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U.S. English Foundation Research UNITED KINGDOM
Language Research6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other Legal proceedings are generally conducted in the English language. In criminal proceedings a translation service would be made available for those not able to understand or speak English. Persons belonging to national minorities in Scotland may use their own language in their contacts with administrative authorities and public services. This is not a matter of right under national law but it is based on voluntary principles. National public services, for instance the Scottish Office, have routine access to translation services. In the main, traditional Gaelic speaking areas the local authority conducts its affairs bilingually. WELSH At present, a significant use of Welsh is made both by central and local government. Public officials are in many cases able to deal with members of the public in the language of their choice. Members of the public are also free to communicate with central government in Welsh, and if they do so, will receive a reply in the same language. In recent years Welsh has become increasingly visible on public notices, advertisements, check books, road signs, shop fronts, etc. Welsh is taught at all educational levels to varying degrees, from pre-school level to university, but the level of provision varies a great deal between localities. The National Curriculum in Wales requires all pupils aged 5 to 14 to study Welsh. It is also compulsory for pupils aged 14-16 in non-Welsh-speaking schools. Vocational qualifications, higher and further education offer Welsh and through the medium of Welsh. Welsh language is also used in the media such as TV, radio and the press. The prospects for the survival of the Welsh language are good, says a linguistics expert from north Wales. David Crystal, an honorary professor at the University of Wales, Bangor says that Welsh is one declining language which has managed to reverse the trend, through a century of vigorous campaigning. More is needed to keep it going in the future. He claims that by embracing the world of television, film, newspapers and the Internet, Welsh can evolve and grow, inspiring not only a new generation to speak it, but their children and grandchildren too. Although there is some growth in Welsh speakers amongst young children and older people, the one suspect area is the interest of teenagers. “A classic example took place when the pop group, Manic Street Preachers used Welsh on a poster to advertise their new album, “This is My Truth – Tell Me Yours, (Dyma'n ngwirionedd – Dwed un ti),” Prof. Crystal recalled. “The members of the group do not speak Welsh, but, as their spokesperson put it, they wanted to do something special for Wales because they are proud of their Welsh heritage.” However it was the reaction of some parts of the Welsh establishment that grabbed the attention of the media. One Welsh academic had criticized the group for a grammatical error. Prof. Crystal argues that public reaction of this kind does Welsh no good, especially as the language struggles to raise its profile among the youth. “Purists of this kind are the worst enemies of the Welsh language,” he said. “If that attitude is to be maintained, Welsh would not survive to the next generation”. CORNISH There is no public presence for the language except for bilingual road signs. There are some voluntary playgroups but they exist without support. Cornish is not used as a medium of instruction at the primary or secondary levels, but it is possible to take an official exam (GCSE) in Cornish at the secondary level. No provisions exist for teacher training. At higher levels the language is not used as a medium or taught as a subject. It is possible, however, to study historical forms of the language within Celtic Studies courses at universities in Wales and elsewhere in the UK. Broadcasting and press is limited. SCOTS Increasingly public services are being encouraged to deal with Scots by language activists. Scots is actively encouraged in schools by the 5-14 Curriculum Guidelines. An Advanced Higher (6th year secondary school) in Scots language is now an option for pupils. The oldest Scottish universities - Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews all now teach Scots. Scots now appears regularly in two major daily newspapers, sporadically in others and is increasingly being heard in the broadcast media in a wide range of programs. Advertising in Scots, both in written and spoken forms, has seen a recent upsurge. A new bottled beer on the Scottish market has become the most recent in a series of products to be named, and advertised, in Scots. “Scots language advertising grips the ear because it is not what people expect to hear or see written. People are so used to just seeing English, but when they see a bit of Scots in an advertisement, it is just like meeting up with an old friend, and people pay attention to what is being said,” said Robert Fairnie, of the Scots Language Association. ULSTER SCOTS It is not used in any of the public services. Some government departments have accepted correspondence in Ulster-Scots but have always replied in English. Ulster-Scots is not accepted as a language subject in secondary education and is excluded from the curriculum. The universities also exclude it. None of the teacher-training colleges provide for the teaching of Ulster-Scots. In primary education, young children who use Ulster-Scots speech are subject to correction. Their language is not acknowledged but is treated as a low status rural dialect or bad English. It is the language of the playground and the home but not the classroom. There is no funding of any type from the education budget for Ulster-Scots. Ulster-Scots has no access to regional television or radio. None of the regional newspapers carry a Ulster-Scots language column. The Ulster-Scots language Society for new writing in Ulster-Scots publishes the magazine “Ullans” annually. IRISH There is no great public presence for the Irish language. There are limitations on the use of Irish in the provision of public services. The government recognizes and accepts the use in official business of the Irish version of personal names and also accepts official correspondence in Irish (although the reply will be in English). The position of the Irish language has been recognized in the proposals for education reform in Northern Ireland. The curriculum provisions in the draft legislation provide that while all secondary schools must offer at least one of the French, German, Italian or Spanish languages as an elective, they may in addition offer Irish. Pupils may choose any one of these languages to fulfill their curriculum requirement for language study. Up until now, Irish was taught as a subject only in a minority of schools (all Catholic ones). Only five schools use Irish as a medium of instruction. Three of these are state-supported, but the other two are financed by parents and local groups and are not yet officially recognized. Both Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster in Coleraine offer courses in Irish language and literature. One teacher-training college also provides for the teaching of Irish. Regional BBC TV and radio broadcasting is in Irish, and some periodicals are published in the language. GAELIC Members of the public can use Gaelic in their dealings with the Western Isles Council and to a lesser extent with the Highland Council. It is not a statutory requirement for civil servants or local government staff to have knowledge of Gaelic. Some documents and forms are available in both languages as a token, rather than by statute. Public and village signs in Gaelic are only used in the Western Isles, while bilingual signs are in use in parts of the Highland Council, and Argyll and Bute Council areas. Some government offices in the Gaelic-speaking areas are also now using bilingual signs. Education is the only area in which the use of Gaelic is regulated by legislation. The Education Act of 1980 stipulates that all education authorities in Gaelic-speaking areas should make provision for Gaelic education at all stages. However, “Gaelic-speaking areas” are not defined in the Act. Education exists at all levels, but Hill Park in Glasgow remains the only secondary school to offer some subjects through Gaelic. Teacher training in Gaelic is also available, and at the universities it is possible to take a degree in Gaelic and in Celtic Studies. There is also an extensive network of adult courses in Gaelic. However, there is a lack of teachers, and even though some teacher training colleges pay some attention to Gaelic, that isn't enough. Radio and TV broadcasts exist and a Gaelic monthly newspaper was launched in 1998. Updated (January 2001) CORNISH The Cornish language in Cornwall enjoys some progress in its re-establishing but still faces a struggle for entire revival. There has been put very little or no government funding effort so far. Today, there are estimated 300 fluent speakers who use the Cornish language everyday. 2,500 people have a reasonable knowledge, out of the total population of 490,000. Education is problematic, as there is no Cornish medium school or pre-school group. Cornish is taught in primary schools and four secondary schools but the absence of a university in Cornwall has contributed to the lack of development of a tertiary Cornish language level. A local newspaper carries a column in Cornish once a week and there exists also a monthly magazine. Two radio stations use Cornish in their programs. Updated (April 2001) GAELIC In April, it was announced that after the summer a Gaelic-medium secondary education unit would be set up in Scotland's Central Belt. This signifies the expansion of Gaelic-medium education outside the traditional heartland of the Western Isles and Highlands. The establishment of the unit would mean that pupils no longer had to travel to other council areas to continue their Gaelic education after leaving primary school. Currently, those North Lanarkshire pupils who wish to continue their secondary studies after their Gaelic medium primary education have to attend schools out of the area. However, some Gaelic-medium schools have already warned that the further expansion of education through the language could be hampered by a lack of teachers. A project to make 18,000 hours of sound recordings in Gaelic and Scots available on-line is being planned on the small Scottish island of Tiree. The project will enable people interested in Scottish culture to listen through the Internet to stories, songs, music and factual information. The recordings will be taken from BBC Scotland, The School of Scottish Studies and Campbell Collection, a series of recordings on wax cylinders made in 1935. Tiree has a population of around 800 people and the Gaelic language is spoken here with a very distinct accent. Tiree was chosen to undertake the pilot project since there is a wealth of varied material from Tiree both in BBC and the School of Scottish Studies, and because there are people to work there. Updated (February 2002) WELSH One third of Welsh-speaking parents never use the language when talking to their own children, and just four in ten mothers and fathers who speak Welsh routinely use the language within their family. This is what the British Broadcasting Company, BBC reports today. A new survey, conducted by Beaufort research for BBC Wales, was presented last night on the Welsh language television channel S4C. It shows that only 65 percent of the 1,004 survey interviewees believe that Welsh would be a living language in just 40 years time. The survey also revealed a resistance to Welsh as a compulsory subject in secondary schools, and 60 percent of the interviewed believe English-speaking incomers to Welsh heartlands make a valuable contribution to their communities. According to the BBC, the survey offers evidence contrary to modern perceptions that the language has experienced a miniature renaissance in recent years. The Welsh language activist group “Cymuned” will be making a statement in respond to the survey. Updated (May 2002) WELSH On May 7, 2002 a group of Welsh speakers who want to publish a Welsh language daily discussed their proposals in Cardiff with members of the National Assembly. The group has received £60,000 (ª96,222) of European funding for a survey to find out if Welsh speakers would support such a publication. Already well-respected Beaufort Research has interviewed Welsh speakers from all over the country and according to the results 33 percent of those asked would read a Welsh language daily. This correlates to a potential readership of 90,000. The target for the paper is to have an initial circulation of 10,000, rising to 15,000 in the future. Welsh is one of few minority languages in Europe not having its own daily newspaper, although there are two weeklies. Many ask why not a newspaper on the Internet. The answer is that the companies will not advertise on the web and since that's one of the ways to get financial support the group concentrated on publishing a newspaper in the traditional way. The main source of income will be subscriptions, exactly as in other small newspapers in Europe. However; not subscriptions by post but every subscriber will receive his copy from his local newsagent. The group wants the newspaper to be independent although they would accept small grants for special sections, such as health, the arts and other. Source: Eurolang News, http://www.eurolang.net/ Updated (July 2002) WELSH TV CHANNEL Welsh television channel, S4C, may have to curtail its digital service, which broadcasts 12 hours a day, in order to save money. Over the years, the number of viewers to its main channel has been falling. For example, in north Wales, the percentage watching its programs at peak viewing time fell from 12.5 percent to 10.9 percent between 2001/2002 and there were similar reductions in other parts of the country. However, due to subtitling in English and putting English programs on during off-peak hours, more than 700,000 regularly tune into S4C, what is 200,000 more than the total number of Welsh-speakers. Although the majority of S4C's funding comes from the British government, some also comes from advertisements. Fewer viewers thus means less money for the channel. For the last two years, S4C has spent more than it has received. The plethora of the English language channels available to the Welsh-speaker is blamed for the situation. “It is evident from the viewing figures how difficult it is for a fourth channel, when the other three channels are competing head-to-head in the peak viewing time,” says S4C chief executive, Huw Jones. All these channels are able to spend a great deal more on their programs than the Welsh channel. It is not a matter of viewers not wanting to turn to S4C; they just do not want to miss their favorite English program. Probably it would be better to concentrate on other viewing times and attract viewers that watch English programs during the peak periods. S4C has already had a meeting with the British Minister of Media and Culture regarding extra funding, but although the minister sympathized with them, no money was forthcoming. It will be a disappointment for S4C if it has to curtail its digital output as this is seen as the future of broadcasting. Already 43 percent of homes in Wales have digital access. But in order to safeguard the main output of the channel, some digital programs may have to be sacrificed. Source: http://www.eurolang.net/, Eurolang, Bangor, July 8, 2002 by Dafydd Meirion Updated (August 2002) WELSH Following the recommendations of the Welsh Language Board, the UK government has accepted the proposal that all government organizations' websites in Wales will be in both English and Welsh language, therefore respecting the provisions of the 1993 Welsh Language Act. On the other hand, the Welsh Assembly has just published a report on the use of Welsh in which two special commissions on education and culture have put forward a series of recommendations for the Assembly itself aimed to boost and promote the use of language in the public institutions. According to this report, only 18 percent of the population in Wales speaks the language actively. Source: Mercator news; http://www.troc.es/ciemen/mercator/index-gb.htm Updated (November 2002) RECENT SURVEY SHOWS AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WELSH-SPEAKERS A recently published survey shows that up to 30 percent of the population of Wales (over two million people) can speak the Welsh language. The 1991 Census spoke only about 19 percent. Twenty-one thousand households in Wales were interviewed in 2001/2002 by the Welsh Local Labor Force Survey. This was the first time when the question on language was included.1 These figures show a substantial increase in the number of Welsh speakers, what is very good news according to Jenny Randerson, the Minister in the National Assembly of Wales with responsibility for the language. Although the Census figures may not prove to be as high, the trend is clearly heading in the right direction, among young people in particular. Source: Eurolang News, Bangor, November 14, 2002, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=3948 1 The recent survey asked the question “Can you speak Welsh?,” whilst other surveys had asked “Do you speak Welsh?.” Updated (February 2003) GAELIC The number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland has fallen below 60,000 for the first time, but supporters of this language remain upbeat about its prospects in the future. Figures from the 2001 Census, released in February 2003, show that 58,650 people are fluent in Gaelic, what has been an eleven-percent fall since the previous Census in 1991, when 65,978 Gaelic speakers were recorded. This decrease; however, is not as severe as some had feared and language activists actually are optimistic concerning the future of the language. The base figure rises to 65,000 when you add those, who can read and write Gaelic but are not fluent in it. The 2001 Census also for the first time specified those, who can understand Gaelic but are not able to speak it. This question yielded another 27,000 responses. Thus a total figure of those who can speak, read, write or have some degree of proficiency in the Gaelic language is 92,000. According to the Scottish Executive Minister with responsibility for Gaelic, Mike Watson, though the decline in numbers is regrettable, the underlying trend is more encouraging. He believes that the only way forward is through young people learning the language and using it as a living language. The task of the newly created Gaelic Development Board is to provide more teachers to meet the demand of Gaelic medium education and to ensure that parents have the right to bilingual education where demand exists. However, Minister Watson refused once again to back the Gaelic Language Bill, currently making its way through the committee stages in the Scottish Parliament. Between 1981 and 1991, mainly a sum of £13 million (€19.4 million) of the governmental funding spent on Gaelic education and broadcasting contributed to stop a decline in the number of Gaelic speakers. Source: Eurolang News, Glasgow, February 13, 2003, by Alex O'Henley, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4093 WELSH For the first time in the last hundred years, there has been an increase in the number of Welsh speakers. According to figures released in the 2001 Census, 20.5 percent of the population of Wales can speak the language, up from 18.5 percent in 1991. For those, who said that they understood Welsh, the figures rose to 28.4 percent. In 1991, only 508,000 people spoke Welsh, by now the figure has reached 580,000. The greatest gains have been achieved in the anglicized southeast Wales - the industrial valleys and in the capital Cardiff due to expansion of Welsh-language schools there. However, in the heartlands in the west, the language shows a decrease because of in-migration of English speakers and the migration of young Welsh speakers to the capital. While in Cardiff, 10 percent of the population is able to speak the language, in some of the south Wales valleys the figure is as high as 12.5 percent. In the heartland of Gwynedd the figure has fallen from 90 percent of the population speaking Welsh about 50 years ago to 70.1 percent speaking it currently. The Minister responsible for the language in the Welsh Assembly, Jenny Randerson, is optimistic that the policies and initiatives set out in the National Action Plan for Bilingual Wales will further contribute to increasing the number of Welsh speakers and will create the right atmosphere where the language can grow. The figures were also welcomed by Rhodri Williams from the Welsh Language Board. According to him it is important to pay tribute to those parents, who have chosen to send their children to Welsh medium schools, even when Welsh is not their home language. He said it is essential to work together to halt any further decline in the western counties. However, the groups campaigning for the language were not so positive. Huw Lewis from the Welsh Language Society knows that people of Wales must make a clear choice - if the language is to survive, then everything must change. The language can only be safeguarded and developed by implementing far-reaching holistic policies, in fields such as housing, planning, status, education and transport. Source: Eurolang News, Bangor, February 17, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4094 UK GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SETTING UP AN IRISH LANGUAGE TV PROGRAM IN NORTHERN IRELAND The UK government has indicated for the first time that it is preparing to set up an Irish language TV program production fund for Northern Ireland. This would give Northern Ireland parity with Wales and Scotland where Welsh and Scottish Gaelic programs are publicly financed. There had been considerable unease among Irish speakers that Irish language broadcasting had not been mentioned in the Communications Bill going through Westminster at present. While in Wales up to £100 million (€149 million) is spent on Welsh language broadcasting per year and in Scotland the figure is approximately £10 million (€14.9 million) per year, the sum being mentioned for Northern Ireland is considerably smaller. Source: Eurolang News, Belfast, February 18, 2003, by Eoghan Ó Néill, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4098 Updated (March 2003) THE ADVANTAGES OF SPEAKING THE WELSH LANGUAGE According to Jenny Randerson, the Minister of Culture in the Welsh Assembly, learning Welsh is an important additional skill and an advantage in finding a job. A part of the Assembly's policy is to increase the number of Welsh-speakers from 21 to 26 percent of the population by 2011. The Assembly has allocated £30 million for this purpose. Learning the language gives people better understanding of the national culture and the fact that a number of Welsh speakers raises signals growing national self-confidence. Anyone living in Wales is surrounded by Welsh place-names, has friends with Welsh names, or is otherwise exposed to the language. People would understand the Welsh culture better, if they spoke the language or at least understood some of it. The Minister believes that bilingual people have a real advantage in terms of learning other foreign languages. Educational researches show that children speaking two languages can learn the third one more easily. Fluency in Welsh is a very useful skill in the job market, especially in the health services. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, March 12, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4140 Updated (April 2003) CENSUS 2001 AND IRISH SPEAKERS New figures from the Northern Ireland 2001 Census published at the end of March show that the number of people who have some knowledge of the Irish language increased by 25,487, from 142,003 (9.45 percent of the population) in 1991 to 167,490 (10.4 percent of the population) in 2001. According to the statistics, Irish is doing exceptionally well in several urban areas, particularly in Belfast. In West Belfast for example, 23.6 percent of citizens claimed to have some knowledge of Irish. More than eleven percent of them said that they could read, speak, write and understand Irish. As for South Belfast, 12.5 percent of citizens have some knowledge of Irish. In North Belfast it is 10.9 percent and in East Belfast 3.1 percent. It is difficult to compare the last census with the previous one in 1991 because the questions were not the same but it is obvious that the language is becoming more significant for those who can use it. Irish language groups welcomed the Census figures; however, they confirmed that government has fallen behind in providing services for the Irish language community. No governmental department provides significant services in the Irish language. The Irish organizations themselves also have to focus their attention on the large number of Irish speakers and provide for them social, cultural and economic life in Irish rivaling that available for them in English. According to the Census figures, it is easier for Catholics in the North of Ireland to identify with the Irish language than for Protestants who see themselves as British. Twenty-two percent of Catholics have some knowledge of Irish compared to just one percent of Protestants though their number has increased from 3,922 in 1991 to 7,388 in 2001. Many Protestants are attracted by Irish nationalism and the language is a way to exercise that interest. One of the biggest problems; however, is that few Protestant schools provide Irish language classes. The Census figures are now being considered by DCAL, the government agency in Northern Ireland responsible for the language policy. Source: Eurolang News, Belfast, March 26, 2003, by Eoghan Ó Néill, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4171 Updated (May 2003) VICTORY FOR THE WELSH LANGUAGE PRESSURE GROUP IN THE HOUSING MARKET The Welsh language pressure group Cymuned, after five months of campaigning, has reached an agreement with Beresford Adams, one of the largest estate agents in north Wales, regarding selling of houses in the Welsh-language heartlands to outsiders. In order to give local people a chance in the housing market, Beresford Adams has agreed on the following: 1) House sellers will be offered the choice of marketing their property according to the Cymuned's Ethical Code of Practice. According to the Cymuned's Code of Ethical Practice, the property is advertised locally for the first three months to give local buyers a fair opportunity to purchase it, and only then it is advertised outside the area or on the Internet. 2) All window cards advertising property in the Welsh-speaking areas will be bilingual. 3) All staff in the North Wales will be offered Welsh lessons at the company's cost. Cymuned will ask other estate agents operating in Welsh-speaking areas to adopt their Code as well. However, the price of the properties being way above what local people can afford causes another problem which can be solved only by legislation or an improvement in the economy of the Welsh-speaking areas. Cymuned has also asked that only the Welsh names should be used for the highest mountain and mountain range in Wales. It wants the names Snowdon and Snowdonia to be replaced by the Welsh names Yr Wyddfa (the High Tomb) and Eryri (the Place of the Eagles). Yr Wyddfa and Eryri have been used by the local community for nearly 1,500 years while Snowdon and Snowdonia only began to be used from the 19th Century onwards. Over the Easter holidays, as a part of their campaign, Cymuned members handed out leaflets to draw attention of the Welsh mountain's visitors to Wales' unique language and culture. The leaflets reminded the people that if they decide to settle in a Welsh-speaking area, they should learn the language. The reactions to using only the Welsh language have been favorable so far. While most see it as a positive selling point to market the area, a few are afraid that this could confuse the potential tourists. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, April 28, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4216 WELSH Historically, educational legislation in Wales was centrally determined by Parliament in London. The 1988 Education Reform Act and all subsequent acts legislate for England and Wales, normally as one entity. This Act defined the curriculum, governance and administration of maintained or state schools in England and Wales. PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION Welsh medium early years' education is offered in Wales through Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin (MYM, the Welsh medium nursery association), which was established in 1971. It provides Welsh language immersion teaching and support for children from Welsh and English speaking homes (children under five years old). Two groups, Cylchoedd Ti a Fi and Cylchoedd Meithrin, provide early education in Welsh with the aim to give every child in Wales under statutory school age the opportunity to take an advantage of such linguistic experience. These groups are subsidized by MYM, which receives substantial funding annually from the Welsh Language Board. MYM offers so called “Extra Hands” scheme for pupils with special needs and also organizes training for staff. Cylch Ti a Fi (literally “You and I Circle”) is a voluntary bilingual playgroup, which offers parents and guardians the opportunity to enjoy playing with their children and socializing in an informal Welsh atmosphere. Activities promote both the development of children from birth onwards and non-Welsh speaking parents are given the opportunity to learn the language with their children on a “Welsh for the Family” scheme. Elementary stories are presented, in addition to Welsh songs and lullabies and simple expressions to use at home. PRIMARY EDUCATION Generally, in Welsh-speaking schools, English is introduced at the age of seven when pupils learn how to read, write and use the language correctly. From year 3 (age 8) onwards, English is taught to the same extent as the other subjects, but Welsh is the main medium of instruction in most other subjects. In general, during the early years of schooling, pupils from non-Welsh homes follow language immersion courses with much emphasis on oral development to achieve fluency quickly. English is introduced at the age of seven. A few authorities teach bilingually from the age of 3 or 4 in order to ensure that pupils are fully bilingual by the age of eleven. By the age of eleven, the vast majority of pupils have acquired all language skills commensurate with their age and ability. By 1998-1999, over 25 percent of children in Wales were attending Welsh-medium schools. The majority of these pupils came from non-Welsh speaking homes. By 2000, there were 445 Welsh medium or bilingual primary schools in Wales and 51,600 primary pupils were taught through the medium of Welsh. Further 6,146 pupils studied some their subjects through the medium of Welsh and 227,668 pupils learned Welsh as a second language. Primary Schools Data 2000/2001 Primary schools having classes where Welsh is the sole or main medium of instruction - 445 SECONDARY EDUCATION Secondary schools are funded according to a formula set by the local education authorities and approved by the National Assembly for Wales. This means that the distribution of the funding varies slightly in each of the 22 authorities. Welsh is either a core subject or a compulsory foundation subject in all schools. Most Welsh medium schools teach the majority of subjects up to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. Although traditionally some Welsh medium schools taught Math and Science in English, many are changing this policy at present. According to the Assembly, Welsh-speaking secondary school is a school where more than six subjects are taught through the medium of Welsh. In schools, which are not defined as Welsh-speaking schools, up to five subjects may be taught through the medium of Welsh. However, in the majority of these schools Welsh is taught only as a second language with no subjects taught through the medium of Welsh. In 2001, the majority of pupils undertook and accredited an external examination such as the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) in Welsh. One of the effects of the 1993 Welsh Language Act has been to create a need for bilingualism in the workforce across Wales. Studying Welsh up to the age of 16 will enable all the pupils to play a valuable part in bilingual future of Wales. In 2001, out of 229 secondary schools in Wales, only 20 taught Welsh as a first language, 51 taught Welsh both as a first and second language and the remaining 158 schools taught Welsh as a second language. A total of 52 secondary schools were defined as Welsh-speaking schools, with another 9 schools teaching a limited range of subjects through the medium of Welsh. Secondary Schools Data 2000/2001 Number of Welsh medium/bilingual secondary schools - 52 HIGHER EDUCATION There is a great variety in the provision of Higher Education in Wales. Until recently, the University of Wales, with its five colleges at Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Swansea and Lampeter provided most degree courses in Wales; the School of Medicine added another field of graduate and post graduate training. However, as a result of the changes effected in 1993, other colleges, which were previously providing Certificate or Diploma courses, became degree-awarding institutions. Consequently, the former Polytechnic of Wales became the University of Glamorgan; and other new Universities were established (the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC); North East Wales Institute (NEWI), University of Wales College Newport (UWCN), Higher Education Institute Swansea, Trinity College Carmarthen, the Welsh College of Music and Drama). Welsh medium provision in higher education has tended to develop only in certain institutions. At the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, University of Wales, Bangor, and Trinity College Carmarthen Welsh is offered both as a subject and as a medium of instruction. Since the 50s, the University of Wales has been under pressure to establish a Welsh medium college within the University. Rather than undertaking this course of action, the University decided to fund a number of lecturing posts in its colleges which would be specifically for teaching through the medium of Welsh. In 1980, in order to improve the quality and range of courses available the University Board for Welsh Medium Teaching was established. This Board was to decide how best to spend the extra funding which became available for Welsh medium teaching. When the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales was founded in 1992, the Board lost much of its power in making funding decisions. During the mid 1990s a premium was paid to higher education establishments for increasing their Welsh medium provision. In real terms; however, there was very little progress as only two establishments were able to demonstrate this increase. The new University Board for Welsh-medium Teaching was relaunched in 1997, and now it represents not only the University of Wales but also the University of Glamorgan and other colleges in Wales. The new Board concentrated its efforts initially on persuading the Higher Education Council of Wales and the institutions of higher education to contribute a sum of money to establish a new post, which would control the development of bilingualism in the sector. In 2000, an officer was appointed to undertake this task. Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, The Welsh language in education in the United Kingdom, 2001, http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_welsh_in_uk.htm Updated (August 2003) A NEW WELSH LANGUAGE DAILY NEWSPAPER IS NOT A THREAT TO THE WEEKLY PUBLICATIONS The first Welsh daily newspaper ever is to be called “Y Byd” (The World) and its first issue will be in the shops by next spring, with a circulation of 7,000 copies. However, the question raises how it will influence two Welsh weekly publications, particularly “Y Cymro” which also has a newspaper format and comes out on Saturdays. Naturally, “Y Cymro” and “Golwg” (a weekly magazine) are concerned even though “Y Byd” will be published only five days a week. Nevertheless, according to the editor of “Y Cymro,” there is no need to worry. Being a weekly newspaper it does not want to repeat what will be in the daily. The goal is to work on new initiatives and to attract new readers. The only problem for the daily he sees in getting journalists, as there is only a limited number of those writing in the Welsh language. The new daily intends to employ forty people, (16 journalists) and devices a budget of £350,000 for establishment. Another £350,000 (about Euro 500,000) shall be raised from private investors who identify with the linguistic aims of the paper. The people involved will arrange a tour of Wales in the autumn to sell shares and attract subscriptions. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, July 31, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4347 Updated (October 2003) GAELIC IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SCOTTISH LIFE A new survey published in October showed that over two thirds of Scots consider Gaelic to be an important part of Scottish life. The survey was funded jointly by the BBC and the Gaelic Development Agency (Bòrd na Gàidhlig). The vast majority (87 percent) of those interviewed had no knowledge of the Gaelic language, but 66 percent of them agreed that Gaelic is an important part of Scottish life and needs to be promoted. A crucial finding for Gaelic development was that nearly 90 percent of respondents approved that school children should be allowed to learn Gaelic if they want to. Sixty-four percent believed that bilingual education and education through the medium of Gaelic should be supported and promoted. According to the Gaelic Development Agency representatives, the poll was hugely encouraging, but also binding. They recognize that the survival of Gaelic requires motivating people to learn the language and encouraging them to use it. The results are significant particularly in the time when the Scottish Executive is preparing to bring forward for consultation the Gaelic Language Bill. The Scottish Executive's Education Minister, responsible for Gaelic, was satisfied with the fact that Gaelic is important throughout whole Scotland and not just among the Gaelic-speaking community and he promised to help the language to become an inseparable part of the Scottish heritage and contemporary life. Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, October 2, 2003, by Davyth Hicks, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4408 BRITISH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT APOLOGIZES FOR NOT ANSWERING LETTERS IN WELSH The British Government Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) explained that they did not reply to Welsh letters in the Welsh language because they had not had means to translate them. During his visit to north Wales the head of the DCA, Lord Falconer, apologized for this oversight and pledged to answer letters in the same language as the department will receive them. The Wales Office, before it was swallowed by the DCA in June 2003, had been criticized for having only limited translation facilities. However, the Department wants to promote Welsh, as it uses it in its press releases, job advertisements for judicial posts and consultation documents. The DCA was set up in 2003 and it includes both the Wales and Scottish Office. After some powers had been devolved to the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, two separate departments were not necessary anymore. Source: Eurolang, Penygroes, October 2, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4410 Updated (November 2003) WELSH STUDENTS PROTEST FOR A WELSH LANGUAGE COLLEGE It seems that over 250 members of the Union of Welsh Students at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, who recently held a protest and demanded establishment of a federal Welsh language college, have a long way to go to achieve their objectives. These students are becoming increasingly angry that currently they are not treated with respect in their own country. Many have experienced problems in doing their courses in the Welsh language. Students as well as some academics feel that the way forward for Welsh higher education is to have a college where only Welsh would be used, while the students still would be based in the constituent colleges of the University of Wales throughout the country. To get such a college UMCA students are determined to continue their fight during the next year and put an increasing pressure on the University and the National Assembly of Wales. They will not give up until the University will offer a mutually acceptable provision. According to the Minister of Education, a Welsh language college is a long-term target, probably not possible to achieve before 2010. The problem is that even if it had had enough students; there would not have been enough teaching staff available. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, October 23, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4448 A COURSE FOR THE WELSH-SPEAKING LAWYERS A course was the idea of Emyr Parry, a retired district judge, and was also supported by the Welsh Language Board. The object of the course was to give advocates at all levels an opportunity to conduct cases in the Welsh language. According to a chief executive John Walter Jones, it is very important to brush up the use of Welsh in such a special environment. It will support the rights of those who choose to use the Welsh language within the legal system. Up until the 1960s, the Welsh language had no legal status within the courts in Wales. During the first half of the 20th Century there was a substantial number of monoglot Welsh-speakers and those, whose command of English was very limited. In court they could answer questions in Welsh, which were then translated into English. None of the court proceedings was in Welsh. This changed in the 1960s when hundreds of Welsh-language activists appeared in the courts throughout Wales and refused to take part in the English language proceedings. The 1967 Welsh Language Act gave Welsh-speakers the right to be tried in Welsh although the majority of testimonies was translated for the benefit of non Welsh-speaking court officials. Over the years, the use of the language in the various courts has increased. Currently many of the cases in the Welsh-speaking heartlands are held entirely in Welsh. Although the participants may all be Welsh-speakers, they sometimes find it difficult to summon formal vocabulary required in court and for this reason the course for judges and lawyers was organized. It gave lawyers the chance to practice their language skills and increase their confidence. The similar courses should be held both for the police and the prosecution service. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, November 4, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4472 WELSH CAPITAL'S NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE TOO ENGLISH A substantial number of Welsh-speakers in Cardiff complain that the new developments in the Cardiff Bay do not make any use of the Welsh language. According to the Welsh-language monthly, Y Dinesydd (The Citizen), with the names like Century Wharf, Ocean's Reach and Sovereign Quay one would never know that he/she is in the Welsh capital. In the last twenty years Welsh names were widely used for the residential and commercial developments in the capital. One building in the center of Cardiff is named after a leader of the rebellion against the English in the late 13th and the early 14th Century “Llys Glyndwr” (Glyndwr's Court). The Welsh language is mainly used by public bodies such as the National Assembly of Wales and the headquarters of Cardiff City Council. The Millennium Center is also expected to be fully bilingual. According to the Cardiff City Council, 50 percent of new buildings' names are in Welsh and 50 percent are in English. Naturally, the balance does not necessarily exist within a single development or area, thus when a particular development uses a majority of Welsh names, the next one will use more English and vice versa. The names are chosen to reflect a geographical or historical connection. Source: Eurolang News, Caerdydd, November 18, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4507 Updated (December 2003) WELSH-SPEAKERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR SHOULD BE PAID MORE The leader of Gwynedd Council in northwest Wales has suggested that Welsh-speakers in education, health and social services should be paid more because they have an additional skill. Employees in these professions deal directly with people thus the ability to communicate is essential. Only 3 percent of the public service workers use Welsh although this language is spoken by 19 percent of the Welsh population. In Gwynedd, up to 80 percent of the population speaks the language, and a lot of children and old people find it difficult to communicate in English. The Assembly Government has already set a precedent when the teachers, who teach through the medium of Welsh, get an incentive bonus. There is an amount of £2,000 for those, who teach certain subjects, such as modern languages and science, in Welsh. However, the new proposal was rejected by the Assembly Minister with responsibility for the language, Welsh-learner and Labor Party member Alun Pugh who considers the idea to pay extra money to Welsh-speakers to be ludicrous. The suggestion was also rejected by the secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales. Although recognizing the benefits of bilingualism, Liz Hewett said that it would be unreasonable to pay people more for their ability to speak two languages. It raises the question, why one should stop at Welsh when in Cardiff there is a sizeable Somali community... On the other hand, the language pressure group Cymuned supported Councilor Hughes' view. According to them, the ability to communicate with a client in his/her native language is indeed a professional skill like any other. Its lack impairs worker's ability to deliver qualified services. Concerning the Somali language, they proposed that extra salary should be paid to nurses who can speak Somali fluently. It is worth noting that many members of the Somali community in Cardiff have learnt Welsh fluently. Although many public bodies either hold Welsh classes on their premises or release staff to participate on language courses and many jobs in the public sector are advertised with the necessity to speak the Welsh language, it seems that the idea of paying more to a Welsh speaker is not acceptable and even Councilor Hughes concedes that it will probably never happen. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, November 28, 2003, by Dafydd Meirion, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4520 Updated (March 2004) AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY HELD TO GAUGE THE USE OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE In March 2004, an extensive survey on the use of the Welsh language will be launched with a goal to gather updated information about Welsh speakers. This survey is commissioned by the Welsh Language Board and it will last over three years. Over 7,500 homes throughout Wales will be visited in the first phase. All those who regard themselves as Welsh speakers will either be interviewed or asked to complete a postal questionnaire about their language background. Since the younger generation is “responsible” for the future of the language, the survey wants to reveal their ability to understand and speak Welsh. The language of education will also be scrutinized to find out how many subjects are taught through the medium of Welsh. Another question will be how many Welsh-speaking children have been born outside Wales so far. When the results of the 2001 Census were published last year, it showed an increase in the number of Welsh-speakers for the first time. The figures; however, did not show the level of proficiency among them and also the fact how often the language was spoken. This census revealed that 21 percent of the population can speak Welsh and the proportion of young people able to speak Welsh is increasing. A challenge for the future is to boost the number of people using the language actively in their daily lives. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, March 12, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4465 Updated (August 2004) LANGUAGE ACTIVISTS OCCUPIED A LOCAL RADIO STATION Eleven members of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg) were arrested and later released after they had occupied the studios of a local radio station in west Wales because it provides only limited services in the Welsh language1. Recently the Pembrokeshire Radio Group, broadcasting in Pembrokeshire, won the license to broadcast in neighboring Carmarthenshire, which has a much higher percentage of Welsh speakers (over 50 percent). According to the language activists, the only use of Welsh in Carmarthenshire Radio is an introduction of English pop songs played the whole evenings and twenty seconds of daily news bulletin. They are also unhappy that there is no live Welsh language program and thus no opportunity for Welsh speakers to participate in broadcasting. The chief executive of Carmarthenshire Radio, Keri Jones, agrees that they have never played Welsh music and they do not plan to do so in the future. Though it is possible that 50 percent of the people of Carmarthenshire speak Welsh, still 100 percent speak English. The Radio does not want to support local Welsh bands unless they have a contract with a big company like Sony or they reached the British pop charts. However, after the protest Mr Jones said that Carmarthenshire Radio would broadcast more Welsh language programs than it used to under its contract with Ofcom (the body that supervises private local radios in Britain). Nevertheless the members of the Society are determined to continue with their protests in the hope of persuading Ofcom to cancel the station's license for not fulfilling its obligations towards the Welsh language and the local community. Local radio stations in other parts of the Welsh heartland broadcast a substantial percentage of Welsh music and chat. Both Champion Radio in northwest Wales and Radio Ceredigion on the west coast play mainly Welsh language materials and records during the day. