diff --git a/components/com_content/views/article/tmpl/default.php b/components/com_content/views/article/tmpl/default.php
index 9b052a95ab1e9..64b15136740fc 100644
--- a/components/com_content/views/article/tmpl/default.php
+++ b/components/com_content/views/article/tmpl/default.php
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 ?>
 <div class="item-page<?php echo $this->pageclass_sfx; ?>" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article">
-	<meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="<?php echo ($this->item->language === '*') ? JFactory::getConfig()->get('language') : $this->item->language; ?>" />
+	<meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="<?php echo ($this->item->language === '*') ? $this->language : $this->item->language; ?>" />
 	<?php if ($this->params->get('show_page_heading')) : ?>
 	<div class="page-header">
 		<h1> <?php echo $this->escape($this->params->get('page_heading')); ?> </h1>
diff --git a/components/com_content/views/article/view.html.php b/components/com_content/views/article/view.html.php
index 582b3afa01889..4c33a168189a9 100644
--- a/components/com_content/views/article/view.html.php
+++ b/components/com_content/views/article/view.html.php
@@ -60,6 +60,14 @@ class ContentViewArticle extends JViewLegacy
 	 */
 	protected $pageclass_sfx = '';
 
+	/**
+	 * The default language
+	 *
+	 * @var    string
+	 * @since  __DEPLOY_VERSION__
+	 */
+	protected $language = '';
+
 	/**
 	 * Execute and display a template script.
 	 *
@@ -72,10 +80,11 @@ public function display($tpl = null)
 		$app        = JFactory::getApplication();
 		$user       = JFactory::getUser();
 
-		$this->item  = $this->get('Item');
-		$this->print = $app->input->getBool('print', false);
-		$this->state = $this->get('State');
-		$this->user  = $user;
+		$this->item     = $this->get('Item');
+		$this->print    = $app->input->getBool('print', false);
+		$this->state    = $this->get('State');
+		$this->user     = $user;
+		$this->language = $app->get('language');
 
 		// Check for errors.
 		if (count($errors = $this->get('Errors')))