Post date: Feb 03, 2013 3:39:18 PM
England's most commonly spoken non-native language is now Polish with more than half a million people listing it as their main language on a 2011 census.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 1, 2013) (REUTERS) - Figures from a 2011 census released on Wednesday (January 30) indicated that Polish has become England and Wales' second most spoken language.
Polish comes second only to English and Welsh, according to data released by the British Office of National Statistics, with a total of 546-thousand people in England andWales using Polish as their main language.At Mleczko in London - which the owner says is the UK's largest Polish supermarket - only goods from Poland are stocked. Shoppers regularly pack out the isles searching for their particular home brand of Polish sausages, sweets and cheeses.
The 82-year-old founder of the eight shops and one restaurant with the Mleczko name, Wladyslaw Mleczko, said newcoming Poles are quick to pick up English in order to integrate and work in the UK.
"Poles who come to England learn English very fast. But we have a large diaspora of Poles, with churches, clubs, etc. where obviously Polish is spoken. But all of those who arrive, especially the youth, learn English very fast because if they want better jobs and better money, they need to speak English. That's why they are trying to learn English as fast as possible," he said.
Polish immigrants living in Shepherds Bush - a melting pot of different ethnicities - said their experiences of England had been positive.
"We have it very good in England, we never had it as good in Poland. They treat us well and we are happy here," said one Polish immigrant who declined to be named.
"It doesn't come as a surprise to me that the Polish language is the second language in the UK, as they say, because there are so many of us. Besides, many people from different countries, from India, like the Polish language and they want to speak Polish, so not only us Poles speak Polish here, but many other people like and speak Polish, which makes us very happy," another Polish immigrant said.
On the main streets of Shepherds Bush, British residents welcomed the influx of the eastern European community.
"It's nice to have different cultures, people from different backgrounds and, you know, everybody's just learning from each other," said British woman Suha Abdelaziz.
"I think Polish people are a good group of people who benefit society when they come over and they work hard and deserve to be here," said British man Steven Yarrall.
Just up the road in Ealing - the nation's hotspot for Polish speaking - Poles can find a large assortment of beers from the place they may call home.
The census of 56.1 million residents of the England and Wales collected detailed language statistics for the first time.
The first major wave of Polish migration to the UK began after the 2004 enlargement of the European Union when eight eastern European countries were absorbed into the EU.