The origin of language
Welsh is a Celtic language closely related to Cornish and Breta. The Welsh language we talked about today is inherited from the language of the sixth century. The early Welsh language model, which dates back to the middle of the ninth century, has rarely existed today. The foundation of Old Welsh as early as the sixth century can be seen in Sinfield's works, although all manuscripts are late to this period. The most famous among them is the "Song of Annalin" written in Welsh. Describes a region of the United Kingdom, which is now the south of Scotland and the north of England, when Welsh was the lingua franca.
Author:Fëanor
Welsh from 1200 to 1600
Many works of Welsh literature from the early Normandy era, such as ancient legends and poetry articles, still exist, and have been passed down from generation to generation as a permanent record. This period is very important for Welsh poetry, and the kings of Wales generously sponsored court poetry.
This kind of poetry is called aristocratic poetry and aims to praise the monarch and prince and describe their brave and invincible army. After Llewellyn Ap Grufid was defeated at the end of the 13th century, the tradition of patronage of poets continued to be popular among the nobility for many years. Among them, Godifield is the most famous.[1] The most infamous person of that era was undoubtedly David Ep Gvelim, whose humorous poems brought a breeze to the violent and dim Welsh literary scene at the time. Source: Wikipedia
Love and nature are the eternal themes of David Ep Gvelim's writings, and his articles are still sought after by the public to this day. Today, his articles have been translated into many languages and circulated in every corner of the world. Although most English and French speakers gathered in Wales during this period, Welsh still occupies an absolute dominant position throughout the Middle Ages, and many people could only understand Welsh at that time. Dialects are spoken in many areas of Wales. For example, Gwyneth County and Gwent County have very different local languages.
The Merger Act of 1536 and 1542
The passage of the Merger Acts of 1536 and 1542 brought great changes to the official use of the Welsh language. [2]It was not until the passage of the Welsh Language Council Act in 1942 that Welsh became the official language again four hundred years later. [3]The "Merger Act" intends to turn Wales into a part of England, so English has gradually become the official language of the Welsh trade economy and affairs management. After that, although the Welsh language was not explicitly prohibited, Welsh people who only spoke the Welsh language could not get a job in government agencies. Welsh has lost its former status and has become a declining language.
Welsh version of the Bible
Author：ceridwen
Had it not been for the translation of the Bible into Wales during the Tudor dynasty, William Morgan's translation of the Bible appeared in Wales in 1588, which promoted the development of the Welsh language. [4]Wales is a nation with strong religious beliefs, and religious beliefs play a key role in people's lives. The Bible recognizes that Welsh remains a church and religious language. Although English is the official language in Wales, the Bible ensures the long-term development of Welsh.
Welsh from 1600 to 1900
From the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century, many Welsh people ceased to participate in church activities and joined the growing ranks of non-state religions. This phenomenon was very common throughout Wales at that time. The non-state church church became the center of the life of the Welsh people at that time, and it also became an important part of the Welsh language history.
This was also a time when a hundred flowers bloomed in the Welsh literary world, and many important works came out one after another. For example, Gweledigaethau’r Bardd Cwsg by Ellis and Cannwylly Cymru by Pricard. Another popular book is Ivan’s Drychy Prif Oesoedd, which outlines the history of Wales. Until 1900, the book had been republished more than twenty times and became the best-selling Welsh language book.
The publishing industry of Welsh and English works developed rapidly, making English and Welsh an increasingly important part of people's lives at that time. The Sunday School developed by Griffith Jones and other schools greatly promoted the development of literature. More and more Welsh people are trying to read the Bible and other religious books. In the eighteenth century alone, more than 2500 Welsh books were published and distributed, which is a direct impact of the growing demand for Welsh reading.
The Industrial Revolution in the early nineteenth century gave another baptism to the Welsh language. At the beginning of that century, 80% of Welsh people spoke Welsh, but since the mid-nineteenth century, English has gradually become the most dominant language in the Welsh soil. This period also witnessed a large number of immigrants to the industrial areas of southern Wales, which had a great impact on language. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Welsh-speaking population of the Welsh population dropped from 80% to 50%.[5]
Welsh today
At the beginning of the 20th century, more than half of the Welsh population spoke Welsh. [ 6]In the 1911 census, the number of people who spoke Welsh exceeded one million.[6] Nevertheless, since that census, the number of speakers of Welsh has continued to decline to this day. The reasons are as follows:
1. Population movement caused by finding a job from the country to the city
2. Internal migration of English language speakers to cities
3. Continuous growth of English news and entertainment
The declining influence of religion has led to a decrease in the number of people going to church, and church activities include many activities that use the Welsh language as a medium.
A survey in 2018 showed that the number of people who can speak Welsh is increasing, from 726,600 in 2008 to 874,700 people who said they can speak Welsh.[7]
The Welsh government hopes that 1 million people will speak Welsh by 2050.[7]
Researchers at the University of Canterbury looked at the future of endangered languages and found that Welsh will flourish in the next 300 years.[7]
But they concluded that in the next 50 to 100 years, the future of the language will remain "fragile."
So we don't know what the future will be, but everything now is hard-won and it is worth learning from.
Reference
[1]Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2021a, November 26). Conquest of wales by Edward I. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Wales_by_Edward_I
[2]William Morgan’s Welsh bible of 1588. (n.d.). Peoples Collection Wales. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.peoplescollection.wales/learn/william-morgans-welsh-bible-1588
The Welsh Language. (2019, November 11). Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/Welsh-Language/
[3]The history of the Welsh language. (n.d.). VisitWales. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.visitwales.com/info/language/poetry-motion-discover-language-wales
[4]Education, the decline of Welsh and why communities matter more than classrooms. (2020, February 19). Nation.Cymru. https://nation.cymru/opinion/education-the-decline-of-welsh-and-why-communities-matter-more-than-classrooms/
[5]Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2021d, December 20). History of the Welsh language. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Welsh_language
[6]The Welsh Language. (n.d.). Welsh Holiday Cottages. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.welshholidaycottages.com/culture/welsh-language/
[7] News, B. (2020b, January 8). Whole nation “could speak Welsh” within 300 years. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51036598
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