Welsh derives from the Celtic language which was spoken throughout Europ during the period when the Celts ruled most of the continent. Celtic developed into two branches and Welsh originates from the Brythonic branch, it's nearest cousins being Cornish and Breton.
It is one of the many regional or minority languages of Europe. The language as spoken today is descended directly from Early Welsh, which emerged as a distinct tongue as early as the 6th century AD. It is therefore the oldest living language of Great Britain, and among the oldest in Europe.
When the Romans left Britain, the Welsh language began to enjoy official status, this continued until the Norman Conquest.
Following the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (the last native Prince of Wales) in 1282, French and English became the languages of business and trade. During the 14th and 15th century English increasingly became the language used for official purposes, a development that would threaten the status of the Welsh language.
In 1536 the Welsh language suffered a blow when Henry V111 passed the Act of Union between Wales and England, abolishing Hywel Dda's Welsh laws. English became the official language of Wales as well as England and no man who spoke Welsh could attain a job of official status.
Following the Protestant Reform, an act was passed in 1549 which made English the language of religious services. However, in 1588 the Bible was translated into Welsh in order to prevent the welsh from reverting to Roman Catholicism. This proved to be crucial to the survial of the language.
In 1847 a Royal commision Report on Education in Wales was published. As a result, it was decided that English would be the language of education in schools and children were heavily punished for speaking Welsh, this was the time of the 'Welsh Not'. Consequently, it was thought that you could only succeed in the world by speaking English. The report had a great effect on the self-confidence and self-respect of the Welsh. It is still known today as 'The Treason of the Blue Books'.
At the begining of the 19th century it is thought that 70% of the population were monoglot Welsh speakers, 10% were bilingual and 20% spoke only english. By the end of the century only half of the population spoke Welsh.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Welsh was spoken by almost half of the population of Wales. The 1911 Census recorded that nearly a million people regarded themselves as Welsh speakers. However, since that time, the number of Welsh speakers decreased steadily until fairly recently. This happened for numerous reasons:
- migration patterns from rural to urban areas in search of work
- inward migration of English speakers to rural areas
- increased availability of English-language news and entertainment media
- a general secularisation of society, leading to a decline in chapel attendance, on which so many traditional Welsh-medium activities were centered
The combined influence of these factors led to the erosion of the language in many communities that were once almost entirely Welsh-speaking. By 1991, although the number of people able to speak the language was still more than half a million, this represented just 18.7% of the population.
Since that time, however, according to the 2001 Census, Wales has seen an increase in the number of Welsh speakers, reversing the trend since the beginning of the last century. Significantly, there has been an increase in the number and percentage of young people who are able to speak the language.
Most of the significant developments that have played a part in reversing the language's fortunes have occurred during the last 30 years. They include:
- the development of Welsh-medium education
- vigorous campaigns by individuals and pressure groups for the rights of Welsh speakers to use their language in Wales
- the establishment of S4C in 1982, the Welsh-language television channel plus 120 hours of Welsh programmes on BBC Radio Cymru
- a strong support framework of written, audio and visual materials
- the increase in the attractiveness and appeal of the language due to the achievements of international stars and entertainers in the popular rock, folk and classical music fields
- the financial support given by central government during the 1980's to organisations which promoted or supported the language, and also to Welsh-medium education (now distributed by the Welsh Language Board)
- the passing of the Welsh Language Act 1993, which confirmed in law the principle of equality between the Welsh and English languages
General goodwill towards the Welsh language continues to increase, and public support is widespread. The economic benefits of the Welsh language are also increasingly being recognised, both by employers and by employees and oral and written skills in the language are deemed either essential qualifications or desirable in many workplaces. Politically speaking, the Welsh language now enjoys widespread cross-party support, and it is one of the official languages in administration within the National Assembly for Wales. Bilingualism in Wales is increasingly becoming accepted as being completely natural and normal - as it is in most of Europe and beyond.
You will find more information on the history of Wales and the Welsh language on BBC Wales's website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/nation/