Diversity is good for your English

22 Oct 2013 New research from experts at The University of Manchester has revealed that as the country's linguistic diversity increases, speakers of other languages are also becoming more proficient in English. Professor Yaron Matras and Deepthi Gopal say England and Wales' ethnic minorities are now much more likely to know English well. Their proficiency in English, they add, is not necessarily lower in areas with a high concentration of speakers of other languages, such as London. A tiny two per cent of the population cannot speak English, finds the research team in the latest of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation funded briefings for the University's Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE). Of those who reported a language other than English to be their 'main language', 79% said they spoke English very well or well. The research based on 2011 Census data, also provides a fascinating picture of how Non-English languages are spread unevenly across England and Wales. Polish, for example, is widely distributed and spoken in 95% of electoral wards in England and Wales.