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, July 28, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4715 A NEW LINGUISTIC CLIMATE FOR THE WELSH LANGUAGE A generous benefactor2 bequeathed in his will the sum of £1m to help the promotion of the Welsh language in the country. The interests on this money, likely to be around £50,000 a year, are to be spent on furthering the language amongst the young and on the unique Welsh language cultural gathering, the Eisteddfodau. According to the speculations, much of this money will go to the National Eisteddfod, which is in dire financial straits after a cut of £100,000 of the National Assembly's contribution and losses in the recent Eisteddfodau due to the foot and mouth outbreak and bad weather. Some of the 106 local Eisteddfodau may also benefit. The Welsh Language Board also announced its twelfth annual report according to which it has substantially increased the scope of its work over the past twelve months as a result of the extra resources. One of the most exciting developments is the agreement with Microsoft. The outcome of this cooperation is that computer users will soon be able to choose a Welsh interface and use Windows XP and Office 2003 programs in Welsh, free of charge. The board has also increased its funding to many of its partners, including the local language initiatives, the innovative Twf scheme which helps young parents to raise their children bilingually and to the Welsh language nursery movement. The board, which used to have its headquarters only in the capital Cardiff, has recently opened offices in the Welsh speaking heartlands, in Carmarthen (the southwest) and Caernarfon (the northwest). Another endeavor of the board is to work in partnership with Scotland, Brittany and Ireland on the promotion of the Celtic languages in the vocational sector via the CELl project. The board also set up a network of European Language Boards and persuaded the British Government to allow the registration of births and deaths bilingually outside Wales. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, August 4, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4721 WELSH TAKES FURTHER STEP INTO THE DIGITAL AGE In the middle of August the Welsh Language Board announced two new developments, which will strengthen the position of the language in the world of modern computer applications. Cooperation between Microsoft UK, the Board, and specialized companies and academic centers in Wales has developed a Welsh-language spelling checker for Microsoft Office 2003. Welsh versions of Microsoft's Officer 2003 and Windows XP software are also being prepared. According to Rhodri Williams, a former chair of the Welsh Language Board, this is very good news for computer users and an important step forward for the Welsh language. Having familiar programs like Word and Outlook in Welsh will increase the opportunities for people to use Welsh in their everyday lives. Source: Eurolang News, James Fife, in Brussels, August 17, 2004, www.eurolang.net A NEW CHAIR OF THE LANGUAGE BOARD WANTS EVERYONE IN WALES TO USE THE LANGUAGE WITHIN TEN YEARS A newly appointed chair of the Welsh Language Board wants everybody in Wales to use the language to some extent within ten years3. However, the future of the Board is endangered as the Assembly Government has announced plans to scrap three public bodies and to absorb them within the civil service. Meri Huws, a former chair of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg), was appointed at the beginning of August. She is currently a head of the Lifelong Learning Department at the University of Wales Bangor. The Welsh Language Board will receive £12.3 million from the Welsh Assembly this year, boosted by an additional £16 million in the next three years to implement Iaith Pawb. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, August 12, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4735
1 While occupying the studios (the station was broadcasting) shouting "Ble Mae'r Gymraeg?" (Where is the Welsh language?) could be heard. 2 A civil servant and an enthusiastic Eisteddfod supporter, William Park Jones of Caernarfon, had made £1.2m by investing in the stock exchange. His will says that the money should be spent on the promotion and preservation of the Welsh language and on prizes at the Eisteddfodau or other competitive events (poetry, prose, drama, television sketches, singing, music) if such events are conducted through the medium of Welsh. This sum should cover also the payments to organizations promoting the learning of the Welsh language and appreciation of Welsh literature, giving preference as far as it is possible to individuals under the age of 25. 3 At present, just over 20 percent of the population of Wales speak the language. The Assembly Government's Iaith Pawb (Language for Everyone) has the aim of raising this percentage to 30 percent by the 2011 Census. Updated (September 2004) THE END OF THE ROAD FOR THE OLDEST WELSH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER "Yr Herald", which would have celebrated 150 years of existence next year, is about to cease the publication as its owners1 have decided that the sales of 1,500 copies are not enough to keep the Wales' oldest Welsh-language weekly newspaper alive. "Yr Herald", which circulates in Welsh-speaking northwest Wales, has been losing its readers over the years, so the parent group has decided to publish it only as a weekly supplement in the "Daily Post", sold also in this part of Wales. The publishers try to persuade that this will be an advantage for the Welsh language since "Yr Herald" will then have a circulation of 40,000 copies (circulation of the Daily Post) but critics are afraid that it will not be a proper newspaper anymore because it will have only features and no news. Wales will thus have only one Welsh-language weekly, "Y Cymro", whose circulation is in the low thousands, and a weekly magazine called "Golwg". The news about "Yr Herald" comes together with the plans to publish a Welsh-language daily, "Y Byd", although the people behind this venture affirm that the economics of publishing a daily is vastly different from that of a weekly. A group of journalists who had worked on "Yr Herald" in the past discussed the possibility of forming a campaigning group to save the paper. They plan to ask the National Assembly or the Welsh Language Board for a grant. However, it seems that Trinity Mirror has already made up its mind and within the next few months "Yr Herald" will be only a supplement to the English language newspaper. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, August 27, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4747 A NEW CAMPAIGN TO PERSUADE ENGLISH SPEAKERS TO LEARN WELSH The Welsh Language Board has launched a new campaign aimed at encouraging English speakers and Welsh learners to use the Welsh language. The campaign, called "Work, play, live... use Welsh", introduces the language as relevant to everyone in Wales, used in all aspects of everyday life. The campaign includes a series of advertisements on TV, billboards and buses across Wales as well as launching of a new website. Welsh is introduced in a manageable and relaxed way what should encourage people to learn and speak it. The website offers practical tips and information on learning the language as well as the real life stories of people who have themselves started to study the language. Everyday a short phrase in Welsh along with its phonetics is presented there. The campaign coincides with the S4C's (Welsh language television channel) "Welsh Learning Week". Now, in its fourth year of duration, the Welsh Learning Week presenter and tutor, Nia Parry, travels the length and breadth of Wales and holds Welsh "taster" sessions at different companies and organizations. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, September 10, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4752
1 Trinity Mirror — the largest newspaper group in Britain. Updated (October 2004) WELSH LANGUAGE ACTIVISTS TARGET PRIVATE COMPANIES Members of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith) have started a campaign appealing to Welsh companies to use the Welsh language. They want the National Assembly to promote a new Welsh Language Act that would compel private companies to use the language1. According to the 1993 Welsh Language Act, only public bodies have to have language policies and to offer Welsh language services. However, recently the Welsh Language Board has succeeded in persuading some private companies to use Welsh as well. Still there are many others who do not offer their services in the Welsh language and particularly those were the target of the campaign. The members of the society plastered shop windows of banks, supermarkets, estate agents and chain shops (such as Woolworths, Burger King, Spar) in the towns of Flint, Caernarfon and Aberystwyth with posters saying "Ble mae'r Gymraeg?" (Where is the Welsh language?). The plan is to do the same in other towns throughout Wales to demonstrate the deficiencies of the 1993 Language Act. The campaign will last till the end of December and it should emphasize the necessity to have new language legislation as soon as possible. On February 26, 2005, after four months of consultations, a vision of a new Welsh Language Act should be presented in a national forum in Aberystwyth. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, October 12, 2004, by Huw Morgan, www.eurolang.net THE WELSH LANGUAGE IS TO BE INCLUDED ON BRITISH PASSPORTS FOR THE FIRST TIME From the end of next year onwards the Welsh language will be included on every new British passport. This is the first time when Welsh will be used in official international documents2. The language will be seen side by side with English and French but it has not been announced so far what information will be provided in Welsh. This new trilingual biometric passport will not cost more than the one used at present. An extensive discussion between the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Home Office preceded to this agreement. Alun Pugh, the Welsh Language Minister, described the move as an important step and further confirmation that the Assembly Government is working hard to extend the use of Welsh. It is also a clear recognition of Wales as a nation with its own distinct culture. Passports are the latest official documents to include the Welsh language. Bilingual driving licenses are available for some time; however, only after the protests of language activists who refused to carry an English only document. Currently, especially after the establishment of the National Assembly and the Welsh Language Board, there are more forms and booklets available bilingually. One recent example is a booklet published by the Home Office telling people what to do in case of emergency, such as a terrorist attack. Every booklet distributed to the homes in Wales was bilingual. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, September 27, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4756 INTER-GENERATIONAL LANGUAGE TRANSMISSION TO BE STUDIED IN WALES Researchers at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Wales, Bangor are studying several Welsh-speaking children to find out how language is transferred within families. Twelve families, where one parent does not speak Welsh, living in three areas with the children under two years old are being studied. The researchers hope that any lessons learnt will be used by various bodies in Wales to help learn the language. They will record the language improvements and social patterns of these families. The families themselves will also keep a diary of the week's activities. The goal of the study is to find out how bilingual families live their lives, which language they use in different social and family activities and what happens when one parent does not speak Welsh. At the end of June 2005, the findings will be published at the conferences in Trieste and Barcelona. The researchers hope that there they will compare their results with similar studies carried out in other European countries. All the information, tapes and photographs gathered during the project will be transferred to the Archive of Cultural Life at the Welsh Folk Museum as a record of the social life in Wales at the beginning of the 21st Century. Source: Eurolang News, by Huw Morgan, Abergele, October 12, 2004, www.eurolang.net
1 The National Assembly does not have the power to legislate; therefore, Cymdeithas yr Iaith and the Welsh Language Board first have to persuade the Assembly members that the new act is necessary and only then it is a task of the Assembly to persuade the government in London. 2 After failing to persuade the British government in the 1980s and 1990s, some language activists attempted to redress the situation. In the 1980s, the Covenantors (Y Cyfamodwyr) produced their own Welsh passport and some of its members successfully used them to travel to the Continent. Later a Welsh stamp was created that could be included in the English passports. Updated (November 2004) LANGUAGE ACTIVISTS PERSUADE A MULTINATIONAL COMPANY TO USE THE WELSH LANGUAGE The international company Burger King has agreed to use the Welsh language in one of its restaurants in the mid-Wales town of Aberystwyth so from now on all the menus and signs will be bilingual. This step is a result of a campaign of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg) and it is hoped it will eventually lead to the language being used in all Burger King restaurants in Wales. In their latest campaign the Welsh Language Society targeted private companies for over a month, plastering their shop windows with the sentence "Ble Mae'r Gymraeg?" (Where is the Welsh language?). The campaign not only tried to persuade private companies to use the language but also put pressure on the Welsh Language Board to introduce a new Welsh Language Act. Mainly large chain stores with their head offices in England were targeted by the campaign. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, November 17, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4818 THREE OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF WELSH LANGUAGE BROADCASTING The future of the Welsh language television channel S4C was discussed at a recent seminar in Cardiff, organized by Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator. With more and more channels available and the recent decline in audiences for S4C, the seminar discussed three options for its future. The first option was to keep the status quo; however, the other two were more radical. The former proposed to merge S4C within BBC Wales and the later to put Welsh language broadcasting out to tender creating a publisher of public service programs in Welsh. This would mean that the Welsh language channel would not only broadcast on a traditional television channel but also on other media such as broadband and mobile phones. S4C, launched in 1982; broadcasts Welsh language programs during peak viewing time and also some English programs. However, it is only watched by 4 percent of Welsh viewers (although 21 percent can speak Welsh). The Welsh language pressure group Cymuned has criticized both radical suggestions, mainly because running of the Welsh language service would move from Cardiff to London. According to Aran Jones, Cymuned's chief executive, if the channel became a part of the BBC, many of S4C's jobs would be moved to London what could make an impression that the Welsh themselves are not good enough to run their own public services. Cymuned calls on the Assembly Government to confirm that S4C will not be disbanded. The head of Ofcom in Wales and the former Welsh Language Board chairman, Rhodri Williams, however, assured that Ofcom is committed to Welsh language broadcasting with a sufficient funding for it to operate. Since the BBC already produces ten hours of programs for the channel and it also supports Radio Cymru (the Welsh language radio channel) and Cymru'r Byd (the Welsh-language internet service), it makes sense to have everything together. S4C seems to favor the third option of broadcasting on more than one platform, as it is seen as more adventurous way with the greatest possibility to grow in the future. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, November 25, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4825 Updated (December 2004) MICROSOFT WINDOWS AVAILABLE IN WELSH From now on it will be possible to use popular Microsoft packages such as Word and Outlook in Welsh. This has been made possible after discussions between Microsoft and the Welsh Language Board. Since many individuals as well as companies and public bodies use the Welsh language in their every day activities, this is seen as a great step forward for the language. The software runs with Windows XP and Office 2003 and offers Word, Excel, Explorer, Outlook and the control panel in Welsh. Microsoft already supplies Language Interface Packs for Irish, Maori and Hindi. The Interface Packs took fifteen months to develop and the English words carefully translated using everyday words therefore making it easy to use. All the menus and operations such as 'File' and 'Save As' remain in their standard positions, making it easy to swap from English to Welsh versions. The software is available free of charge, either downloading from the Language Board and Microsoft websites or on a CD from the Language Board. There is a free Welsh language spellchecker with Office 2003 and easy keystrokes to put circumflex accents on letters, including 'w' and 'y' which are unique to Welsh. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, December 10, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4847 300 TEACHERS TO BE TRAINED TO TEACH WELSH IN NURSERY SCHOOLS The Welsh nursery school movement "Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin" intends to train 300 teachers who will teach through the medium of Welsh in nursery schools. This step is possible only because in July 2004, the movement received a substantial grant from the National Assembly of Wales. All new teachers will gain the British Government's National Vocational Qualifications Level 2 and Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education. The movement's language course (Cwrs Iaith Meithrin) is offered to those who study the Welsh language but they need to boost their confidence to use it in the workplace. The candidates will be placed in language circles (Cylchoedd Meithrin) and some nursery units throughout Wales and they will gain their qualification by teaching, by attending a series of workshops and by distance learning. Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin was formed in the 1970s to promote and support education and development of children under five years of age through the medium of Welsh. It is a voluntary organization, which establishes Welsh-medium early years groups and provides them with pastoral care, guidance and training. The special course for Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin has been created by the University of Glamorgan (south Wales). It follows the Ulpan format (a language learning method borrowed from Israel) and concentrates particularly on Welsh vocabulary and language patterns used in early years settings. A weekly evening class will be available for ten weeks each term for a period of eighteen months. These classes will be organized by experienced tutors from various Welsh universities and language learning centers. Source: Eurolang News, by Huw Morgan, Abergele, December 14, 2004, http://www.eurolang.net/ (Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin: www.mym.co.uk) CAMPAIGN TO GET INCOMERS TO LEARN THE WELSH LANGUAGE Gwynedd Language Initiative (Menter Iaith Gwynedd) in northwest Wales published posters and leaflets drawing attention to the fact that almost 70 percent of the population in this area speaks the language. This project has been supported by the Welsh Language Board in the hope of promoting the language amongst the thousands of English speakers that have moved into the Llýn Peninsula recently. This initiative is very important as it tries to persuade incomers to integrate into the society, to learn about the new area, its history and its people with the hope that they will respect these things by trying to study the language1. A number of Hwyluswyr Bro (Area Facilitators) has been appointed to visit the newcomers and to offer them information about this area and the importance of the Welsh language here. The posters and leaflets have already been distributed to shops, surgeries, schools and businesses on the Llýn Peninsula. Several language classes will start in the new year to help those wishing to learn Welsh. According to Menter Iaith Gwynedd, Welsh speakers also have an important part to play in getting people to learn their language. The campaign wants them to use the language more in their communities, especially with those who learn it. The problem is that Welsh speakers tend to switch to English in the mistaken belief that thus they will help the incomers. If this project is successful and the new inhabitants learn the language and become integrated into the community, then they will be perceived as an asset rather than a threat to the Welsh language. Source: Eurolang News, by Huw Morgan, Abergele, December 21, 2004, http://www.eurolang.net/
1 Angharad Llwyd-Jones, Menter Iaith Gwynedd's chief officer. Updated (January 2005) A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE DAILY CONTACT WITH THE WELSH LANGUAGE A newly published study, "Linguistic Composition of Wales' Households", has shown that up to one million people in Wales come into daily contact with the Welsh language1. The study was commissioned by the Welsh Language Board and it is based on the 2001 Census' findings. According to Meirion Prys Jones, the Welsh Language Board's Chief Executive, the study showed that the Welsh language plays an important role in the daily lives of people in Wales. It revealed that nearly a million people live in households where at least one person is able to speak Welsh (28 percent of households in Wales). Of 575,000 Welsh-speakers, 258,000 (45 percent) either live alone or in households where everyone can speak Welsh2. Fewer than half of Welsh speakers live in the households where everyone speaks the language. In 60 percent of households, which have a Welsh speaker, he/she is the only one who can speak the language. The Welsh Language Board stressed the importance of using the Welsh language in families, particularly with children. Source: Eurolang News, Abergele, December 22, 2004, by Huw Morgan, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4861
1 This amounts to about a quarter of Welsh homes. 2 There were 135,000 households where everyone could speak Welsh, constituting 11.1 percent of all Wales' households. Updated (February 2005) A NEW INITIATIVE FOR BUSINESSES IN WALES TO IMPROVE THEIR WELSH IMAGE AND PROMOTE THE WELSH LANGUAGE In January and February 2005, the Welsh Language Board has organized a series of one-day courses in Cardiff1 where learners are taught simple everyday phrases that will allow them to grasp a basic understanding of Welsh. The training focuses on language skills that reception staff can use in their workplace, such as how to answer the phone and greet customers in Welsh. Many companies throughout Wales admitted that the ability to speak Welsh is an added advantage whilst applying for a post, but in Anglicized areas it is not always possible to recruit a Welsh speaker. In the Welsh language heartlands, the Welsh Language Board helps companies that use the Welsh language to attract more business. The Board arranged a series of Business Opportunity Evenings2 (Nosweithiau Bachu Busnes), which gave representatives of these companies an opportunity to pitch for business with other Welsh-language companies. Source: Eurolang News, Huw Morgan, Abergele, January 7, 2005, www.eurolang.net ONE IN EVERY FIVE WELSH PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE Over the last forty years there has been a large increase in the number of adults learning Welsh so out of five people, two can either speak Welsh or they would like to learn it. According to the report published by the Welsh Consumer Council, about 20 percent of the people of Wales are either learning the Welsh language or are interested in learning it. Most of those who would like to study the language said they wanted to converse with their friends and family. Another reason is to understand Welsh language programs on television and radio and to read Welsh newspapers and magazines. With an increase in the number of children learning Welsh in schools, it was not surprising that many parents wanted to learn the language to be able to follow their children's education. However, the report also revealed that there is not enough resources and support for those learning the language. Learners' chance to use their new skill outside a classroom is limited due to the lack of confidence and opportunities. Some of them are reluctant to speak Welsh with fluent speakers. The report also showed that the Welsh speakers want more Welsh in their everyday lives — at work, in shops and cafes, leisure centers, cinemas and libraries. Source: Eurolang News, by Huw Morgan, Abergele, January 14, 2005, http://www.eurolang.net/ THE GAELIC LANGUAGE IN UK PASSPORTS On February 6, 2005 the government announced that from late this year or early 2006 the Gaelic language would feature in all of the country's new biometric passports for the first time. Gaelic speakers have been campaigning for thirty years for recognition of their language in government services, so this step is an important milestone for them (almost 60,000 people). The new biometric passports will contain personal details such as facial features on an embedded chip, which can then be scanned electronically when needed. Source: Scottish Herald, February 7, 2005
1 an area where only about 10 percent of the population speak the language. 2 the speed-dating concept imported from America originally intended for individuals to find a partner. Updated (April 2005) DISNEY USES WELSH IN WINNIE THE POOH The Welsh language will be featured in a live Disney show for the first time when Winnie the Pooh will be staged at the recently opened Millennium Center in Cardiff. The show should reflect the growing importance of Welsh, especially amongst pre-school children. It is estimated that about 40 percent of the children of Wales speak the language, compared to 24 percent in 1991. Most of the growth was achieved in the capital Cardiff and the southeast of Wales. The Millennium Center was often criticized for the lack of Welsh language performances so this may alleviate these criticisms. The script of the show was designed so that members of the audience who do not speak the language would be able to follow the action. Since currently Welsh is flourishing particularly among young people, it is only right to deliver certain cultural products bilingually to support and aid this growth. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, March 18, 2005, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/ Updated (June 2005) WILL "ALBA" BE ON SCOTTISH TEAM SHIRTS? An online petition, created by a Gaelic learner David Wilson, called upon the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to display "Alba", the Gaelic name for Scotland, alongside its English equivalent on national team's shirts. Some activists have also called for the use of the Gaelic language on electronic scoreboards. The petition was supported by hundreds of Gaelic speakers and football fans. To date, however, the Scottish Football Association has shown little sympathy with the aspirations of the Gaelic community. In a letter to one language activist, Chief Executive of the SFA, David Taylor stated that the SFA has no intention of introducing Gaelic in its signs and publications because everyone in the country understands English. According to a football journalist and broadcaster, Ailig O'Hianlaidh, it is not so difficult to put four letters on the Scotland team strip. Wales uses the word "Cymru" on their football and rugby strips so why the same cannot be done in Scotland. This issue can become an early test for the new Gaelic Bill and Bòrd na Gàidhlig, because if a public organization like the SFA can simply wash its hands of any responsibility towards the language, it sends out a strong signal to other public bodies. Although Gaelic does not seem to gain greater visibility on the Scotland football shirts in the near future, the campaign has inspired a petition calling for the use of Irish on the strip of Ireland's national soccer team. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu/Glasgow, May 13, 2005, by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=5020 GAELIC PLACES NAMES - ADVANCE OR RETREAT The use of Gaelic place names in signage and other official matters has seen both advance and retreat in recent days. A new report entitled "Review of First Impressions of Scotland: Report to Ministers", commissioned by the Scottish Executive, recommends that bilingual welcome signs should be erected at main points of entry to the country such as major ports, airports and railway stations. According to the study, bilingual signage would show tourists and other travelers that they are entering a unique country with strong heritage. It is believed that measures such as this would encourage more people to visit Scotland. It is unclear at this stage, however, how many bilingual signs will be erected and where. Recently two local authorities in the Highlands have taken steps to encourage the official use of Gaelic names. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Council serving in the most strongly Gaelic-speaking area, has recommended that new council wards in the Western Isles should have Gaelic names when local government boundaries are re-drawn. In the Highland Council area, more Gaelic signs are to be erected as a result of their new Gaelic plan, which encourages bilingual road signs, street signs and signs on council buildings and schools throughout the council area. Old (monolingual English) signs are to be replaced with new bilingual ones. Although the council has strengthened its Gaelic policy, there is still a significant loophole. Local area committees of the council may opt-out of Gaelic signage if they feel that the cultural history of the area has "less of a Gaelic base". To date, the town of Caithness voted against Gaelic signs and the Inverness Area Committee made it clear that they only wish to see Gaelic signs in the city center. The Highlands' main road the A9, which runs from Perth to Inverness and Thurso, has also been the cause of controversy. Despite being the most important and busiest road in the Highlands, the Scottish Executive refused to erect Gaelic signs there. This decision angered language activists and many councilors. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu/Glasgow, May 19, 2005, by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=5025 EXPANSION OF WELSH LANGUAGE COURSES AT UNIVERSITIES Pressure has been mounting over the years on Welsh universities to offer more courses through the medium of Welsh, with a number of students protesting about the lack of choice. However, two recently announced initiatives hope to improve the situation. In academic year 2005/2006, the University of Wales Bangor plans to spend additional £50,000 on its Welsh language scheme. Over the past four years, the number of Welsh-speaking students at this University has risen by a quarter (to nearly 2,500 students) so it is the main provider of Welsh higher education in the country. Apart from the Department of Arts, Sciences, Education and Health, the Department of Law has been found recently, recognizing the increasing importance of Welsh proficiency within the legal profession in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government has set a target to increase the overall percentage of higher education students following at least part of their course in Welsh from the current 3.4 percent to 7 percent by 20101. The University of Wales has announced ten graduate scholarships across Wales to promote Welsh language teaching. Among the subjects where scholarships are offered are Music, Geography, History, French, Biology, Psychology and Sports. Source: Eurolang News, Dafydd Meirion, Penygroes, June 16, 2005, http://www.eurolang.net/
Updated (July 2005) BILINGUAL WALES IS A STEP CLOSER According to the Welsh Assembly's Minister for the Welsh Language, Alun Pugh, this year was another great year for the Welsh language, nearing the country towards true bilingualism. The second annual report about the Welsh Assembly Government's Iaith Pawb [Language for All] strategy and the Assembly's own Welsh Language Scheme details the progress made to promote and sustain the language across the whole spectrum of Welsh life. According to the report, the 2004/2005 highlights of Welsh Assembly Government's initiatives include: Welsh appearing in all UK passports from 2006 onwards; Welsh language interface packs for Microsoft Windows XP and Office 2003 launched; a 16 percent increase in sales of Welsh language books and the initiative to create 250 jobs for Welsh speakers in 209 business start-ups. Through an investment in education, from a pre-school to university level and adult learning, far more people have been given the opportunity to learn the language or to improve their fluency (19,476 registered adult Welsh learners (the target was 18,300); Welsh taught to all pre-school children in English medium settings; 212 Welsh medium early years' practitioners receiving training; 99.7 percent of all primary schools took up free Welsh language classroom materials crated as a result of an investment of £580,000; £3m allotted to increase the numbers of higher education lecturers able to teach in Welsh and 5,500 National Health staff having undertaken the Welsh Language Awareness Training Program (since its launch in the autumn 2004)). But the Welsh language pressure group Cymuned, although welcoming these achievements, claims that if the heartlands of the language are not secured, then all other steps are worthless1. It is essential for those learning the language to practice their newly acquired linguistic skills otherwise the Welsh-speaking communities will be shrinking rapidly. The report also outlines the Assembly's performance in relation to the commitments in its own Welsh Language Scheme, especially on corporate identity, publications and signage. For the first time, Wales has bilingual road signs, a new contract for pharmacists ensures services in Welsh and a new local government performance framework includes a statutory indicator on Welsh medium education. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, July 8, 2005, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=5091 IRISH-MEDIUM TV CHANNEL, TG4, IMPROVES COVERAGE IN THE BELFAST AREA The Irish Minister for Communications, Noel Dempsey, and the Irish-language TV channel chief, Pól Ó Gallchóir, met in Belfast at the beginning of July to launch officially a new improved service for TG4 in the North. While it was promised in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that TG4 would be made more widely available in Northern Ireland, there has been very little progress in this matter until now. The signal for TG4 will be broadcast from a transmitter on the top of the Black Mountain above Belfast, what will increase the number of households in the North able to receive it. Although Irish speakers welcome this move, many decided to wait and give their judgment only after they see how the signal has improved. This boost for TG4, however, does not solve the situation completely since a lot of inhabitants of Northern Ireland still will be left without the Irish language television. Further good news announced by the Irish Language Television Broadcasting Fund at the beginning of July informed that twenty companies would receive commissions of more than 3.6 million euro. Among the series and programs, which were allotted some money from the Fund, is an Irish language "Big Brother" type program, where a group of celebrities will spend a week in a house to learn Irish. Other commissions are for a documentary on the well-known Belfast poet, Gearóid Mac Lochlainn; a drama series on three vets in South Armagh; a series called, "Gladiators na Gaeilge" aimed at children in Irish-medium schools; a documentary on the late Cardinal, Tomás Ó Fiaich; and a documentary on the Donegal poet, Cathal Ó Searcaigh. The BBC has also received a commission to produce an historical series in Irish on the Flight of the Earls in 1607. Source: Eurolang New, Belfast, July 8, 2005, Eoghan O Neill, http://www.eurolang.net/
