Brexit is causing students across the UK to become disinterested in learning modern foreign languages (MFL), according to the British Council.
While more than two-thirds of teachers surveyed by the council said the difficulty of exams was the issue, one in four secondary school teachers said Brexit was having a "negative impact" on pupil's motivation to learn languages.
Out of the 1600 surveyed, an impact on parental attitudes was also noted, with some parents actively discouraging their children from learning languages.
As teachers blame Brexit for a decrease in pupil engagement, two in five added that Britain leaving the EU poses a major challenge to providing high quality language teaching, as the majority of secondary schools depend on EU citizens to help staff their language departments.
The recent report over attitudes coincides with a long-term decline in the number of entries for GCSE language exams, with both French and German seeing a reduction of 30 per cent since 2014.
Trends also support the little likelihood of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds studying languages, as after revisions to the syllabus, 84 per cent of state schools say lower attaining students are now less likely to take a language than three years ago.
Lead researcher, Teresa Tinsley, said: "The report paints a picture of language learning in England becoming increasingly segregated along both socio-economic and academic lines.
"Pupils from poorer backgrounds and those who are less academically inclined are much less likely than their peers to acquire any substantial language skills or access foreign cultures in any significant way, challenges that Brexit looks to exacerbate.
"We all know the pressures schools are under, but these inequalities are not good for our society or the future of our country."
The Language Trends report also indicates declining levels of international engagement in primary and secondary schools, with half offering pupils no international activity at all.
Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: "We need to give our young people more opportunities to learn about and engage with different cultures.
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"Languages open up so many doors - not only are they a valuable skill highly sought after by employers, they also allow for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the wider world."
A spokeswoman for exams regulator Ofqual, said: "We take seriously concerns about the perceived difficulty of MFL subjects and continue to look at this issue in detail.
"We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of grading standards in GCSE French, German and Spanish, looking at statistical evidence, contextual data including trends in the numbers taking these subjects and the quality of students' work, to see if there is compelling case for an adjustment to grading standards in these subjects."
The Department for Education say they are supporting schools to encourage students to study languages. Initiatives include the £10m Mandarin Excellence Programme, which will put 5,000 young people on track to be 'fluent in Mandarin by 2020.'
This research is based on an online survey completed between January-March of this year by teachers in 776 state primary schools, 715 state secondary schools and 130 independent secondary schools across the country.
