LING 3610W
2/4/18
“Welsh Not”
Language Decline in the British Isles
Few things could hinder a people more than the death of their language. In the British
Isles, this is happening in front of our eyes. Many languages with a proud history are being lost.
With the pursuit of greater control over their neighbors, the English have a history of repressing
their cultures and pushing “Englishness” on those they rule. With regards to linguistics, Welsh
and Irish Gaelic are the largest minority languages, and have had the most notable decline in
recent times (Languages of UK cite). Despite efforts to counteract their recession, there has been
irreversible damage and there is much work to be done. The elimination of language diversity in
the British Isles would be a tragic cultural and linguistic loss.
Welsh (Cymraeg) is the language of the Welsh people. Descended from the Celtic
languages, it is currently spoken by around 720,000 people in Wales and around the world. It has
been a distinct language since the 6th century, transitioning from a primitive from to the modern
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iteration. Despite having relatively small numbers of speakers, Welsh literature and music is
celebrated in cultural festivals know as eisteddfodau. (omniglot)
Knowledge of the area’s history is vital to the understanding of its culture and language, so
we’ll need an overview. The start of a distinct Welsh separation from others in Britain began
with the settlement of Anglo-Saxon peoples around the year 700. The Welsh region was divided
into 6 kingdoms, all to the West of English territories. Early attempts at political unity were
largely unsuccessful, although pressure from English kings led to a Welshman, Llwyelyn,
becoming leader of all of Wales. After his death, however, English rule was certain, and codified
in 1536, with Welsh citizens becoming subject to English rights and laws. They briefly had a
national council, but it was removed and abolished in the 1600s. During the Industrial
Revolution, many immigrants came to Wales to benefit from ironworks and coal reserves. Where
previously there had been rural communities, there were now diverse groups of people working
mainly in factories. This led to a radical reaction from some parties, with a desire to maintain the
language and traditions of Wales against the influences of English or other foreign peoples.
While not being a drastic reaction, the UK government eventually issued a Welsh Language Act
in 1993 to placate such concerns. It promoted the use of the language in society, and gave it
equal legal rights in courts and government business. While the nation as a whole is in a healthy
position in modern times, the status of the language is in limbo. (Enclyopedia)
A study in 2006 looked at the effectiveness of this Act. The act gave equal rights of Welsh
to be used in courts, something which is not extended to many minority languages. However, the
lack of a Welsh nation means they do not have full control of the future of the language, not
possessing complete legislative powers. Beyond legal proceedings, the act did not do much to
encourage everyday usage. It was a good step, but there is much work to be done. However,
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outside of the act, there have been newly formed Welsh TV and radio stations, along with
regularly published newspapers. (Huws)
Irish, also known as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, is the language of the Irish people. Distantly
related to Welsh, the languages have similar grammatical structure but vastly different vocabulary.
Spoken by 1.76 million people in Ireland (largely on the west coast), it is the descended Celtic
branch of Indo-European languages. Irish is one of the earliest languages to have significant
literature, appearing as early as the 4th century. Today, it exists as the official language of the
Republic of Ireland, and the secondary language of Northern Ireland; in the Republic of
Ireland, the language is taught in schools, heard on radio and television, and spoken in
government and civil service (omniglot).
For most of its early history, Ireland was ruled by a “high king”, whose power was
recognized by almost all except for a few local rivals. They remained independent until the
intervention of Henry II of England, who conquered a substantial part of the island in 1171.
Inevitably, there was resistance to such control, leading to significant growth in Irish language,
culture, and political aspirations in the 14th century. English reaction to such growth was severe
in theory, outlawing intermarriage or alliance with the Irish. But in practice, there was often
acquiescence to Irish lords, with payments given from the King to discourage attacks. Irish
strength waned over the next few centuries, however, and the English conquest of all Ireland was
complete in 1652. Power and lands were given to English immigrants, and religious freedoms
were stripped from the locals. In 1801 Ireland was fully assimilated into the “United Kingdom
of England and Ireland”. Over a million deaths of starvation during the Potato Famine
weakened Irish culture even more, as many left for the United States or England. Yet those that
remained were fiercely divided, mainly into Catholics wanting independence and Protestants
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remaining loyal to the King.. Resistance groups formed, with the Irish Republican Army (IRA)
being the most radical. Tensions led to the Republic of Ireland act in 1948, with the English
maintaining control of Northern Ireland while a lower, larger part of the island became a
sovereign nation. (enclyopedia)
The issue of native language decline became a central focus after Irish independence.
There was an initial policy of complete revitalization, but that has shifted in recent years to hopes
of bilingualism. The languages continues to be taught in schools, but without experience of
complete immersion it remains difficult to claim these students as bilingual. There exists a large
gap between those who speak or understand Irish, and those who speak it everyday. The
Republic of Ireland issued an Official Languages Act in 2003, which expanded the use of Irish in
government and public services, but progress continues to be slow. (Walsh)
Efforts to save both Welsh and Irish languages are much more widespread and publicly
supported than they ever have been in the past, but is it enough to ensure their survival? A long
history of oppression, discouragement, and outright lack of concern for their usage has damaged
them severely. One can only hope that goodwill for their existence translates into serious action
and growth.
References
Bourhis, R. Y., Giles, H., & Tajfel, H. (1973). Language as a determinant of Welsh identity.
European Journal of Social Psychology, 3(4). doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420030407
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Huws, C. F. (2006). THE WELSH LANGUAGE ACT 1993: A MEASURE OF
SUCCESS? Language Policy, 5(2). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-006-9000-0
Irish language, alphabet and pronunciation. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.omniglot.com/writing/irish.htm
Languages of the United Kingdom. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ff.umb.sk/en/
Wales | History, Geography, Facts, & Points of Interest - Government and society. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Wales/Government-and-society
Walsh, J. L. (2012). Language policy and language governance: a case-study of Irish
language legislation. Language Policy, 11(4). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10993-012-9238-7
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