INTRODUCTION
This essay will explore the contemporary language situation in Wales. Welsh had declined to a minority language status in Wales at the beginning of the 20th century but recent efforts carried out by the Welsh Government saw the language experience signs of revitalisation. I will consider the level of success of a possible revitalisation and the ways in which the country attempts to encourage it. I will refer to statistical data to support my arguments and apply the works of language theorists such as Joshua Fishman and David Crystal. I will explore the Welsh language as an endangered, minority language and the attitudes and behaviour of it's speakers. I will then go on to investigate it's recent decline and discuss the actions of the Welsh State and how they have affected the current circumstance in Wales.
The 20th century saw Welsh removed from official use while English was vested in it's place. This relation between language and prestige saw Welsh garner erroneous negative connotations, becoming associated with social delinquency and the underclasses. The language began on a path of steady decline to a point where only an astonishing 500,000 identified as being 'Welsh speakers' whilst 250,000,000 stated they could not speak it proficiently (Wales Population Consensus 1971). This triggered a campaign spearheaded by Welsh nationalist parties in the later part of the century, which resulted in several pieces of important legislation that are now considered as defining steps in the revitalisation of the Welsh language. These actions saw the advocation of the active use, exposure and prominence of Welsh throughout the country. The 2001 consensus provided the first set of records to show an incline in speakers in over...
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Rhetorical Questions - In the fifth paragraph of this essay MacNeil ask rhetorical questions like "Is our exposure to social media wiping out regional differences and causing us all to speak the same? Is the language really in serious decline?" Including these questions in the paper helps convey consideration regarding the reason for the
Language is a mean of communication in any given society. It represents the ability to evolve and progress through the ongoing process of living with other human beings. Many can perceive this instrument as tool of liberation and transformation but others as an instrument to enslave, manipulate or oppress a group of people. Whichever the case one need to acknowledge that it is necessary and not a waste of time the many different discussions about this ongoing topic regardless of the time period or social context any country might have. In Puerto Rico, there has been an ongoing dilemma about languages; Dr. Alicia Pousada examines on her essay what many might define “the language madness on the island”. Throughout this paper some of her most interesting ideas will be shared and discussed so that this already extended topic might find another page to take place.
Hancock, LynNell and Katel, Peter. "The Bilingual Bog." Newsweek. October 23, 1995. Page 89 (1).
One outstanding challenge that the Canadian policy presents is the subjective concern towards language as both a marginal and intrinsic loss to the minority populace. The challenge is not the coexistence and complexity of multiple lang...
Even though the dominance of a language can allow for the loss of a culture, it can also bring awareness. In schools, local community centers and other various places, foreign languages are taught, not only do non-native speakers take on these languages but native speakers do as well to keep their culture. By doing so it “revitalizes cultures and cultural artifacts through foreign influences, technologies, and markets.” (Gerdes
Language has been said to effect culture and a person’s way of thinking; in addition to culture effecting language. Throughout the last 100 years there have been apparent and subtle changes in the English language. The changes an English speaking person may see throughout their life time are different catchphrases, the way language is written, the type of formality used, and how deeply English is affected by cultures; as well as how it effects other cultures around the world.
Crawford, James. “A nation divided by one language.” Guardian.co.uk. 8 Mar 2001. Web. 11 October 2014
Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...
Languages are continually changing and developing, and these changes occur in many different ways and for a variety of reasons. Language change is detectable to some extent in all languages, and ‘similar paths of change’ can be recognised in numerous unrelated languages (Bybee, 2015, p. 139). Since users of language all over the world have ‘the same mental processes’ and ‘use communication for the same or very similar ends’ (Bybee, 2015, p. 1), similar changes occur on the same linguistic aspects, and in many cases these changes produce similar results in multiple languages. However, language change is limited by the function it performs. Languages must be learnt to such an extent which allows communication between the generation above and below one’s own (McMahon, 1994, p. 5). Hence language change is a gradual, lethargic process, as only small changes in
We will use the theories of language planning, to compare with what the Norwegian government did when they introduced and legislated about Nynorsk and Bokmål. This will help shed a light to, why Norway has ended up with two written languages, and why the use of Nynorsk has drastic declined. When looking at Nynorsk, Bokmål and the language conflict all together, we will of course take to account that language planning, is a modern linguistic tool and that they at the ti...
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“Political languages --- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists --- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” (Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 167) George Orwell believed that the decline of a language must have political, economic and moral causes, and such deterioration will ultimately lead to the further corruption of thoughts. The spread and invasion of the abused languages, especially when prompted by political manipulation, can result in political conformity destructive to the people, the country and the truth.
To commence this discussion, it is first essential to establish an understanding surrounding the role of language in relation to national identity. Theoretically, the more power language has in this relation, the more powerful language planning may be when creating a national identity. However, the role language plays in this respect is somewhat problematic to define and has proven to be a debatable topic among nationalists, sociologists and sociolinguists. For instance, May demonstrates that ‘sociological commentators, unlike sociolinguists, have generally been loath to apportion a prominent role to language in the explanation of minority ethnic and national identity claims’ (2001: 8). Consequently emulating distaste from sociologists to credit language with significant power in a national identity. In a similar sense, de Vries notes that, in relation to a language community, ‘social scientists have generally ignored the systemic properties of language’ (1991: 39), thus, concurrently suggesting with May, a disagreement from the social sciences over the role of language in terms of identity and national identity. Similarly, circa the French revolution, the concept
McCormick, K. (2012), 'English and Other Languages' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 245-290.
The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a 'standard' English evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility.