Welsh Language Revival

Welsh Language

Welsh (Cymraeg), is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa.

History of Welsh

• Language roots can be traced back to 600 B.C.E.
• 1284 A.D. England annexes Wales
• 1536 A.D. the Act of Union is enacted, which effectively promoted English as the official language of Wales, and Welsh was neglected
• 1588 A.D. the Bible is translated to Welsh
  • At this stage Welsh was not in critical danger of disappearing
• 1800's A.D. Welsh begins to decline during the Industrial Revolution
  • The percentage of those who claimed to speak Welsh sharply declined from a peak of 80% of the population in 1801 to approximately 67% by 1851 A.D.
• 1847 A.D. A Royal Commission was published in relation to the Welsh language
  • It was felt that the language posed a threat to the countryʼs ʻmoral progress and commercial prosperityʼ, kept the Welsh people behind their English neighbors ʻin every branch of practical knowledge and skillʼ and condemned them to life in an underworld, bereft of any chance of social progress.
• 1870 A.D. The Education Act was enacted, in which Welsh pupils were mandated by law to receive an English-medium education.
• 1907 A.D. The Welsh Department of the Board of Education drew up regulations allowing school subjects to be taught in Welsh, as well as a provision for the instruction of Welsh history and literature.
• 1944 A.D. The Education Act became law, and made it so children were educated based on their parents' wishes, opening the door for Welsh teaching programs.
• Mid-1900s A.D. The number of monoglot Welsh speakers had all but disappeared, and less than 30% of the population claimed to be bilingual.
• 1970s A.D. Efforts to provide Welsh language classes to adults mainly under the auspices of the University of Wales, Further Education colleges, LEAs and voluntary organizations.
• 1988 A.D. The Education Reform Act made it so Welsh became compulsory in primary and secondary school, either as the primary language of instruction, or as a mandatory second-language
• 1993 A.D. Act of 1993 makes Welsh a language of law and can be used in court settings
• 1993 A.D. The Welsh Language Board is established

The Welsh language has gone through a sharp decline in usage, to where it would have been considered "critically endangered," yet through government efforts, as well as community efforts, the language is no longer considered endangered. Part of this success was the elevation of the language's status within Wales, and the government action that followed. However, this success is not set in stone as the number of speakers has been declining still.

Current Revitalization Efforts

The Welsh government has brought forth an action plan known as Cymraeg 2050: A Million Welsh Speakers, which highlights the governments role and institutional policies for promoting the usage and Welsh language within the country of Wales. This document leans on previous iterations of this movement, as well as other language policy documents. As quoted from the text:

This is the Welsh Ministers’ strategy for the promotion and facilitation of the use of the Welsh language. It has been prepared in accordance with Section 78 of the Government of Wales Act 2006. This strategy supersedes A living language: a language for living – Welsh Language Strategy 2012–17, and its associated policy statement, A living language: a language for living – Moving forward. The Cymraeg 2050 Strategy sets out the Welsh Government’s long-term approach to achieving the target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

As outlined in the document, the strategy to increase the amount of Welsh speakers includes promotion of Welsh in schools (particularly in primary and secondary education), promotion of Welsh in the workplace, its usage in everyday life, and economically support the various institutions that promote the usage of Welsh. Part of the goals are not to have completely fluent Welsh speakers, but to generally increase the usage and skills of those using the language.