Updated (December 2005) IRISH LANGUAGE RAIDIÓ FÁILTE TO BE LAUNCHED IN BELFAST After 25 years of campaigning Irish language activists in Belfast received the announcement that the city is to get an Irish radio station. In October 2005, the broadcasting authority OFCOM confirmed that they will award a broadcast license to Raidió Fáilte, a West Belfast based station, to broadcast for five years. The new radio station, which will cover the Greater Belfast area, will go on air from May 1, 2006. n the past the Irish speakers in Belfast set up a pirate radio station, Raidió Feirste, and began broadcasting even though it was impossible to get legal provision for community radios in the country at that time. The radio continued to broadcast illegally for almost twenty years. Four years ago Raidió Fáilte took up the challenge and began to broadcast from the Cultúrlann1. At the same time the Raidió Fáilte team started a high profile publicity campaign to get a license. In the period of preparations the Raidió Fáilte crew are planning to meet with Foras na Gaeilge, a state body responsible for the promotion of Irish throughout the whole island of Ireland. They see this as a good start for their own service since Foras have already supported Raidió na Life, an Irish radio station in Dublin. While currently most of Belfast's Irish speakers tune to the national Raidió na Gaeltachta, it is expected that the two services will complement each other rather than compete with each other. Source: Eurolang News, Beal Feirste/Belfast, October 19, 2005, by Eoghan O Neill, http://www.eurolang.net/ LIMITED PROGRESS FOR SCOTTISH GAELIC AT UK LEVEL A series of parliamentary questions has revealed slow and limited progress on the use of Scottish Gaelic in government departments and agencies answerable to the UK Parliament. Angus MacNeil, the nationalist MP for Western Isles, has tabled questions to a number of UK government departments, including the Offices of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Trade and Industry, asking how they deal with correspondence and phone calls in Gaelic. The responses did not fulfill requirements or expectations. In terms of telephone enquiries, only the Department of Trade and Industry stated that they were able to deal with phone calls in Gaelic. As for correspondence, the situation was more varied. While the Department of Education and Skills, the Welsh Office and the Northern Ireland Office announced that they would normally respond to Gaelic correspondence in Gaelic, the Home Office, the Treasury and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport would reply in English. Neither the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister nor the Department of Constitutional Affairs are prepared for Gaelic correspondence. According to Gaelic activists, these answers revealed all the shortcomings in the recently passed Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act. This Act requires deputed public bodies to draw up Gaelic language plans if the National Gaelic Development Agency asks so. However, the legislation does not cover institutions, which are reserved to the UK Parliament because it is the act of the Scottish Parliament only. Similarly unfavorable responses to Gaelic have emerged from key UK Government agencies and government owned companies. For example, both the Television Licensing and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing have refused to provide bilingual licenses or to use Gaelic on their websites. The UK Passport Service has also made clear to the campaigners that it will not introduce a Gaelic application form. Overall, the Royal Mail has again declared that Gaelic addresses should not be used on correspondence. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu/Glasgow, October 19, 2005, by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/ WELSH COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW COURSE IN BILINGUAL STUDIES Trinity College in Carmarthen2 has established a course in Bilingual Studies, the only one of its kind in Europe. The course is intended for teachers, translators, language officers, youth and community workers, government officers and policy-makers. It starts in January 2006 and offers a number of modules, such as Introduction to Bilingualism, Community Bilingualism, Models for Bilingual Education and the Development of Bilingual Education in Wales. Students can study part time over a period of four years and can receive a Postgraduate Certificate in Bilingual Studies, a Postgraduate Diploma in Bilingual Studies or an MA degree in Bilingual Studies. The course should help people in their professional development. Its goal is similar to the efforts of the National Assembly of Wales, which attempts to create bilingual Wales. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, Cymru, October 26, 2005, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/ CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO HELP THE WELSH LANGUAGE HEARTLANDS Cymuned, the movement fighting for the Welsh language heartlands, has launched a national campaign for the recognition of the Welsh speaking area (y Fro Gymraeg). They have placed "YnyFro.com" website signs by busy roads throughout Wales. This website was built in order to make Cymuned's point of view about the Welsh speaking area entirely clear. It contains a definition, a map, policy suggestions and a digital booklet that will also be published as a hard copy in the near future. The activists explain there why it is important to recognize the area formally and ask visitors for help in the campaign. Cymuned believes that formal recognition of the Welsh speaking area's existence is the first step towards solving unique problems of the region. Therefore they started promoting this campaign based on the ideas that were successful in other countries. For example, they give "YnyFro.com" stickers to anyone who gets in touch with them because this tactic was very successful in Catalonia. The movement defines the Welsh speaking area as the area with the majority of population speaks Welsh as their mother tongue. In addition, the areas where over 20 percent of the population speaks the language also need some help to become a part of y Fro Gymraeg if they wish so. According to Cymuned, it is important to create job opportunities for young Welsh speakers so they do not have to leave the area. Foundation of a development agency for y Fro Gymraeg would also solve many problems. Moreover, it is necessary to establish an elected statutory council to represent the area and a housing authority for Wales that would give permissions only to local people in the Welsh speaking area. Among other policies, Cymuned wants to establish the Regional Committee in the National Assembly and wants Welsh to become the language of administration of local authorities, adding that people who offer public services in the Welsh speaking area should be able to speak Welsh. Furthermore, they intend to set up Welsh citizenship lessons for newcomers to the heartlands. The movement has also launched a new campaign to call for the support of non-Welsh speakers in Wales. They have displayed a new banner on the walls of Cardiff castle and distributed thousands of stickers and leaflets to promote the new website 'NotEnglish.com'. Fortunately, there is real support for the language and the Cymuned's ideas among non-Welsh speaking individuals with a number of them taking a part in direct actions. In general, the movement has gained a lot of new, active members as a result of their initial promotions. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, Cymru, November 7, 2005, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/ OFCOM APPROVED TERMS FOR A SCOTTISH GAELIC DIGITAL CHANNEL At the beginning of November 2005, OFCOM, the UK broadcasting regulator, announced an agreement with the independent regional channels Scottish TV and Grampian TV to establish the Gaelic digital television channel by 2007. The regulator has agreed with the two televisions to allocate the sum of £ 1.2 million to the proposed channel over the next three years. In return, however, OFCOM suggested that the broadcasters should greatly reduce the amount of Gaelic broadcasting in peak time. Instead of being obliged to air twenty-six hours of Gaelic programming per year, they will have to air only six. On one hand this decision has been welcomed by the Gaelic Broadcasting Agency as a marking progress towards the goal of a Gaelic channel, on the other hand it has been criticized for providing a poorer service for the community until this channel is established. The sum of £ 1.2 million allotted by the commercial televisions will form only a part of an overall funding package to enable the establishment of the channel. The budget of £ 13 to 16 million per year includes also money from the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the BBC3 and the Scottish Executive. However, there are still disputes between the UK Government and the Scottish Executive who should pay for the new Gaelic channel. Nevertheless, further changes to Gaelic programming on the commercial channels still need to be discussed. It is expected that primary legislation will have to be adjusted in order to effect some of these changes, but this process is out of OFCOM's control. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu/Glasgow, November 3, 2005, by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/ NEW GROUP FOR YOUNG GAELS Gaelic speakers at the age of 16 to 30 are to be represented by a new membership group, called Gàidheil Òga (the Young Gaels). This new organization, established as a direct result of the 2005 Gaelic youth conference, will be a fully independent body and will represent the views of young Gaelic speakers by working on their behalf and presenting their opinions to various Gaelic and non-Gaelic organizations. They also hope to raise the profile of the Gaelic language among younger generation. The conference also produced a report with some recommendations for the development of the language. Particularly the possibility to study Gaelic at secondary schools and to publish a daily newspaper in Gaelic was emphasized. The outcome of the conference is to create a more modern image of the language and to change the stereotypes of Gaelic being considered an old-fashioned or rural language. These initiatives reflect the development of a small but significant group of language-conscious young Gaelic speakers. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu / Glasgow, November 4, 2005, by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/
Updated (January 2006) NEW POLICE RECRUITS MAY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WELSH The leaders of the North Wales Police Force contemplate implementing a new policy. They want all new recruits either to be able to speak Welsh or they should be willing to learn the language in two years. At present, approximately twenty-one percent of 1,650 police officers and nineteen percent of administrative staff are fluent in Welsh in an area where thirty-six percent of the population speak the language. Each year about eighty new officers join the force and in the future they would be expected to reach Level Two in fluency1 within two years. A senior figure in the police force said that it would probably take up to ten years for this policy to be fully implemented. The requirement to learn Welsh to a very basic level complies with both the Welsh Language Act and the Policing Plan. It is also a practical response to the demands from many communities for officers and staff who can provide an appropriate service and communicate effectively through the medium of Welsh. As it is stated in the National Policing Plan, no applicant or probationer is forced to learn Welsh. Individuals are advised of responsibilities, duties and requirements of the job before and during the application process. Once they join as new recruits they are taught the basic Welsh phrases necessary for them to reach Level 2. That means the ability to understand the gist of an inquiry from the public and respond to simple requests. They should also be able to give and receive instructions and directions. The police force promised to provide the necessary support in order to allow its officers and staff to develop their language skills required to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, Cymru, December 6, 2005 by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/index.php WESTERN ISLES PILOTS OPT-OUT SYSTEM FOR GAELIC EDUCATION A new system for entry to Gaelic medium primary education (GME) is being piloted in the Western Isles intended to increase the number of children able to speak the language. The Western Isles Council, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, has agreed to pilot a new opt-out system for Gaelic medium education in five areas in the Western Isles2. In these areas GME will be available in all local schools whereas English medium education will only be provided in one school in each locality. All children will be automatically enrolled in GME and parents will have to choose not to participate if they wish their children to be educated through English. On the contrary, at present GME is only available in some schools and parents must choose to specifically opt-in to obtain the education in Gaelic. The result of this system is that less than 1/3 of children in the Western Isles are currently educated through this language. This pilot has been introduced as part of the council's Gaelic policy which aim is to provide GME especially in the first two years of primary school whilst maintaining a capacity for English medium education on an area basis. If the pilot is successful, it will be extended to all remaining areas of the Western Isles and be available up to the seventh grade. The council has noted, however, that a lack of Gaelic teachers presents a serious difficulty in reaching this objective. While this initiative has been welcomed by the Gaelic agencies, which have been calling for such a system for many years, concerns have been raised. Firstly, the areas covered by the pilot are relatively sparsely populated and no major centers of population are covered. Secondly, disquiet has been expressed that this opt-in system initially applies only to the first two years of primary education. Many activists have also been despaired of the slow expansion of GME at a time when intergenerational transmission of Gaelic has decreased to a very low level in the islands and where a decreasing minority of children are fluent Gaelic speakers. Source: Eurolang News, Glaschu/Glasgow, December 30, 2005 by Martainn MacLeòid, http://www.eurolang.net/index.php YOUTH MOVEMENT AIMS TO INCREASE THE USE OF WELSH AMONGST YOUNG To increase the social use of the Welsh language by young people is one of the aims of a Welsh youth movement, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, for the year 2006. The organization has three centers throughout Wales (One center is in Glanllyn in north Wales, one in Llangrannog in west Wales and the recently opened center in Cardiff) and offers all kinds of activities to young people through the medium of Welsh. The first two centers offer outdoor activities whilst the one in Cardiff offers accommodation and courses for young Welsh people visiting the capital. The institution will develop new activities at these centers in order to attract more members. They plan to increase the membership by 10 percent, concentrating mainly on the 12 to 15-year olds. It is due to the decrease in number of its members at this age, besides, a lack of opportunities for them to speak the Welsh language. Moreover, Urdd will also work with other partner organizations to establish and conduct new schemes that offer social activities and training opportunities for the young. In order to increase the social use of the language by young people, the organization intends to develop the training for staff and volunteers on presenting the language and using an appropriate style of it. They are keen to improve the image of Welsh by developing suitable marketing campaigns for children and young people to encourage them to use the language. The three magazines published by the Urdd will also be used to discuss issues and stimulate discussion regarding the use of it. The chief executive of the organization, Efa Gruffudd Jones, said in an interview with a daily newspaper that the Urdd with the membership of 51,499 children and young people is an institution which makes a difference not only to the Welsh language, but it also makes a difference to the culture of Wales and to the lives of its members. Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, Cymru, December 31, 2005 by Dafydd Meirion http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2558&Itemid=1&lang=en
