We all know that the UK is the home of English – or, at least, English as we know it. But did you know that what is now modern-day England, Scotland, Wales, and the surrounding islands have had their own indigenous languages for thousands of years?
Before “British English” existed, before Shakespeare penned sonnets, and before the BBC decided what a proper accent sounded like, this land was a wild patchwork of ancient, indigenous languages. Many of these languages are still spoken throughout the UK today.
This post is for the language nerds, culture lovers, and the travelers who want to hear more than just “cheers” at the pub.
Note: If you love learning languages, be sure to check out our Top Ten Resources for Language Learning.
The UK’s Hidden Linguistic Landscape
How many languages are spoken in the UK today?
It’s easy to think of the UK as one monolingual island. In reality, it’s one of the most linguistically diverse regions in Europe, both historically and today.
Right now, over 300 languages are spoken across the UK. While many of these are due to immigration over the years (like Punjabi, Polish, Arabic), there’s another, quieter group of the original indigenous languages.
These are the ones that were here before English ever arrived – the languages spoken by the island’s first peoples, shaped by oral tradition, and often bound deeply to the land itself.
Some of these languages are still alive and thriving, all of them, however, are considered endangered. A few were once declared extinct and are now fortunately being pulled back from the edge by passionate communities.
According to UNESCO, several UK languages are vulnerable, definitely endangered, or even critically endangered. But that hasn’t stopped people from keeping them alive in homes, on signs, in schools, in songs.
So how did we get here? To understand the linguistic tapestry of the UK, we need to go way back to before English even existed.
A Land of Celts, Romans, and Resistance
Which languages were spoken in Britain before English?
Long before Scotland and England were even separate kingdoms, these islands were home to tribal societies who spoke a range of Celtic languages. These included the Gaels, Britons, and Picts.
These names sound like they belong in folklore but were very real people with very real cultures, religions, and linguistic systems.
These early Britons spoke Insular Celtic languages, which split into two major branches:
- Brittonic (the ancestor of Welsh, Cornish, and Breton)
- Goidelic (the ancestor of Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx)
When the Romans invaded in 43 AD, they brought Latin but only to the cities, the military, and the elite. The Celtic-speaking majority kept to their own tongues in the countryside, hills, and coasts. Latin was a surface layer, not a full replacement.
After the Romans left, things changed fast. New settlers came from across the North Sea like the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. These peoples brought the early Germanic dialects that would eventually become Old English.
These weren’t peaceful migrations. The newcomers pushed out or assimilated many of the native Britons, and with them, their languages.
That’s when the real domination of English began, but not without resistance.
In the fringes, such as the mountains of Wales, the Highlands of Scotland, the shores of Cornwall, and the Isle of Man, these Celtic languages survived. Some adapted. Some vanished. Some were reborn.
And that’s where our list begins.
1. Welsh (Cymraeg)
Of all the Celtic languages still spoken today, Welsh is perhaps the most visible. With origins that stretch back over two thousand years, it descends directly from Brittonic, the language spoken by many of the island’s pre-Roman inhabitants.
Welsh has survived conquest, suppression, and centuries of English dominance, refusing to go quietly.
During the Victorian period, children in schools were even punished for speaking it, often forced to wear a piece of wood called the “Welsh Not” around their necks.
But the language endured. Today, you’ll find Welsh on bilingual road signs across Wales, taught in schools, used in music, radio, and TV, and even whispered through the valleys of Patagonia, Argentina where a small but proud Welsh-speaking community still lives.
Around 30% of the population in Wales now speaks at least some Welsh, with fluency rising among younger generations. It’s a language that bends and mutates, as it uses initial consonant mutations that change depending on context.
Welsh poetry, song, and culture are tightly woven together, and the language’s persistence is a cultural victory as much as a linguistic one.
