Although several young local families are currently being raised bilingually in Manx Gaelic and (Standard) English, the linguistic profile of the present population of the Isle of Man is exclusively English-speaking. Until well into the eighteenth century, however, Manx Gaelic was not only the vernacular but the general medium of communication: although the upper classes and some traders knew English, most of the Island's inhabitants spoke only Manx. Over two centuries there were successive bilingual and ‘diglossic’ stages, leading to a situation where monolingual English speakers used either Manx English or Standard English according to circumstance and context. For purposes of definition, ‘Manx English’ is that variety of English which is distinct from both Standard English and from other varieties, is encountered among native Manx people, usually resident in the Island, and which may reflect influences from Manx Gaelic in its word order, sound and vocabulary

The socio-economic pressures urging the acquisition of English, the language of power, authority and opportunity, are not far to seek: a command of English facilitated advancement, both social and professional, employment, travel and commerce. The absence of native rulers, meanwhile, and of any attendant aristocracy or scholarly caste to champion the cause of Manx Gaelic, hastened the advancement of English: already in 1611, Speed notes that the wealthy inhabitants of Man imitated the Lancashire gentry, whereas the common folk followed the Irish language and customs. Notwithstanding, a century later Bishop Wilson (1698–1755) would remark that ‘one third of the best of the natives’ could not understand English, this perception spurring the urgent endeavour of translating the Bible into Manx Gaelic. However, by 1740, compulsory English teaching in schools was reputedly bringing Manx Gaelic into ‘disuse’. By 1764, although most of the population still had little English, the impetus towards English intensified. Certainly more English was heard in towns than elsewhere, although no definite barrier existed. These townships were then, after all, little more than villages, one of whose principal official raisons d’être was to function as market centres for agricultural produce from the outlying districts, ensuring regular interaction between town and country dwellers. Neither was there any Gaeltacht proper – the northern parishes and the relatively isolated southern hamlet of Cregneash constituting the closest approximation thereto.