Updated (March 2006) WESTERN ISLES TO REJECT GAELIC EDUCATION PLAN Councilors are set to scale down a pilot scheme, which has been introduced as the Council's Gaelic policy with an aim to make Gaelic a medium of education in five schools in the Western Isles in Scotland. Following a consultation on the proposal, the Education and Culture Committee decided that the scheme should only proceed in one school but the final decision will be taken by the full council on 30 March 2006. In view of local division over the plans in North Uist and Breasclete (Brèascleit), scheme for the latter has been dropped outright and consultation is to be conducted on the issue of establishing just one out of the three schools in North Uist as an all-Gaelic institution from August 2007. At present, only Stoneybridge (Staionibrig) school will offer education in Gaelic because this designation will not constitute a major change as all children in the school are already being taught in the language. On behalf of this issue, Gaelic organizations and language planning experts warn that Gaelic speakers will form a minority of island residents within a generation unless Gaelic-medium education becomes compulsory. Source: Eurolang News, March 24,2006 by Martainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2570&Itemid=1&lang=en FILM TO BE MADE IN SCOTTISH GAELIC One of the Scotland's most experienced film producers, Christopher Young, intends to make a feature film shot in the Gaelic language with English subtitles. The film, with a budget of £600,000, will present a series of stories related by an elderly man to his grandchildren, illustrating different aspects of Gaelic history. Its title is to be "Seachd", which means “seven” but an English alternative will be "The Inaccessible Pinnacle", named after the mountain in the Isle of Skye which features in the plot. Source: Mercator Media News, February 2006, http://www.mercator-central.org/newsletter/newsletter21.htm#5 Updated (April 2006) WELSH LANGUAGE BOARD EMBRACES IT After extensive consultation, Welsh Language Board has launched its final Strategy Document for Information Technology and the Welsh Language, which aim is to emphasize the use of Welsh in the field of new technologies. In addition to the strategy, the Board is also publishing a technical support document and its purpose is to show how easy it is to offer anyone, who uses IT in their everyday lives, to choose a language. The documents will be launched at a new office in Ruthin, which is one of various centers that the Board has in different regions of Wales. Meri Huws, Chairman of the Board, said that the strategy is essential and it will provide a major boost to the status of the Welsh language in the future. The Minister for Culture, the Welsh language and Sport, Alun Pugh, added that the Welsh Assembly Government's strategic plan for bilingual Wales notes the need to mainstream Welsh in a large number of areas, including information technology. Source: Eurolang News, April 8, 2006 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2585&Itemid=1&lang= TERMS AT YOUR FINGER TIPS – WELSH NATIONAL DATABASE OF TERMS LAUNCHED The Welsh Language Board have launched a free Welsh National Database of Terms on their website. Its aim is to provide correct Welsh expressions for people to use them in different aspects of their work. This, eventually, should lead the ways towards normalizing the use of the Welsh language. All the terms included in the database have been standardized by the Welsh Language Board Official Standardizing Terms Team. People can use it easily and can search for single words or a combination of expressions in such areas as IT, retail, finance and education. In contrast to other databases, people can download terms to their own computers, which could be a big help, for instance, to translators in their work. Moreover, the database is another important tool in expanding the services and resources available for Welsh speakers and learners. The Welsh Language Board will appreciate other organizations to include their standardized terms in the National Database in order to develop the resource further. Source: Eurolang News in Brief, March 31, 2006 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2577&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (May 2006) SURVEY SHOWS INCREASE IN USE OF WELSH The Welsh Language Board has published a report on its 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey which shows that a high proportion of Welsh speakers use the language daily. The Survey revealed that 62 percent of all people who could speak Welsh and 88 percent of the fluent speakers speak the language on a daily basis. However, it also showed that, while the percentage of people able to speak Welsh had increased, the number of fluent speakers had decreased. Summary of the main results: The survey showed that 21 percent of people (611,000) aged three and over could speak Welsh. This compares with 20.8 percent in the 2001 Census. In 1992, according to the Welsh Social Survey, 61 percent of respondents (363,000) considered themselves fluent in Welsh. The recent results revealed that the corresponding figure is 57 percent (315,000). Therefore, it is estimated that approximately 12 percent of those aged three and over are fluent Welsh speakers. In a group of those who said that they could speak Welsh, the percentage of their fluency level increased with age. In the age group of 3 to 15, 44 percent were fluent compared to 72 percent of speakers over the age of sixty-five. In order to assess what proportion of common conversations are in Welsh, respondents were asked about the language of the most recent conversation they had had (not including conversations with family members). Welsh was the conversation language in the case of 58 percent of fluent speakers. The CEO of the Welsh Language Board, Meirion Prys Jones, said that on the whole, the results from the Survey were positive and showed that majority of people who can speak Welsh use it daily. In addition, this showed that people are willing and eager to use their language in all aspects of their lives. He also pointed out that the Board should concentrate on work in two areas in particular to increase the use of Welsh. Firstly, it is necessary to build people's confidence so that they are ready to use the language as part of their life and at the same time to develop the opportunities available for them to do so. Source: Eurolang News, May 9, 2006 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2616&Itemid=1&lang=en SUPPORT SOUGHT FOR GAELIC SCHOOL Parents calling for designation of Sleat primary school on the Isle of Skye as an all-Gaelic school have launched an online petition. They say that the majority of children within the school are currently being educated through the medium of Gaelic; therefore, they aim to support pupil's ability and confidence in the language and to strengthen the use of it in the community. Campaigners and academics see the outcome of this consultation as being of crucial importance to the future development of Gaelic-medium education in Scotland. Today, entrance to schools with Gaelic as a medium of instruction, even in strongly Gaelic-speaking areas, has been voluntary with parents having to opt-in. Therefore, the designation of Sleat primary as a dedicated Gaelic school would establish the principle that Gaelic-medium education is acceptable and would become the normal form of education in Gaelic speaking areas. Then, parents wishing their children to be educated in English should have to actively opt-out and be willing to transport their children to schools outside the community. If the plans were successful, it would bring Scotland in line with the Irish Gaeltacht and strongly Welsh-speaking areas in Wales. Source: Eurolang News, May 12, 2006 by Màrtainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2624&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (August 2006) FIRST GAELIC SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SCOTLAND A first Gaelic secondary school has been established as part of a new Gaelic education campus in Glasgow to enable pupils to study through the medium of Gaelic from nursery to secondary school. Previously, Gaelic-medium education had been provided within a unit of English-medium schools where only a few subjects were available in the Gaelic language. The establishment of this secondary school follows the success of Gaelic primary education in Glasgow and begins with pupils in first and second year only. Over the next few years, it will expand to cover all secondary year groups as these children move up through school. Through providing a full range of subjects at secondary level, the school is optimistic that all or most of those educated in Gaelic at primary level in Glasgow will take advantage of Gaelic secondary provision. Until today, the small range of subjects available through the medium of Gaelic in most secondary units nationally meant that many parents have chosen for their children local English-medium secondary schools. Therefore, representatives of the new school campus hope that the establishment of the new campus will lead to an expansion of the numbers of pupils being educated through the medium of Gaelic and will enable pupils to reach and retain a higher level of fluency in Gaelic. Source: Eurolang News, August 25, 2006 by Màrtainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2693&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (November 2006) THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES HAS OPENED A GALICIAN STUDY CENTER The University of Wales in Bangor has opened the first center for the teaching of the Galician language. According to its Director, Dr. Helena Miguelez-Carballeira, there has been a considerable increase in the number of students who study Spanish, thus the University decided to offer Galician as an extra language that Spanish under-graduates can take as part of their degree. She added that it is helpful for the students to get to know how multilingual and multicultural Spain really is. Source: Eurolang News, November 1, 2006 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/ Updated (February 2007) THE FIRST-EVER WELSH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER The Welsh-speaking community will soon have its first daily newspaper, called "Y Byd"(The World). The campaign to establish "Y Byd" started in 2002 and has already raised over 500,000 Euro from the public. Many believe that the first edition of the newspaper could be on sale by August 2007 - although those behind the paper have not given any confirmation of a launch date. Since speakers of Welsh, including many learners of the language, are dispersed throughout Wales and beyond, the paper should help bring the Welsh-speaking community together and allow it to express its plural identity. Welsh is currently one of the few minority languages within the European Union that does not have its own daily newspaper. People involved believe that the newspaper will be politically independent, providing a forum for all views held within the community. The main focus will be on Wales, though international and British issues will also be covered. It will be about 24 pages long, almost certainly in two sections - one concentrating on news, and the other dedicated to a particular theme each day, such as education, sport, rural life, the economy, and culture. Moreover, "Y Byd" will have a multilingual web presence. Behind the scenes, all material will be held electronically. This will allow for possible cross-media publication in the future, and remote access to the archives. This facility will be of particular interest to secondary schools which would appreciate having access to topical material in Welsh. Source: Eurolang News, February 5, 2007 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2806&Itemid=1&lang=en and http://www.ybyd.com/newyddion.shtml ULSTER-SCOTS AGENCY PLANS TO SET UP ITS OWN COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS The Ulster-Scots Agency plans to pilot broadcasting from about six community radio stations throughout the area. The stations will be manned by volunteers from Ulster-Scots groups, with a specialist engaged by the Agency to manage the project and train the individuals involved. Costs for the project will be met by the Agency in full. On the other hand, it will also require each successful Ulster-Scots group running a radio station to sell advertising to reduce overall costs. In a press release the Ulster Scots Agency said that "this is an opportunity for the Ulster-Scots community to develop new skills set in delivering broadcasting to their own area and it provides a platform for community exposure to a dedicated, locally delivered Ulster-Scots radio station." The radio initiative is seen as an important step forward because up to date there are only 30 minutes a week broadcast in Ulster Scots on the BBC Northern Ireland channel. The aim of the project is to run the community stations for perhaps two years, and to increase them in the second year. Afterwards, it is hoped to establish a permanent Ulster-Scots radio station that will cover a large part of the north of Ireland. Source: Eurolang News, February 5, 2007 by John McIntyre http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2807&Itemid=1&lang=en WELSH MEDIUM SCHOOLS ARE BECOMING OVERCROWDED The London weekly education newspaper "TES" has reported that Wales has seen a boom in Welsh-language education: there are not enough schools for students who wish to be educated in Welsh. Overcrowding is seen as a particular problem at Welsh-language schools in the capital Cardiff, where the overall number of pupils is in decline leading to empty places in English language schools. Meanwhile in Newport, another predominantly English speaking town in the industrial heartland of south east Wales, a survey has shown that 31 percent of parents would probably send their children to a Welsh-medium school if there were one less than 3km from their home. Furthermore, national statistics show there were 52,867 pupils in 458 Welsh-medium primary schools in 2006. The proportion of primary pupils taught in classes where Welsh is predominant has increased from 19.6 percent in 2005 to 20.1 percent in 2006. At secondary level, there has been a rise from 14.8 percent to 15.2 percent. The aim of the Welsh National Assembly government is to have 26 percent of the population be Welsh-speaking by 2011. Source: Eurolang News, February 5, 2007 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2808&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (March 2007) MORE ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE BILINGUAL SERVICES IN WALES The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that another fifty-nine public bodies are to be included under existing language legislation. All of them will be required to produce a Welsh Language Plan that states how they will be providing bi-lingual services. One of the most significant bodies to be included is the Royal Mail (the UK state postal service). Mari Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board, stated that this was "an amazing and very important step". However, the Welsh language NGO (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg), criticized the announcement saying that it was "fifty-nine excuses for not introducing a new language act". Campaigners for the Welsh language regularly draw attention to how the business-world fails to provide bilingual services. Cymdeithas have recently handed in a 10,000-name petition calling for new language legislation that will include private firms as the present law covers only public bodies. In reply to the government, Cymdeithas have published their own list of fifty-nine private firms, such as Starbucks, Microsoft and Vodafone, which they feel should be included in a new language act. Moreover, language campaigners in Wales have also been quick to point out that the British government's proposals for an Irish Language Act in Northern Ireland