DOCSLIB.ORG

The Role and Importance of the Welsh Language in Wales's Cultural Independence Within the United Kingdom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Role and Importance of the Welsh Language in Wales's Cultural Independence Within the United Kingdom The role and importance of the Welsh language in Wales’s cultural independence within the United Kingdom Sylvain Scaglia To cite this version: Sylvain Scaglia. The role and importance of the Welsh language in Wales’s cultural independence within the United Kingdom. Linguistics. 2012. dumas-00719099 HAL Id: dumas-00719099 https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-00719099 Submitted on 19 Jul 2012 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. UNIVERSITE DU SUD TOULON-VAR FACULTE DES LETTRES ET SCIENCES HUMAINES MASTER RECHERCHE : CIVILISATIONS CONTEMPORAINES ET COMPAREES ANNÉE 2011-2012, 1ère SESSION The role and importance of the Welsh language in Wales’s cultural independence within the United Kingdom Sylvain SCAGLIA Under the direction of Professor Gilles Leydier Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 1 WALES: NOT AN INDEPENDENT STATE, BUT AN INDEPENDENT NATION ......................................................... 6 I – The fight for Welsh freedom: the birth and evolution of Wales ............................................................... 7 From Celtic tribes to Cymru ....................................................................................................................... 7 The emergence of a nation ........................................................................................................................ 8 The Norman invasion and its consequences ............................................................................................. 9 The awakening of nationalism ................................................................................................................. 11 Twentieth century challenges ................................................................................................................. 12 II – A unique Welsh culture .......................................................................................................................... 13 Culture, a definition ................................................................................................................................. 13 Some Welsh national symbols ................................................................................................................. 14 Emergence of a literature ........................................................................................................................ 15 Characteristics of a rich culture ............................................................................................................... 19 III – The survival of an independent culture................................................................................................. 22 The resistance until the annexation ........................................................................................................ 22 Laws in Wales Acts’ consequences .......................................................................................................... 23 From an “anti-Welsh” attitude… ............................................................................................................. 25 …To classic “Welsh pranks”? ................................................................................................................... 27 Literature, education and religion ........................................................................................................... 28 The Welsh Industrial Revolution ............................................................................................................. 30 THE WELSH LANGUAGE ................................................................................................................................... 33 I – Origins of the language .......................................................................................................................... 34 Old Celtic origins ...................................................................................................................................... 34 Primitive and Old Welsh era .................................................................................................................... 35 Middle Welsh period ............................................................................................................................... 36 Early Modern Welsh ................................................................................................................................ 37 Late Modern Welsh ................................................................................................................................. 38 The Welsh language until 1960 ............................................................................................................... 39 1962 onwards: “The fate of the language” ............................................................................................. 41 II – The Welsh language's specificities ......................................................................................................... 43 Welsh syntax ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Welsh morphology .................................................................................................................................. 45 I | P a g e Welsh phonology and pronunciation ...................................................................................................... 46 About Welsh dialects ............................................................................................................................... 47 III – Status of the Welsh language today ..................................................................................................... 48 Welsh’s official status .............................................................................................................................. 49 The National Assembly for Wales ............................................................................................................ 50 The Welsh Language Commissioner ........................................................................................................ 51 Fighting for Welsh on TV ......................................................................................................................... 52 Welsh in the written press ...................................................................................................................... 53 BEING WELSH, SPEAKING WELSH .................................................................................................................... 55 I – The Welsh speakers ................................................................................................................................ 56 Some figures: The evolution of the number of Welsh speakers ............................................................. 56 The role of education .............................................................................................................................. 58 The distribution of Welsh speakers in Wales .......................................................................................... 60 The “Three-Wales model” ....................................................................................................................... 62 Social background of the Welsh speakers ............................................................................................... 62 What future for the Welsh language? ..................................................................................................... 63 II – Welsh outside Wales ............................................................................................................................. 65 An external threat: ‘the treason of the Blue Books’ ................................................................................ 65 A prestigious or old-fashioned language? ............................................................................................... 67 Is there an anti-Welsh attitude? .............................................................................................................. 68 The Welsh language beyond Wales ......................................................................................................... 69 III – Language and political nationalism in Wales ........................................................................................ 71 From a national consciousness… ............................................................................................................. 71 …To a nationalist political struggle .......................................................................................................... 73 The fight of a minority? ..........................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Branches of the Bank of England
    BRANCHES OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND Origin of Soon after the foundation end of the year seventy-three of the more the branches of the Bank of England in important banks in England and Wales had 1694, an anonymous writer on financial matters suspended payment. suggested that the Bank should establish In January 1826, with bank failures and branches which would be able to remit"multi­ commercial bankruptcies still continuing, the tudes of sums, great and small, to and from Court of Directors appointed a Committee to place to place ...without charges of carriage or consider and report "how far it may be dangers of Robberie" (Proposals for National practicable to establish branch banks ". Banks, 1696). The theme was taken up again Although the Committee were primarily con­ in 1721 by a pamphleteer who advocated the cerned to prevent a recurrence of the difficulties opening of branches "in the trading places of the previous year, they clearly did not over­ of the nation" whose managers would have look commercial considerations. Perhaps it authority "to lend a little". Such advice was because the latter issue, at least, was met with little response. Apart from introducing reasonably clear-cut that the Committee were Bank Post Bills(a) in 1724, in an attempt to able to report in only a week that they favoured reduce the risks to the mails of highway rob­ t e setting up of branches which, they con­ b ry, the Bank were little concerned during the � � SIdered, would greatly increase the Bank's own eIghteenth century with developments in the note circulation, would give the Bank greater financial system outside London and indeed control over the whole paper circulation, and were then frequently referred to as the ' Bank would protect the Bank against competition if of London '.
    [Show full text]
  • Irish Language in Meals Will Also Be Available on Reservation
    ISSN 0257-7860 Nr. 57 SPRING 1987 80p Sterling D eatp o f S gum äs Mac a’ QpobpaiNN PGRRaNpORtb CONfGRGNCC Baase Doolisl) y KaRRaqpeR Welsb LaNquaqc Bills PlaNNiNQ CONtROl Q tpc MaNX QOVGRNMCNt HistORic OwiNNiNG TTpe NoRtp — Loyalist Attituöes A ScaSON iN tl7G FRGNCb CgRip Q0DC l£AGU€ -4LBA: COVIUNN CEIUWCH * BREIZH: KEl/RE KEU1EK Cy/VIRU: UNDEB CELMIDO *ElRE:CONR4DH CfllTHCH KERN O W KE SU NW NS KELTEK • /VWNNIN1COV1MEEY5 CELM GH ALBA striipag bha turadh ann. Dh'fhäs am boireannach na b'lheärr. Sgtiir a deöir. AN DIOGHALTAS AICE "Gun teagamh. fliuair sibh droch naidheachd an diugh. Pheigi." arsa Murchadh Thormaid, "mur eil sibh deönach mise doras na garaids a chäradh innsibh dhomh agus di- 'Seinn iribh o. hiüraibh o. hiigaibh o hi. chuimhnichidh mi c. Theid mi air eeann- Seo agaibh an obair bheir togail fo m'chridh. gnothaich (job) eite. Bhi stiuradh nio chasan do m'dhachaidh bhig fhin. "O cäraichidh sinn doras na garaids. Ma Air criochnacbadh saothair an lä dhomh." tha sibh deiseil tägaidh sinn an drasda agus seallaidh mi dhuibh doras na garaids. Tha Sin mar a sheinn Murchadh Thormaid chitheadh duine gun robh Murchadh 'na turadh ann." "nuair a thill e dhachaidh. "Nuair a bha c dhuine deannta 'na shcacaid dhubh-ghorm Agus leis a sin choisich an triuir a-mach a' stiiiireadh a’ chäir dhachaidh. bha eagail agus na dhungairidhe (dungarees), Bha baga dhan gharaids, an saor ’na shcacaid dhubh- air nach maircadh an ehr bochd air an rarhad uainc aige le chuid inncaian saoir. Bha e mu gorm is dungairidhc , .
    [Show full text]
  • The Military Orders in Wales and the Welsh March in the Middle Ages1
    The Military Orders in Wales and the Welsh March in the Middle Ages In the later medieval centuries the Hospitallers’ estates in Wales were among the most extensive of any religious corporation there. In 1535, just before the dissolution of the monasteries, the commandery at Slebech was the third richest monastic house in Wales, after the Cistercian abbeys at Tintern and Valle Crucis. The next richest house after Slebech was another Cistercian house, Margam Abbey, © Copyrighted Material followed by the Benedictine priory at Abergavenny. by comparison with other Hospitaller houses in England and Wales. In 1338 it received the largest income of any Hospitaller house in England and Wales, apart Chapter 16 from the main house at Clerkenwell just outside London, fourth highest net value of the Hospitallers’ twenty-two houses in England and Wales, after Clerkenwell, Buckland and Ribston. we might expect the Hospitallers to have held great authority and power in Wales, and their Welsh property to have been very significant within the Order. Helen J. Nicholson the Templars in the British Isles were arrested on the order of King Edward II of In contrast, the Templars held very little property in Wales. In 1308, when their assistance with certain points in this paper. 1 £188; the annual net income of Margam was £181 per annum, while Abergavenny’s was £129. D. Knowles2 and R.N. I Hadcock,am very grateful Medieval to PhilipReligious Handyside, Houses: KathrynEngland Hurlock and Wales and, Paul Sambrook for 2nd edn (London, 1971), pp. 52, 114, 301; cf. R.K. Turvey, ‘Priest and Patron: A Study of a Gentry Family’s Patronage ofThe the annual Church net in income South-West of Slebech Wales was in the£184, Later after Middle Tintern’s Ages’, £192 and Valle Crucis’s Journal of Welsh Ecclesiastical History, 8 (1991), 7–19, here p.
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting the Insular Celtic Hypothesis Through Working Towards an Original Phonetic Reconstruction of Insular Celtic
    Mind Your P's and Q's: Revisiting the Insular Celtic hypothesis through working towards an original phonetic reconstruction of Insular Celtic Rachel N. Carpenter Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges 0.0 Abstract: Mac, mac, mac, mab, mab, mab- all mean 'son', inis, innis, hinjey, enez, ynys, enys - all mean 'island.' Anyone can see the similarities within these two cognate sets· from orthographic similarity alone. This is because Irish, Scottish, Manx, Breton, Welsh, and Cornish2 are related. As the six remaining Celtic languages, they unsurprisingly share similarities in their phonetics, phonology, semantics, morphology, and syntax. However, the exact relationship between these languages and their predecessors has long been disputed in Celtic linguistics. Even today, the battle continues between two firmly-entrenched camps of scholars- those who favor the traditional P-Celtic and Q-Celtic divisions of the Celtic family tree, and those who support the unification of the Brythonic and Goidelic branches of the tree under Insular Celtic, with this latter idea being the Insular Celtic hypothesis. While much reconstructive work has been done, and much evidence has been brought forth, both for and against the existence of Insular Celtic, no one scholar has attempted a phonetic reconstruction of this hypothesized proto-language from its six modem descendents. In the pages that follow, I will introduce you to the Celtic languages; explore the controversy surrounding the structure of the Celtic family tree; and present a partial phonetic reconstruction of Insular Celtic through the application of the comparative method as outlined by Lyle Campbell (2006) to self-collected data from the summers of2009 and 2010 in my efforts to offer you a novel perspective on an on-going debate in the field of historical Celtic linguistics.
    [Show full text]
  • Eisteddfod Branding
    The National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod is Wales’ largest festival, held alternately in north and south Wales, celebrating the Welsh language and culture of Wales. Its history can be traced back to the court of the Lord Rhys in 1176, with the modern day Eisteddfod held every year bar one since 1861. The festival has evolved and developed greatly over the past ten years, with over 1,000 events held across the Maes (site) during the eight-day festival. The Eisteddfod also plays host to over 200 competitions, with many of these held in the main Pavilion during the week. The other events are held across the Maes, some in semi- permanent buildings and others in attractive tents and yurts, such as Tŷ Gwerin and Caffi Maes B. We know the Eisteddfod and the community project are unique. Our brand needs to celebrate and embrace this uniqueness. Information on the festival and all events can be found online, www.eisteddfod.wales The project The Eisteddfod is looking to rebrand the festival and the organisation over the next year. The Eisteddfod festival is an iconic brand, the word itself is known across the world, and our brand needs to reflect this, with the word playing a central part in any graphic. Typography is very important to us. With so many events and activities held during the week and the community project, the typography must be strong and instantly recognisable – emphasising the uniqueness of the festival and the project and its central place in the culture of Wales. The successful agency will need to deliver a brand which overcomes a number of challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • New Perspectives on Modern Wales
    New Perspectives on Modern Wales New Perspectives on Modern Wales: Studies in Welsh Language, Literature and Social Politics Edited by Sabine Asmus and Katarzyna Jaworska-Biskup New Perspectives on Modern Wales: Studies in Welsh Language, Literature and Social Politics Edited by Sabine Asmus and Katarzyna Jaworska-Biskup Reviewer: Prof. dr. Eduard Werner This book first published 2019 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2019 by Sabine Asmus, Katarzyna Jaworska-Biskup and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-2191-5 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-2191-9 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................. 3 Welsh or British in Times of Trouble? Shaping Welsh Culture and Identity during the Second World War Martin Andrew Hanks CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................... 31 Local or National? Gender, Place and Identity in Post-Devolution Wales’ Literature Rhiannon Heledd Williams CHAPTER THREE
    [Show full text]
  • O Dinopolis I Fetropolis
    O DINOPOLIS I FETROPOLIS Arolwg o lanw a thrai achosion Ymneilltuol Cymraeg yn Llanelli a Llundain 1714-2014 Traethawd a gyflwynir i Brifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant yn unol â chanllawiau ar gyfer y radd PhD (Gweithiau Cyhoeddedig) 2018 HUW EDWARDS Llundain DIOLCHIADAU Dymunaf ddiolch i’m gwraig a’m plant am eu hamynedd a’u cefnogaeth gyson gydol cyfnod hir o ymchwilio ac ysgrifennu. Carwn ddiolch yn ogystal i’m tiwtoriaid – y Dr Robert Pope a’r Dr Catrin Williams yn bennaf yn eu plith – a holl staff y Brifysgol am eu caredigrwydd a’u parodrwydd i gynnig cymorth a chyngor. Yr wyf yn hynod ddyledus i’r Is-Ganghellor, yr Athro Medwin Hughes, am ei anogaeth a’i ofal. O DINOPOLIS I FETROPOLIS Arolwg o lanw a thrai achosion Ymneilltuol Cymraeg yn Llanelli a Llundain 1714-2014 CYNNWYS 1. Cyflwyniad 2. Capeli Llanelli – hanesyddiaeth 3. Capeli Llanelli – braslun a ffynonellau 4. Capeli Llanelli – cyfraniad 5. City Mission a’r erthyglau – hanesyddiaeth 6. City Mission a’r erthyglau – braslun a ffynonellau 7. City Mission a’r erthyglau – cyfraniad 8. Casgliadau 9. Llyfryddiaeth gyflawn Rhif geiriau’r traethawd: 27,450. PRIF GYFEIRIADAU (CL) Edwards, H. (2009) Capeli Llanelli: Our Rich Heritage. Caerfyrddin: Cyngor Sir ​ ​ Gaerfyrddin, tt. 550. (CM) Edwards, H. (2014) City Mission: The Story of London’s Welsh Chapels. Talybont: Y Lolfa, ​ ​ pp. 368. (CT) Edwards, H. (2016) ‘Codi trywydd: y bregeth Gymraeg yn Llundain cyn cyfnod Howel Harris’, yn Cylchgrawn Cymdeithas Hanes y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd, 40 (2016), 27-46. ​ ​ (OT) Edwards, H. (2017) ‘On the trail of Ginshop Jones: Welsh Nonconformists in Eighteenth-Century London’, in Welsh History Review, 28/3 (2017), 470-86.
    [Show full text]
  • The Caernarfonshire Eagles: Development of a Traditional Emblem and County Flag
    The Association of British Counties The Caernarfonshire Eagles: Development of a Traditional Emblem and County Flag by Philip S. Tibbetts & Jason Saber - 2 - Contents Essay.......................................................................................................................................................3 Appendix: Timeline..............................................................................................................................16 Bibliography Books.......................................................................................................................................17 Internet....................................................................................................................................18 List of Illustrations Maredudd ap Ieuan ap Robert Memorial..............................................................................................4 Wynn of Gwydir Monument.................................................................................................................4 Blayney Room Carving...........................................................................................................................5 Scott-Giles Illustration of Caernarfonshire Device.................................................................................8 Cigarette Card Illustration of Caernarvon Device..................................................................................8 Caernarfonshire Police Constabulary Helmet Plate...............................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • Wales at Westminster: Parliament, Principality and Pressure Groups, 1542-1601*
    Parliamentary History, Vol. 22, pt. 2 (2003), pp. 107-120 Wales at Westminster: Parliament, Principality and Pressure Groups, 1542-1601* LLOYD BOWEN Cdif University This article attempts to address an inconsistency of modern historiography regarding the legacy of Wales’s union with England in the mid-sixteenth century. The discrepancy concerns the participation of Welshmen in the new parliamentary and administrative roles afforded by the union. The Henrician statutes which united Wales with England remodelled Welsh justice and administration, bringing Wales into line with English practice. Justices of the peace were introduced, Wales was divided into shires like England, and, in the most symbolically significant demon- stration of the incorporation of Wales into the English body politic, 26 (later 27) Welsh borough and county constituencies were enfranchised and allowed to send representatives to the national parliaments at Westminster.’ However, the speed of the reception and adoption of these new rights by Welshmen has not been seen as uniform. Whereas they are often portrayed as embracing their new administrative roles quickly and with enthusiasm, their participation in parliamentary business is seen as halting, uncertain and ineffective.2 This generally has led to the characteri- zation of the Welsh as lacking interest in parliament and continuing to be unsure of its mechanisms and procedures for many decades after their enfiran~hisement.~ This article examines how the ‘two-speed’ adoption of the union has become an accepted element of modern historiography, and suggests that this case has been overstated. The picture of a hesitant body of Welsh members in the Tudor Commons is attributable mainly to Professor A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Height of Its Womanhood': Women and Genderin Welsh Nationalism, 1847-1945
    'The height of its womanhood': Women and genderin Welsh nationalism, 1847-1945 Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Kreider, Jodie Alysa Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 09/10/2021 04:59:55 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280621 'THE HEIGHT OF ITS WOMANHOOD': WOMEN AND GENDER IN WELSH NATIONALISM, 1847-1945 by Jodie Alysa Kreider Copyright © Jodie Alysa Kreider 2004 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partia' Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2004 UMI Number: 3145085 Copyright 2004 by Kreider, Jodie Alysa All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3145085 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
    [Show full text]
  • Decoding Middle Welsh Clauses Or “Avoid Ambiguity”
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2014 Decoding Middle Welsh clauses or “Avoid Ambiguity” Harlos, Axel ; Poppe, Erich ; Widmer, Paul Abstract: Middle Welsh is a language with a restricted set of morphosyntactic distinctions for grammatical relations and with relatively free word order in positive main declarative causes. However, syntactic ambiguity rarely, if ever, arises in natural texts. The present article shows in a corpus-based study how syntactic ambiguity is prevented and how morphological features interact with two referential properties, namely animacy and accessibility, in order to successfully identify grammatical relations in Middle Welsh. Further lower-tier factors are the semantics of the verb and the wider narrative context. The article complements recent insights suggesting that subject-verb agreement is not only determined by wordorder patterns, but also by referential properties of subjects. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/if-2014-0008 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-93417 Journal Article Published Version Originally published at: Harlos, Axel; Poppe, Erich; Widmer, Paul (2014). Decoding Middle Welsh clauses or “Avoid Ambigu- ity”. Indogermanische Forschungen. Zeitschrift für Indogermanistik und allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, 119:125-148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/if-2014-0008 Axel Harlos, Erich Poppe, and Paul Widmer Decoding Middle Welsh clauses or “Avoid Ambiguity” Abstract: Middle Welsh is a language with a restricted set of morphosyntactic dis- tinctions for grammatical relations and with relatively free word order in positive main declarative causes.
    [Show full text]
  • Trusmadoor and Other Cumbrian `Pass' Words
    Trusmadoor and Other Cumbrian `Pass' Words Diana Whaley University of Newcastle Nobody ever sang the praises of Trusmadoor, and it's time someone did. This lonely passage between the hills, an obvious and easy way for man and beast and beloved by wheeling buzzards and hawks, has a strange nostalgic charm. Its neat and regular proportions are remarkable—a natural `railway cutting'. What a place for an ambush and a massacre!1 No ambushes or massacres are promised in the following pages, but it will be argued that the neglected name of Trusmadoor holds excitements of a quieter kind. I will consider its etymology and wider onomastic and historical context and significance, and point to one or possibly two further instances of its rare first element. In the course of the discussion I will suggest alternative interpretations of two lost names in Cumbria. Trusmadoor lies among the Uldale Fells in Cumbria, some five miles east of the northern end of Bassenthwaite Lake (National Grid Reference NY2733). An ascending defile, it runs south-east, with Great Cockup to its west and Meal Fell to the north-east. The top of the pass forms a V-shaped frame for splendid views north over the Solway Firth some twenty miles away. Trusmadoor is a significant enough landscape feature to appear on the Ordnance Survey (OS) One Inch and 1:50,000 maps of the area, yet it is unrecorded, so far as I know, until its appearance on the First Edition Six Inch OS map of 1867. In the absence of early spellings one would normally be inclined to leave the name well alone, a practice followed, intentionally or not, by the editors of the English Place-Name Society survey of Cumberland.2 However, to speakers or readers of Welsh the name is fairly transparent.
    [Show full text]