Join us for a live chat on November 8 between 12-2PM GMT to discuss languages, social inclusion and cultural understanding
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The UK's rich linguistic and cultural diversity is one of its greatest assets. Over 200 foreign languages are spoken within London and Manchester, two of the most multilingual cities in the UK. Tottenham is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse postcodes in Europe, with 175 languages spoken within the London borough's schools.
As roughly 25% of the UK adult population and around one in six school children in England speak a language other than English as their mother tongue, there is a great stock and variety of foreign languages spoken across the UK.
However, there is strong evidence that the UK is underperforming compared with its European counterparts in the uptake of foreign languages – 54% of the EU population claims to speak a foreign language, compared with 39% in the UK. The UK's linguistic wealth can serve not only to improve language learning in the UK for the wider community, it could also be used to encourage social inclusion and greater intercultural understanding between different communities.
As part of the Guardian and British Academy's November language festival, we're holding a live chat to discuss the cultural issues surrounding language learning. Join our panel of experts Friday 8 November from 12-2pm GMT to debate the cultural power of languages.
You can take part in the conversation by posting any questions you have in the comments below. You can also follow the debate live on Twitter using the hashtag #languagesdebate.