Languages Of Northern Ireland
The de facto official language of the United Kingdom is English (British English), which is spoken as the primary language of 95% of the UK population. The Welsh language is also an official language in Wales, and is the second most spoken language in the United Kingdom, after English. Polish is the third most-spoken in England and Wales. In addition, there are several other living languages indigenous to the territory, various regional dialects, and numerous languages spoken by recent immigrant populations and those who have learned them as second languages.
Read more about Languages Of Northern Ireland: Statistics, Status, Immigrant Languages, Norman French and Latin, Languages of The Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Languages of British Overseas Territories
Famous quotes containing the words northern ireland, languages, northern and/or ireland:
“... in Northern Ireland, if you don’t have basic Christianity, rather than merely religion, all you get out of the experience of living is bitterness.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)
“People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can’t pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as “exotic” but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)
“For generations, a wide range of shooting in Northern Ireland has provided all sections of the population with a pastime which ... has occupied a great deal of leisure time. Unlike many other countries, the outstanding characteristic of the sport has been that it was not confined to any one class.”
—Northern Irish Tourist Board. quoted in New Statesman (London, Aug. 29, 1969)
“Sport and death are the two great socializing factors in Ireland ...”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)