together
4. In every London Borough, more people speak English as a first language than every other language put together
5. Across London 22.1% of Londoners list a language other than English as their first language
6. Among London Boroughs, the lowest level of English as a first language is Newham, where "only" 56.6% of people speak English as a first language. This means that, in Newham, all other first languages put together count for 41.4% of people.
7. We are a very, very long way from having English as the second main language in any London Borough.
There are more than 80 languages in use in London, as a "main language". This is one of the best features of our great city.
Another great part of our city is that it remains - and has always been - a great melting pot welcoming people from around the world. Isn't it brilliant that 57% of babies born last year in London were to mothers born abroad and who want to raise their children in the greatest capital on Earth?
Oliver
Jack
Charlie
Harry
Oscar
Thomas
Jacob
Ethan
Noah
James
William
Joshua
George
Leo
Max
Henry
Alfie
Lucas
Daniel
Dylan
Finley
Alexander
Freddie
Isaac
Samuel
Joseph
Archie
Muhammad
Benjamin
Lewis
Logan
Matthew
Sebastian
Jake
Edward
Zachary
Aidan
Luke
Mason
Riley
Ryan
Elliott
Toby
Reuben
Adam
Theo
Connor
Nathan
Jayden
Liam
I look forward to your one word answer
The people who maintain the borough web site don't seem to be aware of this fact either.
royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/92/housing_allocations_-_registering_for_a_property/529/search_and_apply_for_a_home/2
"Ah, thanks very much" I said and went off to find another 'assistant'. It might be great that so many different languages are spoken here, but I don't think it unreasonable for newcomers settling and working here to speak English.
Oops sorry, the European newcomers were more engaged in supplying Native North Americans with smallpox infested blankets.