2. Cornish (Kernewek)
Cornish is the comeback kid of the Celtic world. Closely related to Welsh and descending from the same Brittonic root, Cornish once flourished in the southwestern region of England. But by the late 1700s, it was pronounced dead: the last native speaker had died, and Cornish had disappeared from daily life.
That would have been the end, if not for a group of language lovers and community activists in the 20th century who decided that death wasn’t the final word.
They began reconstructing Cornish from old texts, folk songs, and surviving fragments. The result? A quiet but passionate revival that continues today. You can now learn Cornish in community classes, spot it on public signage, hear it sung at cultural festivals, and even read The Hobbit translated into it.
Though fluent speakers remain few, Cornish was granted official minority language status in 2002, and its presence continues to grow. This is a strong reminder that lost languages can return, if someone cares enough to speak them again.
3. Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
Brought to Scotland by early Irish settlers and Christian missionaries, Scottish Gaelic took deep root in the Highlands and Islands, shaping not only the region’s culture but also its very landscape.
You can still hear Gaelic in the names of mountains, rivers, and towns, such as Beinn Nibheis (Ben Nevis), Inbhir Nis (Inverness), and An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (the Isle of Skye).
For centuries, Gaelic thrived across much of Scotland, but the Highland Clearances, English-language schooling, and state suppression pushed it into decline.
By the 20th century, it was at risk of fading entirely. Yet today, Scottish Gaelic is making a slow, steady return, especially through Gaelic Medium Education, which immerses children in the language from an early age.
It’s also supported through government initiatives, bilingual signage, and Gaelic-language media like BBC Alba.
While fluency rates remain low (about 1% of Scotland’s population), the cultural pride behind Gaelic is strong, and growing. This isn’t just about preserving a language, it’s about preserving heritage and a way of seeing the world.
I’m currently studying Scottish Gaelic as an ancestral language using Glossika, which provides free access to their Gaelic language course due to it’s being an endangered language. Thus far this has been one of my very favorite language learning tools.
Related: How We Lived in Scotland for Less Than $1000/month, 64 Ways to Be Drunk in Scotland (Scottish Drinking Slang Explained).
4. Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) in Northern Ireland
Across the Irish Sea, Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) shares much of its history with its Scottish cousin, though its path has been marked more explicitly by political tension and colonialism.
Once the dominant language of Ireland, Irish was steadily replaced by English under British rule, particularly during and after the Great Famine, when English was associated with survival and economic opportunity.
While the Republic of Ireland has made Irish a national language (and all schoolchildren learn it), the situation in Northern Ireland is more complex.
There, Irish Gaelic is spoken primarily in nationalist communities, where it carries strong political and cultural significance. Efforts to revitalize the language include Irish-medium schools, community centers, radio broadcasts, and street signage in areas like Belfast and Derry.
Unlike English, Irish expresses things differently. You don’t say “I am happy,” you say “happiness is upon me” (Tá áthas orm). It’s a language that sees the world less in terms of ownership and more in terms of experience, and that shift in worldview is exactly what many speakers are trying to protect.
5. Manx (Gaelg)
If there’s one language that proves it’s never too late, it’s Manx. Native to the Isle of Man, Manx is the third branch of the Goidelic Celtic languages, closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
By the 1970s, it was officially declared extinct after the death of its last native speaker. But in an inspiring twist, the community brought it back. Activists used audio recordings, written documents, and sheer determination to reconstruct and teach the language.
Today, Manx is spoken in immersion preschools, used in government signage, and embraced in cultural festivals across the island. It’s still a minority language, yes, but it’s no longer dying. In fact, it’s growing, and in a way that feels deeply tied to local pride and identity.
6. Scots
Ask the average person outside of Scotland what “Scots” is, and they’ll probably assume you mean a Scottish accent. But Scots is not just an accent, it’s a separate language with a long literary tradition, recognized by both the UK and the EU (at least before Brexit).
It evolved from the same Old English roots as modern English, but branched off in a different direction, shaped by contact with Norse, French, Dutch, and Gaelic.
