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Saunders Lewis and Linguistic Activism

© Sarah Stevenson

On the 13th of February, 1962, poet, playwright, and language activist Saunders Lewis gave an address on BBC radio entitled "Tynged yr Iaith"-Fate of the Language. His pivotal speech encouraged a new generation of Welsh to fight for the survival of the Welsh Language. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Lewis' lecture, and BBC Wales chose to honor the occasion by broadcasting special TV programs on S4C.

They also made the text of the lecture available for interested readers. After obtaining from them a copy of "Tynged yr Iaith" and reading those historic words for myself (in Welsh and English), I felt compelled to provide my own short biography of Saunders Lewis in honor of the occasion.

Source: Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol Cymru

Well before his historic lecture, Saunders Lewis had long been involved in political causes as well as literature. His devotion to Welsh culture was rooted in its linguistic tradition, and it seems only natural that he became a spokesperson for the threat to the Welsh language. As one of the founding members of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Nationalist Party, he became involved in preserving culture and language early on. He was one of the "Penyberth Three;" along with Lewis Valentine and D.J. Williams, he protested the government's establishment of a bombing school on the Llyn Peninsula, an area deep in the Welsh heartland. In September of 1936, the three set fire to one of the buildings on the site and then turned themselves in to the authorities. The incident drew only temporary attention to the nationalist issue, though, as World War II was on the horizon.

However, another, sadder incident underlined the need for citizens to take up the cause of their nation. In 1957, the government OK'd a plan by Liverpool Corporation to drown the valley of Tryweryn in Merionydd. The people, mostly Welsh speakers, were removed and the village destroyed in order to create a reservoir to supply an English city.

In February 1962, Saunders Lewis again made his voice heard in defense of the Welsh language and culture-in his famed speech "Tynged yr Iaith." Lamenting the decline in Welsh speakers and denouncing the drowning of Tryweryn, he stated: "To defend a language is to defend a community, to defend homes and families. Today, Wales cannot afford the destruction of Welsh-language homes. They are scarce and fragile."

He went on to say that "The political tradition of the centuries, all the economic tendencies of the present time, are against the survival of Welsh. Nothing can change that except determination, will power, struggle, sacrifice and effort." He then urged citizens to insist on their right to conduct governmental and judicial business, fill out forms, and conduct local business, all in the medium of Welsh.