ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that the total numbers of a linguistic minority at a national level are of little relevance in terms of language use and language maintenance at the local level. Panjabi-speaking Sikhs and Hindus together probably form the most numerous minority, and are widely dispersed across the country. Gujerati speakers, including the East African Asians, are to be found in large numbers in Leicester, Coventry, East and North West London and in the northern textile towns. In the population in England, where the common spoken languages are Cantonese, Hakka and to a lesser extent Hokkien, Mandarin and Vietnamese, the influence of Hong Kong literacy practices is predominant. When discussing the migration history and distribution of speakers of Greek and Turkish in Britain, it is convenient to treat them together for some purposes. The chapter points out that many men and women work in the hotel and catering industries and in janitorial and cleaning services in the large London hospitals.
