History of the Welsh Language, Part 5

A New Generation Fights Back. The Welsh language seemed doomed, but the tide did begin to turn. In 1962 Saunders Lewis spoke on BBC radio about the future of the language. Inspired by his words, a younger generation of Welsh joined Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society). The Society took action with a campaign to introduce Welsh on all government documents. Its members engaged in vandalism of English-only road signs, sit-ins, and other civil disobedience in order to get their point across. And they succeeded--in 1967 a Welsh Language Act was passed, giving Welsh equal status with English in various governmental transactions.

Gwynfor Evans (Source: Go Britannia! Wales)

Indeed, national sentiment was striking the government with a vengeance. The Welsh Office, founded in 1965, was administered by the British government to oversee Welsh affairs. But the 1960s saw an upsurge of nationalism which culminated in Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru's president, being elected to parliament in 1966. In 1979, a referendum was held to consider the establishment of a Welsh Assembly, but it failed. Governmental and economic conservatism had been rising, and the internal climate of Wales was still one of anglicization. But as more "Welsh" institutions were established by the British government--including quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations) such as the Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg--the gap between Welsh and British interests widened still further. Support for Labour and Plaid Cymru grew, and a narrow 1999 vote resulted in the establishment of the Welsh National Assembly.

Schools and the Media. Equally important to the upsurge in nationalism and support for the language was the involvement of schools and the media. Since the 1960s, more and more Welsh-medium primary and secondary schools have been established, teaching new generations of children through the Welsh language and contributing to the rising number of Welsh speakers. In 1971 the Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin (Nursery School Movement) was founded to administer nursery education in Welsh. In addition, college and adult-level education is on the rise, with the help of organizations such as CYD - Cymdeithas y Dysgwyr (Society of Welsh Learners) and the Mentrau Iaith (community-based language initiatives).

Also since the 1960s, a rise in popular Welsh music has affected youth sentiment and brought folk music into a modern light. Recording companies such as Sain carry classic and modern Welsh music. Radio Cymru and the television station S4C broadcast in Welsh. Welsh-language

Go To Page: 1 2 3