diff --git a/src/CutAndPaste.cpp b/src/CutAndPaste.cpp
index dab14135b4..cad8c943de 100644
--- a/src/CutAndPaste.cpp
+++ b/src/CutAndPaste.cpp
@@ -1092,7 +1092,10 @@ void copySelection(Cursor const & cur, docstring const & plaintext)
 		par.setLayout(bp.documentClass().plainLayout());
 		// Replace (column-separating) tabs by space (#4449)
 		docstring const clean_text = subst(plaintext, '\t', ' ');
-		par.insert(0, clean_text, Font(), Change(Change::UNCHANGED));
+		// For pasting into text, we set the language to the paragraph language
+		// (rather than the default_language which is always English; see #11898)
+		par.insert(0, clean_text, Font(sane_font, par.getParLanguage(bp)),
+			   Change(Change::UNCHANGED));
 		pars.push_back(par);
 		theCuts.push(make_pair(pars, bp.documentClassPtr()));
 	} else {
diff --git a/status.23x b/status.23x
index c27b58f73a..4a465454e0 100644
--- a/status.23x
+++ b/status.23x
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ What's new
 
 - Do not paste tabulators when pasting multiple cell outside table (bug 4449).
 
+- Fix language when pasting multiple cell outside table (bug 11898).
+
 
 * INTERNALS