British 'linguaphobia' has deepened since Brexit vote, say experts

New research shows teachers reporting that the vote to leave the EU has hardened monolingual attitudes

Britain faces further isolation after Brexit if it doesn’t adjust its citizens’ attitude towards learning foreign languages, a panel of experts has warned, with Britons becoming increasingly “linguaphobic” in the wake of the EU referendum.

Speaking at the Hay literary festival on Friday, a panel including Cardiff University professor Claire Gorrara and linguist Teresa Tinsley, said that Britons had too long relied on a false belief that English was the world’s lingua franca. Only 6% of the global population are native English speakers, with 75% of the world unable to speak English at all. But three-quarters of UK residents can only speak English.

Related: The Guardian view on languages and the British: Brexit and an Anglosphere prison | Editorial

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