You’ll hear Scots spoken across Lowland Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayrshire, and the Borders, often with regional variations that feel worlds apart.
Scots is the language of Robert Burns, of centuries-old ballads and everyday working-class banter. It’s vivid, expressive, and rich with local color, using words like bairn (child), ken (know), wee (small), and glaikit (silly).
For generations, it was dismissed as “bad English,” especially in schools where students were punished for using it. That legacy of shame still lingers, but there’s been a growing movement to revalue Scots as a valid, vibrant language in its own right.
Social media, music, poetry, and even government publications are starting to reflect this change, but it’s an uphill battle for recognition, funding, and respect. Still, for many Scots speakers, it’s not about formality. It’s about cultural identity and the words that feel like home.
7. Ulster Scots
Hop over to Northern Ireland, and you’ll find Ulster Scots, a close cousin of Scots shaped by migration and historical upheaval. In the 1600s, Scottish settlers arrived in Ulster during the Plantation period, bringing their language with them.
Over time, it developed into its own dialect continuum that was still rooted in Scots, but mixed with Irish English influences and shaped by centuries of life in Northern Ireland.
Today, Ulster Scots is spoken by some communities in Antrim, Down, and parts of Derry and Tyrone, especially in rural areas. It shares many features with Scots but has its own pronunciation patterns and idioms.
Like Scots, it often sits in a political minefield tied to questions of heritage, identity, and nationalism. While it’s officially recognized as a minority language under the Good Friday Agreement, it doesn’t enjoy the same visibility or support as Irish Gaelic.
That said, there are efforts to preserve and promote it, including school programs, festivals, literature, and translation work.
8. Angloromani
Tucked between the cracks of British history is Angloromani, a mixed language spoken by English Romanichal Travellers and one of the most underrepresented threads in the UK’s linguistic fabric. Unlike full Romani languages still spoken across parts of Europe,
Angloromani isn’t purely Romani or purely English. It’s a creole blend, where the grammar and sentence structure are mostly English, but key vocabulary, idioms, and expressions are inherited from the original Romani language.
You might hear someone say they’re going to the dinilo gav (the “crazy town”) or refer to a child as a chavvy, which is a word that’s been misappropriated in mainstream slang, but actually comes from the Romani čhavi, meaning “boy” or “child.”
Angloromani evolved out of necessity as a way for Romani communities to retain a sense of identity and secrecy in the face of discrimination, surveillance, and forced assimilation.
It’s primarily oral, passed down through families, and rarely written down, which makes it incredibly vulnerable.
In many Traveller communities today, only elders still speak it fluently. But efforts to document and revive Angloromani are gaining traction, especially among younger generations who want to reconnect with their roots without diluting what makes the language theirs.
9. Beurla Reagaird
Sometimes called the “secret language of the Scottish Travellers,” Beurla Reagaird is a fascinating linguistic blend that’s flown under the radar for most outsiders. It’s a kind of cant or argot, mixing Scots English grammar with a specialized vocabulary borrowed from Gaelic and Romani, crafted to be understood only within the traveller community.
This language is mostly a social code, or a way to speak openly without outsiders following along.
Historically, this was vital for a nomadic people who faced prejudice and marginalization, enabling them to maintain privacy and protect their trades and lifestyles.
Although Beurla Reagaird isn’t a full-fledged language in the traditional sense, it’s a living marker of identity, passed orally across generations. Today, with fewer families leading the traditional traveller lifestyle, the language is endangered, but it still pops up in stories, music, and community gatherings, a linguistic badge of belonging that refuses to fade.
10. Shelta
Known as the secret tongue of the Irish Travellers, Shelta is a hybrid language that defies easy classification. It combines elements of Irish Gaelic, English, and Romani, but it, like Beurla Reagaid, is a unique code language developed to safeguard culture and communication within a historically persecuted community.
