According to statistics from 2011, about 580 thousand people use Welsh in colloquial speech. According to the census, a quarter of those using this language were born outside of Wales. Almost everyone who speaks Welsh also knows English well. In Wales, both of these languages have official status.
Dialects of language
In Welsh, as in any other, there are dialects. One of the most simplified classifications is the conditional division of all dialects into northern and southern. The differences relate to both grammatical rules and pronunciation, vocabulary. Despite the fact that Welsh is a minority language and is constantly under pressure from English, at the end of the last century its support was observed simultaneously with the growth of nationalist movements. Often, children who moved from England to Wales begin to speak Welsh.
Griffith Jones and the introduction of Welsh
The educational system of Griffith Jones schools played a large role in preserving the Welsh language. At that moment, when he began to create his famous "circular schools", he was 47 years old. It may seem strange that a middle-aged man suffering from asthma and neurosis took up such a large-scale project. However, people like Griffith Jones are actually many among the Welsh. The main goal of his entire existence, Jones considered the preservation of his native language. Even greater was his excitement about the spiritual state of the people after a large number of people died from the typhus epidemic.
Using your native language is the key to success
Until the 30s of the 18th century, most peasants did not have the opportunity to educate themselves or educate their children. Only after the terrible epidemic began, it was decided on the possibility of education for children from poor families. But soon charitable schools fell into decay. The Griffith Jones system was much more economical and efficient. One of its important aspects was the application of an intensive pace of learning. But the most important factor was the use of the Welsh language in the classroom. The main feature of the schools that preceded the innovations of Griffith Jones was the conduct of lessons in English. This led to an increase in hostility among the population.
However, after the death of Jones, the presence of the Welsh language by most lawyers began to be considered as the main drawback. It was believed that the "fix" it is possible only through the widespread introduction of English. Proponents of this approach believed that the Welsh were a wild and uneducated people. This caused widespread indignation among Welsh society.
Welsh: Reading Rules
The modern version of the language was formed at the end of the XVI century. Since then, he underwent only minor changes that did not affect vocabulary. There is a significant difference between literary and spoken languages. Emphasis almost always falls on the penultimate syllable. There are few exceptions to this rule - just some words where there is a diphthong in the last syllable. Vowels are divided into long and short. In some words, a peculiar “half-long” comes across. There are a total of 29 letters in the Welsh alphabet. The spelling of the modern version of the language was formed relatively recently. An important role in this process was played by the Morgan Bible, created in the XVII century.
Welsh today
The first educational programs, in which teaching was conducted in two languages, arose only at the beginning of the last century. By early 2001, the number of schools where classes were taught in Welsh had risen to 52. Bilingual politics in Wales had proven effective. However, even now, despite the constant growth of Welsh-speaking people, schools are not evenly distributed in Wales. Currently, various television and radio programs are also being broadcast in Welsh.
Despite all the obstacles that the Welsh language had to go through, he managed to stay among the living, as well as successfully develop in the modern world. However, the Welsh government still faces many important challenges. Firstly, it is necessary to further increase the number of speakers in Welsh. Secondly, the problem of language use among young people remains relevant. It is also necessary to encourage the use of Welsh among private sector companies.
In 2007, a curious incident involving the use of Welsh occurred in Swansea. Since this language is official along with English, all road signs and inscriptions are made simultaneously in two languages. On one of the road signs it was necessary to make an inscription that the passage was closed. Road officials contacted a language expert to translate this inscription into Welsh. But he was on vacation and answered them with a standard message: "I'm not in the office." Since the connoisseur’s response was in Welsh, the recipients thought it was a translation. For several months this road sign hung on the road.