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| Fighting to save the Welsh language Ymladd i achub yr iaith Gymraeg | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A segue carries us from the battlefields of the Crimea to a cafe in Swansea via Michael Gove's tinkering with the curriculum. The journey is not obvious, but here goes. It began two weeks ago when I referenced the government's wheeze to ease Mary Seacole out of the classroom. That touched quite a nerve, and triggered pointed communication from Wales. Not once did you mention the Welsh Crimean nurse Betsi Cadwaladr, it said; another example of the Welsh being airbrushed. Is this Hideously diverse England? What about Wales? What should I write about, was my question? Language he said. With more children taught in Welsh, Welsh in the media and government keen to promote the language, we thought more people than ever were speaking Welsh. Then came the census suggesting decline. We're in shock. | A segue carries us from the battlefields of the Crimea to a cafe in Swansea via Michael Gove's tinkering with the curriculum. The journey is not obvious, but here goes. It began two weeks ago when I referenced the government's wheeze to ease Mary Seacole out of the classroom. That touched quite a nerve, and triggered pointed communication from Wales. Not once did you mention the Welsh Crimean nurse Betsi Cadwaladr, it said; another example of the Welsh being airbrushed. Is this Hideously diverse England? What about Wales? What should I write about, was my question? Language he said. With more children taught in Welsh, Welsh in the media and government keen to promote the language, we thought more people than ever were speaking Welsh. Then came the census suggesting decline. We're in shock. |
| So here I am, at his suggestion, in Swansea, sharing a chicken tikka lunch with author, linguist and activist Heini Gruffudd. He is slightly perplexed, and he's worried about what the decline – 21% to 19% – means for the Welsh and Welsh. But at 66 he's seen a lot and he's an optimist. His message: don't panic. "People have been saying that Welsh would die out for hundreds of years," he says. "With all the pressures it has faced, its survival is a bit of a miracle." | So here I am, at his suggestion, in Swansea, sharing a chicken tikka lunch with author, linguist and activist Heini Gruffudd. He is slightly perplexed, and he's worried about what the decline – 21% to 19% – means for the Welsh and Welsh. But at 66 he's seen a lot and he's an optimist. His message: don't panic. "People have been saying that Welsh would die out for hundreds of years," he says. "With all the pressures it has faced, its survival is a bit of a miracle." |
| There are obvious problems, he says. The economy, notably the struggling rural economy, prompts young people to move to towns and over the border into England. Often they are replaced by English settlers. Some embrace Welsh; many don't. Some, particularly the young, regard speaking Welsh in societies dominated by English to be a bit of an effort. Children will speak Welsh at school but English afterwards. Still, a good proportion hold the line. "I met a man the other day who said they run 11 rugby teams in his area and all through the medium of Welsh," he says. "That's important. People using Welsh in a social way. More important than a bilingual gas bill." | There are obvious problems, he says. The economy, notably the struggling rural economy, prompts young people to move to towns and over the border into England. Often they are replaced by English settlers. Some embrace Welsh; many don't. Some, particularly the young, regard speaking Welsh in societies dominated by English to be a bit of an effort. Children will speak Welsh at school but English afterwards. Still, a good proportion hold the line. "I met a man the other day who said they run 11 rugby teams in his area and all through the medium of Welsh," he says. "That's important. People using Welsh in a social way. More important than a bilingual gas bill." |
| So he's concerned but calm, partly because he notes the potential for statistical error, but mostly because he has ideas. Of course he has; he's written 25 books, all a possible help at this difficult time. Welsh Is Fun, Street Welsh, Hands-Free Welsh, Welsh is Fun-tastic. If fewer are speaking it, you can't blame him. | So he's concerned but calm, partly because he notes the potential for statistical error, but mostly because he has ideas. Of course he has; he's written 25 books, all a possible help at this difficult time. Welsh Is Fun, Street Welsh, Hands-Free Welsh, Welsh is Fun-tastic. If fewer are speaking it, you can't blame him. |
| • This article was amended on 21 January 2013 to correct the Welsh translation of the English headline. |