Languages mapped: what do people speak where you live? | UK news | guardian.co.uk
This map is fascinating - it maps the 20 or so most common foreign languages spoken as a mother tongue across the UK as reported by the 2011 census.
Zooming in on London it reveals some surprising information about where some of London's lesser-known hubs of migrants are hanging out. Everyone knows about Chinatown, Bangladeshis in Brick Lane and the Turks of Harringay, but the census reveals some interesting facts about some of London's other hubs.
French speakers are, not surprisingly, most numerous in the affluent west London neighbourhoods where French expats concentrate - Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia and Fulham.
Italian speakers surprisingly though mirror them - but are far less numerous. There is almost no particular Italian presence now in Clerkenwell - which at the turn of the century was London's "Little Italy".
German speakers shun the inner city and instead cluster in leafy Richmond.
Spanish-speaking Londoners are clustered in two islands - with the French in South Kensington and Chelsea, but also spread across more deprived neighbourhoods in the inner south. I'd hazard a guess that the former are largely wealthy Spanish expats working in the City or West End - whereas the former are Latin American immigrants inhabiting Elephant&Castle tower blocks.
Portuguese has three islands - northwest (Kensal Rise, Willesden) which has a notable Brazilian presence, and Lambeth and Stockwell in the inner south - which is known for being a Portuguese hub. However, I didn't know there was a third Little Portugal - up in the northeast, near Harringey station. Or is this another little Brazil?
The map also shows that London has not one but three Chinatowns, with
Mandarin Chinese not only showing up strong in the heart of the West End round Gerrard Street, but also in Deptford between Surrey Quays and Canada Water and also a concentrated but very distinct community in Leyton in the East End.
Turks have got to be one of London's most concentrated large minorities. Of course Green Lanes/Harringey is London's mini Istanbul, but actually Turkish speakers are numerous across a large wedge of north London, right from where Islington borders the City up to the Hertfordshire countryside at Cheshunt. But they are nearly non-existent anywhere else, and have no hubs in south, west, east or north-west London at all.
Other popular immigrant languages (Somali, Punjabi, Urdu etc) are almost certainly underreported though. Why do people think this is?
Would love to see a more detailed version with more languages. Would love to see where Czech, Swedish or Mongolian speakers concentrate!
Anyone know of any others for other cities? Alas, they'll never be one for Paris - censuses don't ask this kind of stuff. It would be fascinating if they did one though..
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