includes provision for a commissioner to oversee complaints - something that the Government has refused to consider for Wales. Source: Eurolang News, March 23, 2007 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2852&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (April 2007) MAJOR STEP FORWARD FOR GAELIC LEARNING Learning in Gaelic for young people has taken a major step forward after the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) published a range of assessment materials in Gaelic for 5 to 14 year-old learners. SQA already manages the general National Assessment Bank - an online resource that provides assessment tools to teachers, allowing them to verify their judgment on the progress made and levels reached by pupils. This service is now being extended to include materials in Gaelic for Mathematics, Reading and Writing. All the material has been written by teachers and has undergone a rigorous process of validation and pre-testing. In Mathematics, there will be ten assessments at each level from A to F, covering information handling; numbers, money and measurement; shape, position and movement; and problem solving. There are now 36 different Reading assessments, also covering all six levels, using Gaelic texts rather than translations of English texts. Work is underway to increase this Bank from 36 items to 60. Twenty-four Writing assessments have been developed along with a further nine assessments in Writer's Crafts. These assessments are translations from English that have been selected by Gaelic teachers as being particularly appropriate. This project has been developed by SQA in partnership with Learning and Teaching Scotland, the Assessment is for Learning team, and the Scottish Executive's Smarter Scotland initiative, and was launched on 8 March 2007 at Glasgow's Gaelic School. Speaking about this development, SQA Chief Executive, Dr Janet Brown, says: "We strive to make Scotland's qualifications system as inclusive as possible and I'm delighted that we have now developed this bank of materials in Gaelic. This is another example of how we at SQA are working hard to support our Gaelic community, and Gaelic language learning". In general, a wide range of assessment materials helps teachers make sure their pupils are on track and ensures Gaelic pupils get the same standard of education as others across Scotland. Source: Press release of the Scottish Qualification Authority, March 28, 2007 Updated (May 2007) MANX LANGUAGE WILL BE TAUGHT AT SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL The Tynwald Government of the Isle of Man have announced plans to provide further educational provision for children who attend the only Manx language primary school after they finish their studies. They will be able to continue studying through the medium of the Manx language from September 2007 at the Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel, where they will have a proportion of their education in Manx for the first three years. This year there will be the first group of pupils to complete their primary schooling through the medium of Manx to reach secondary school level on the island. Evidence has been drawn from the Scottish Gaelic educational experience, which has shown that without the continuation of some tuition through the medium of Gaelic, language proficiency is in danger of being lost. Manx-medium primary school education has been provided on the island since September 2001, after a group of parents lobbied the Education Department on the island about providing formal Manx language education for primary school age pupils. Currently, there are about 50 children in the school. Source: Eurolang News, May 21, 2007 by Rhisiart Talbot http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2882&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (July 2007) THE DELAY OF THE FIRST-EVER GAELIC TV CHANNEL BROADCASTING A member of the Parliament, Angus Mac Neil (from the Scottish Nationalist Party), made an appeal over Gaelic TV channel delay. The launching of the channel was first planned for January 2007. Then, the first broadcast was expected to start in October and now it looks this could be delayed even further. In March 2007, the Scottish Executive set aside £3 million to Gaelic Media Services who are responsible for launching the project, raising its annual budget to £12 million from next year. The establishment of the first–ever Gaelic TV channel has been widely criticized in Scotland and England for being too expensive as it is expected to cost between £16 and 17 million annually to run and initially it will only be available via satellite and cable. Source: Eurolang News, June 30, 2007 by Rhisiart Talbot http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2917&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (August 2007) MICROSOFT VISTA IN SCOTTISH GAELIC The Microsoft Vista operating system is to be translated into Scottish Gaelic. Therefore, national Gaelic development agency on the terminology used (Bòrd na Gàidhlig) has urged speakers and learners of the language to assist the project by contributing their views to a consultation. Individuals are invited to comment on the proposed translations and offer amendments or suggestions. If succeeded, this will be the first time that an operating system will be available in Gaelic and subsequently used in Gaelic–medium schools, universities and in the workplace to assist teaching and learning of the language. Bòrd na Gàidhlig Education Manager, Rosemary Ward, commented the project by saying that the translation of Microsoft Vista into Gaelic is a major development in the promotion of the language. In February, Microsoft announced a joint venture with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Strathclyde University and Learning and Teaching Scotland to develop support for Scottish Gaelic in Windows Vista and Office 2007. In a separate development, consultation exercises have also begun on the first three statutory Gaelic Language Plans under the 2005 Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act. Argyll and Bute Council, Highland Council and Highlands & Islands Enterprise are seeking views on draft plans which state how they will put into practice the principle that the Gaelic and English languages will be treated on an equal–respect basis. The Gaelic Act allows Bòrd na Gàidhlig to require public bodies under the authority of the Scottish parliament to draw up Gaelic language plans. Source: Eurolang News, August 14, 2007 by Màrtainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2936&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (November 2007) BBC HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR RECENT DECISIONS INVOLVING UK'S INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES The BBC Trust, an independent watchdog body, has published its provisional conclusions on the BBC Executive's proposals for a new Gaelic digital television channel in partnership with the Gaelic Media Service. Their Public Value Test has provisionally concluded that while the proposals could provide a good service to the public, plans for a Gaelic service may be rejected, as not enough evidence has been given that the channel will justify its cost. The BBC Trust has now launched a public consultation process on the report and will be seeking further clarification from the BBC Executive on its proposals before announcing a final decision by the end of January 2008. In particular, the BBC Trust expects plans to show how the service would contribute to the long-term survival of Gaelic, to appeal to an audience wider than the 92,000 people in Scotland who understand Gaelic, and to be of educational benefit. The Gaelic Media Service has stated that their investment in the new Gaelic digital service is not subject to the BBC Trust Public Value Test and remains a firm commitment. However, non-involvement of the BBC in the project would have knock on effects on the quality and quantity of programming. The recent report by the watchdog has met with widespread criticism from language agencies and politicians. Moreover, the BBC is also facing charges of a lack of support for Scots and Cornish due to a failure to mention either language in its statement of Public Purposes, a mission statement for the corporation, which is committed to implementing under the terms of the BBC charter. The document states that the BBC's output should support the UK's indigenous languages “such as Gaelic, Welsh, Irish and Ulster Scots”, but fails to specifically mention Scots and Cornish. Source: Eurolang News, November 23, 2007 by Màrtainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2993&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (January 2008) THE BBC TRUST HAS APPROVED LAUNCHING OF A DIGITAL GAELIC CHANNEL The BBC Trust, an independent watchdog body, has recently given its blessing to the establishment of a new Gaelic digital service despite that in November 2007 it pronounced there was insufficient evidence that the channel offered value for money. Following the consultation process, the BBC Trust has now been convinced that the channel would contribute to the long-term survival of the Gaelic language and would benefit education. This means that a digital Gaelic television is to be launched later this year with the participation of the BBC. The decision has been welcomed by the representatives of the Gaelic Media Service and by the BBC Scotland, which stated that launching of the new channel is a step forward to promotion of the Gaelic language. Initially the channel will broadcast 1.5 hours of new programs daily that will be supplemented with repeats and archive material. New programming to be introduced will include a television news service, which Gaelic currently lacks. To date, Gaelic programs have been relatively few in number and have also been scattered across different channels with many being shown in late-night slots. As to the availability of the new channel, there have been some concerns raised because at the beginning it will only be available on digital satellite, digital cable and broadband. This means that a large number of Gaelic speakers will be unable to view it. The BBC Trust has at this stage rejected plans to launch the service on digital terrestrial TV service Freeview. Digital satellite is available throughout Scotland and is the only option currently available in many areas of the Highlands and Islands. Nationally, however, digital terrestrial television is the preferred option as it is cheaper and easier to install, requiring only a small one-off payment and being compatible with existing television aerials. Source: Eurolang News, January 30, 2008 by Màrtainn MacLeòid http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3021&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (September 2008) BBC ALBA – A SCOTTISH GAELIC TV CHANNEL ON AIR A new Gaelic language satellite TV channel was launched on 19 September. It should assist with the development of positive attitudes towards the learning and speaking of Gaelic. BBC Alba will be on-air for up to seven hours a day and will broadcast live news program for 30 minutes every weekday. It is expected to show more Scottish sport than any other channel, with over 3 hours a week of football, rugby and shinty. A partnership between the Gaelic Media Service and the BBC, the service combines television, radio and on-line programmes and is anticipated to stimulate parents' interest in Gaelic medium education, to appeal to and to serve adult learners and also to strengthen Gaelic usage in new media. However, The Scotsman newspaper commented: “The delivery method is of key importance to BBC Alba's success. Because the channel has been tasked by the BBC Trust with attracting about 250,000 non-Gaelic-speaking viewers a week, yet is denied the most popular method of delivery, the channel is already fighting with one hand tied behind its back. The inclusion of the channel on Freeview (the primary TV delivery service in the UK) would cost a mere £4 million and was a crucial part of the original plan.” Source: Eurolang News, September 26, 2008 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3099&Itemid=1&lang=en Updated (November 2008) SURVEY ABOUT THE USE OF WELSH IN SERVICES S4C current affairs programme Y Byd ar Bedwar has published the results of a survey in which they asked several large private companies to monitor use of their Welsh language services for a period of one week. The survey subjects included banks, post offices and call centres across Wales. The results suggest that services provided to customers through the medium of Welsh are barely used, despite increasing demands from language groups that more is done to make such services available. Despite the migration of large numbers of Welsh speakers into Cardiff, it seems hardly any of them use the language when getting money from cash machines in the Welsh capital. But as language activists step up their campaign for new Welsh language rights to force private companies into providing bilingual services, there are now warnings that this could lead to an increase in costs which would be passed on to already hard-up customers. Barclays Bank measured the use of Welsh language services at cash points within branches in Caernarfon, Llanelli and Cardiff. In Caernarfon, 500 transactions were made in Welsh (75 percent of all transactions). This fell to just 26 in Llanelli (10 percent), while in Cardiff's Queen Street only five people used that cash point through the medium of Welsh, which amounted to less than 1 percent. Meanwhile, three post offices measured the use of their Welsh language counter services, at Amlwch in Anglesey, in Llanelli, and at the Queens Arcade Post Office in Cardiff. Half the customers spoke Welsh while posting, banking and paying bills at Amlwch. This figure fell dramatically to 0.8 percent in Llanelli, while no one at all spoke Welsh at the Cardiff branch. Welsh Water was brought under the present Welsh Language Act in 2005, and is bound by law to provide a Welsh language service to customers. But over a week, only 0.7 percent of hits on Welsh Water's website proceeded to the Welsh language service, with 5,126 looking at web pages in English, and only 35 doing the same in Welsh. During the week, Welsh Water received 240 complaints - none in Welsh. And 635 calls were made to Welsh Water's dedicated Welsh language line - 8.6 pecent of all calls made during the week. Although unable to provide a percentage, British Gas said 193 customers phoned their Welsh language call-centre over the week. British Gas has 800,000 customers in Wales, and 3,000 of these have registered to receive correspondence in Welsh - less than 0.1 percent of Welsh customers. British Gas has warned that new language rights incorporating the private sector could lead to higher gas bills. "The energy industry is under a lot of pressure at the moment in terms of the cost it pays for the raw gas it provides to gas and electricity customers," Rhys Jones, British Gas' Corporate Affairs Manager, tells the program. "So any costs above this occurring from any new Welsh Language Act are going to be quite high and there is a possibility it will be passed on to the customers in the long term." Source: The Wales online, News, November 11, 2008 by Martin Shipton (Western Mail) http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/11/11/welsh-language-services-barely-used-91466-22223901/ LAUNCHING OF THE BBC ALBA TV IS A BIG SUCCESS The launch of BBC Alba has surpassed expectation, even though it is still not available on the most popular satellite system. The results show that the new channel has drawn in not only Gaelic speakers, but a good share of non-Gaelic-speaking Scots, as well. Ratings have been released for BBC Alba, the new channel on British public television that broadcasts exclusively in Gaelic. According to The Herald, some 610,000 people (approximately 15 percent of all Scots) tuned into the channel during its first week on the air. The new project established in September aims to attract not only speakers of Gaelic but all Scots; therefore all programs are subtitled in English. In fact, early data show that many more people than there are Gaelic-speakers watch the channel. The director of BBC Alba, Margaret Mary Murray, explaining the success, said: "People seem to be drawn in by the freshness and originality of the channel's approach". It is no surprise that Murray seems "delighted" by these early ratings. The channel can so far be picked up on three different satellite systems: Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media, but still not on the most popular system - Freeview. This means the outlook is bright, considering that eventually the channel will be added to that system's program. According to other studies reviewed by The Herald, BBC Alba has drawn more viewers in the Highlands and the islands, where nearly one in four has tuned into the channel. Around the country, 82 percent of Gaelic speakers have watched the channel at least once during its first week on the air. Source: Nationalia Ciemen, News, October 28, 2008 http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/303 |
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