Shelta isn’t typically written down; it lives in speech, in songs, jokes, and everyday chatter among Travellers.
Its vocabulary is rich with words disguised or transformed to keep meanings hidden from outsiders. Although many Irish Travellers today primarily speak English, Shelta remains a powerful symbol of heritage and resilience.
Language activists and community members are working to document and teach Shelta so that it may remain a living language for the future.
Why These Languages Matter
When a language dies, it doesn’t just take vocabulary with it, it erases an entire worldview, a connection to ancestors, and a cultural heartbeat. The loss is irreparable, like burning a library full of untold histories and poems. That’s why preserving these endangered languages is a fight to keep alive the diversity that makes human culture rich and resilient.
And here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a linguist or live in the UK to get involved.
Thanks to technology and passionate educators, many endangered languages are now accessible to learners worldwide. If you’re curious about Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, or Manx, platforms like Glossika offer free courses designed specifically to revive and sustain these languages.
They focus on immersive, practical learning, which is perfect for anyone who wants to connect with living culture in an authentic way. Supporting these languages by learning even a few phrases can help create demand and visibility, fueling their survival for future generations.
Where You Can Hear Them
The best way to experience these languages is to hear them spoken, sung, and celebrated in their native environments.
Across the UK, numerous festivals and events bring Celtic and minority languages to life in vibrant, communal settings.
In Wales, the Eisteddfod is an annual cultural extravaganza where poetry, music, and dance are performed primarily in Welsh, providing a living showcase of language pride and artistic creativity.
Scotland’s Celtic Connections festival similarly blends traditional and contemporary Gaelic music, drawing crowds from around the world.
Cornwall hosts events celebrating Kernewek (Cornish), while the Isle of Man holds festivals honoring Manx language and culture. Beyond big festivals, smaller community gatherings, local storytelling nights, and language cafés offer welcoming spaces to hear and practice these languages, often alongside native speakers.
Some towns and regions also offer immersion experiences or language classes, where you can learn alongside locals. Whether you’re a visitor or a passionate language learner, these spaces provide an authentic connection that textbooks simply can’t replicate.
How You Can Support Language Preservation
If you want to support endangered languages, the first step is often the simplest: start learning.
Even a few basic phrases can show respect for a culture and signal that these languages still matter.
Platforms like Glossika offer free courses in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx, using an immersive, context-based method that gets you speaking naturally from day one. It’s a fantastic starting point for self-paced learners or anyone curious about language revitalization efforts.
If you’re looking for more structured guidance or personalized help, Preply is another excellent option especially for Welsh and Irish. You can connect with native-speaking tutors for one-on-one lessons that fit your schedule and goals.
It’s a practical way to support both the language and the people keeping it alive, while making real progress in your speaking ability.
Beyond learning, you can also help by supporting bilingual signage, local media, and education initiatives in areas where these languages are spoken. Every radio program, public notice, or children’s book in a minority language helps reinforce its place in daily life.
And if you’re traveling to a region where one of these languages is still spoken, visit intentionally. Attend events, shop local, and seek out experiences where you can engage directly with the language and its speakers. Your curiosity and respect can help keep these languages not just alive, but thriving.
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of sharing what you learn. Whether it’s a tweet, a blog post, or a video of you trying out a few phrases, visibility breeds interest, and interest builds momentum.
Language preservation is a collective effort, and every learner adds strength to the movement.
Final Thoughts
If you’re planning a trip to the UK, challenge yourself to go beyond the usual tourist routes. Attend a local festival where Welsh is sung without translation, walk the streets of the Highlands and notice the bilingual signs, strike up a conversation with someone who grew up speaking Scots or Irish. These encounters open doors to a deeper kind of travel that respects, learns, and connects.
In the end, languages are living threads, weaving together the past and present. When we listen to them, learn from them, and help preserve them, we’re honoring entire cultures, histories, and ways of seeing the world. Let’s keep those threads alive.
