Language
Planning: The
Welsh Model
Gwyn Jones
Director of Policy and
Terminology
6th century:
Welsh
spoken here
"From henceforth no person or persons that use the Welsh
speech or language shall have or enjoy any office or
fees.... unless he or they use and exercise the speech or
language of English"
The Acts of Union1536 a 1543
Changing Attitudes: Increasing social status of the Welsh
language
1893 – University of Wales
1911 – National Library of Wales
1964 – Welsh Office: Part of the UK Government
1967 – First Welsh Language Act
1982 – S4C: Welsh language TV channel
1988 -- Education Act designates Welsh a ‘core subject’
in the curriculum
1993 – Welsh Language Act & Welsh Language Board
1999 – National Assembly for Wales
Census Language Results 1961-1991
1961
1971
1981
1991
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1901
1911
1921
1931
1951
1961
1971
1981
Siaradwyr Cymraeg/Welsh Speakers
1991
2001
2001: % able to speak Welsh by age
50
40
%
30
20
10
0
3-4
5 - 14 15 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55- 64 65 - 74
Age
75+
Welsh Language Act 1993
Welsh Language Schemes
Welsh Language Schemes
• 526 Public Sector bodies have approved Statutory
Welsh Language Schemes
• 73 Voluntary Sector bodies have approved Welsh
Language Schemes
Characteristics of Successful Schemes
• Corporate ownership
• Support for non-Welsh speakers
• Bilingual identity
• Forward Planning
• Normalising bilingualism in the workplace
• Clear guidance to staff
• Regular language awareness training
• Marketing Welsh language services
Use of Welsh in the Private Sector: Over 150 companies
have agreed a Welsh Language Policy with the Board
Development of Welsh Medium Education in Wales
• 1947 – First LEA funded Welsh Medium Primary School (4-11)
1956 – First LEA funded Welsh Medium Secondary School (11-18).
• Initially for children from Welsh speaking homes.
Post 1970 – increasing numbers from non-Welsh speaking homes.
Welsh-medium education: 3 main influences on
its development
• Some local authorities
• Parental demand
• Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools
Scale of Welsh Medium Education
• Numbers of Welsh Medium Schools:
448 Primary Schools
54 Secondary Schools
51,977 Primary Pupils
39,458 Secondary Pupils
• Pupils in years 7-11taught Welsh as a first language:
1995 – 21,658 (12.2%)
2005 – 27,895 (14.8%)
1998 – 2002: 22 LEA’s agree Welsh Language Education
Schemes.
Getting Young People To Speak Welsh
• Provision of opportunities to use Welsh socially;
• opportunities to use Welsh in the workplace.
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Community Development
• Mentrau Iaith
• Language Action Plans
What is important to know about the Welsh
language
• Increased numbers speaking the language
• Fewer people using the language on a day-to-day
basis
Language Planning Strategy
Developing a strategy for language planning in Wales:
•
•
•
•
1996 – A Strategy for the Welsh Language
1999 – Vision and Mission
2003 - Iaith Pawb
2005 - The Future of Welsh: Welsh Language
Board’s Strategy
• Discussions for the future - 2009-11
Aim:
“To enable the language to become selfsustaining and secure as a medium of
communication in Wales”
Objectives of the 1996 Strategy:
• Increasing the number of people who are able
to speak Welsh;
• providing opportunities to use the language;
• changing habits of language use and
encouraging people to take advantage of the
opportunities provided;
• strengthening Welsh as a community language.
The Welsh Language Board has engaged in four
different types of language planning that are
needed for language survival:
• acquisition planning;
• usage planning;
• status planning;
• corpus planning
Priority Areas (1)
• Language transmission in the family
• Children aged 0-7
• Welsh Language and bilingual education and training
• Use of Welsh by young people
• Promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh in the
community
Priority Areas (2)
• Using Welsh in the private sector
• Welsh Language Schemes and developing and
providing services in the welsh language
• Normalising bilingualism
• Promoting language rights as part of the equal
opportunities field
• Information Technology and Corpus Planning
• Research and data
WLB’s Strategic Priorities: 2009
•
•
•
•
•
•
Extending the influence of Language Schemes
Welsh Language Policies (for businesses)
Education
Families and the community
Youth (increasing the use of Welsh among young
people)
Cross-cutting Work: Research, Information
Technology, The Centre for the Standardization of
Terms, Europe, Marketing
Frequency of use by age and fluency
Not fluent
Every day
Weekly
Less often
Never
Bob dydd
Bob wythnos
Llai aml
Byth
Fluent
Ddim yn rhugl
Yn rhugl
100
80
60
Canran
40
%
20
0
3 - 15
16 - 29 30 - 44 45 - 64
65+
3 - 15 16 - 29 30 - 44 45 - 64
Oedran
Age
65+
Cross party support for the language
• Language is no longer a political football.
• Political agreement on the importance of the
language to Wales as a nation.
Funding for the promotion of the language
£15million
=
€16.5million
Balance......
• Important to have a good balance between central
policy and grassroot support
Government Policy
WLB
Community Activities/Grassroot Support
One Wales
Seek enhanced legislative
competence on the Welsh language,
with a view to a new Assembly
Measure to confirm official status for
both Welsh and English, linguistic
rights in the provision of services and
the establishment of the post of
Language Commissioner.
What next?
Diolch
Thank you
www.byig-wlb.org.uk