An immigrant language in South America:
The status of Welsh in Argentina as an
RML compared with European immigrant
languages
Dr Ian Johnson
ian.johnson@plaidcymru.org
Welsh in Argentina
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Introduction
Regional or Minority Languages
Context
Reasons for language and community
maintenance
• Discussion
Regional or Minority Languages
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An RML is a language:
“traditionally used within a given territory
of a State by nationals of that State who
form a group numerically smaller than
the rest of the State's population; and
different from the official language(s) of
that State” (ECRML, 1992)
Regional or Minority Languages
• A hierarchy of languages – state,
indigenous, immigrant (Biltoo, 2009)
• RML legitimised through longevity of use
within specified area
• Comparison between Welsh as immigrant
language in Argentina and immigrant
languages in Europe
Welsh in Argentina
• Patagonia colony founded in 1865 in
unsettled region near Chubut River,
around 3-4,000 settlers during fifty year
period
• Integrated into Argentinian, Spanishspeaking country over period of time
• But still significant Welsh speakers and
strong sense of ethnic identity
Welsh in Argentina
Welsh in Argentina
Welsh community in Argentina
• Reasons for emigration:
- for some, to maintain linguistic and cultural
norms considered under threat in Wales
- for others, economic motivation
• Heritage narrative promotes linguistic
maintenance so ‘hard-wired’ into
community
Welsh community in Argentina
• Current motivations for language
maintenance
- getting in touch with family origins
- speaking to people from the old country
- economic reasons through heritage
tourism
Welsh community in Argentina
• Ethnolinguistic vitality
- small demography of Welsh speakers,
especially compared to Spanish
- strong institutional support for Welsh
through cultural organisations
- historicity legitimises Welsh maintenance
Welsh community in Argentina
• Diaspora and Transnationality
- Welsh not a traditional diaspora as no
return to homeland, therefore settled in
Argentina
- Language and cultural support, financial
and otherwise, comes from Wales,
including from Welsh Assembly
Government and Cymdeithas CymruAriannin
Welsh community in Argentina
• Education
- Language teaching scheme provides
formal education
- Taught as third language of education in
Gaiman at almost all stages
- New bilingual school in Trelew, strongly
supported by local government
- Language taught to all age groups
Discussion
• Why is Welsh an RML in Argentina?
Immigrant language with strong historic links
to a specific location (north of Chubut
Province)
History of Argentina makes this similar to an
indigenous language (cf French in
Canada), although actual indigenous
language Mapuche gets far less support
and lower profile
Discussion
• Factors which can be compared with
immigrant languages in Europe
- language maintenance motivations
- transnationality
- ethnolinguistic vitality
- education
Discussion
• What does RML status mean?
- Only provided or enacted to communities
strong enough to argue for status,
therefore more of an end product than a
starting place
• Who decides what in a state is an RML?
usually ‘bestowed’ from above rather than
taken by community
Discussion
• Concerns about integrationist policies that
work against status and future of ethnic
minority language and culture
• Majority culture concerns about
immigration and loyalty to state from
minority language communities
Discussion
• Welsh in Argentina, through acceptance of
Argentine civic identity and bilinguality, are
not a ‘threat’
• Able to leverage support from group’s
political power locally and transnational
links
• Political and economic power then central
to linguistic support in Welsh case
Discussion
• Immigrant language communities in
Europe must therefore agree on objectives
and how they should be reached
• Importance of local demography and
institutional support
• Need to gain access to levels of power to
make decisions for community benefit
References
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Aitchison, J. and H. Carter (2004) Spreading the word: The Welsh language 2001. Talybont: Lolfa
Biltoo, A. (2009) ‘Unequal linguistic relationships in the ‘New Europe’’. Presentation at Multilingualism, Regionalism
& Minority Languages: Paradigms for Languages of the Wider World conference. London, April
Brooks, W. (2005) 1965 – A Welsh-Patagonian milestone. The celebrations of the centenary of the Welsh landing
in the Chubut. Presentation at Language and Global Communication Conference. Cardiff, July
Cohen (2007) Global Diasporas: An Introduction. London: UCL Press
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05/08/2009)
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