UK - Wales

Cymraeg

Country context

Wales has a population of three million. In 2001, 20.8% (582,000) of them could speak Welsh, according to the census.

Conquered by England in 1282, the 1563 Act of Union banned those using the Welsh language from holding public office. The majority of the population of Wales continued to speak Welsh until late in the 19th century. Extensive immigration, mostly from England and Ireland due to the industrial revolution, coupled with the virtual exclusion of Welsh when compulsory education was introduced, led to a decline in the numbers and percentage of Welsh speakers and a contraction of the area where Welsh was widely spoken. In 2001, 75,000 Welsh speakers lived in the three cities covered by the research, representing 12% of their total population.

At the start of the 20th century Cardiff was the world’s largest coal exporting port and seamen from other parts of the world established immigrant communities there as well as in Newport and Swansea. More recently immigrants have come from the Indian sub-continent and, since the expansion of the EU, from eastern Europe. Twenty-five per cent of the 2001 population were born outside Wales (20% in England).

The National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999. Its legislative powers were initially limited to secondary legislation in just some spheres, including education. Following the Government of Wales Act 2006 and a referendum held in March 2011 it now has primary legislative powers in many domestic policy areas.

Languages in official documents and databases

English, Welsh and foreign languages are dealt with in language legislation and/or language policy documents. The learning and teaching of Welsh abroad for children and/or adults originating from Wales is not (co-)funded abroad. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages has been signed and ratified by the UK. There is official provision in education, supported by the Charter, for Welsh in Wales.

Official data collection mechanisms on language diversity exist in terms of periodically updated census data and survey data. In these data collection mechanisms, national, R/M and immigrant language varieties are addressed, based on a home language and a main language question plus a language proficiency question in terms of whether (and how well) these languages can be spoken/understood/read/written.

The first piece of legislation dealing with the status of the Welsh language in recent times was the Welsh Courts Act 1942 which permitted limited use of the language in courts. The Welsh Language Act 1967 guaranteed the right to use Welsh more widely in court and also provided for its use in public administration. The Welsh Language Act 1993 established the principle that in the conduct of public business and administration of justice in Wales the English and Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality. That act established the Welsh Language Board, giving it the role of promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh and a statutory duty to agree and monitor the implementation of public bodies’ Welsh language schemes. Those Welsh language schemes were to specify the measures the public bodies proposed to take so as to give effect to the act’s principle of equality.

The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure of 2011 includes a declaration that ‘the Welsh language has official status in Wales’. It provided for the establishment of a Welsh Language Commissioner and the abolition of the Welsh Language Board (see section on Promising Initiatives below).

British Sign Language has been recognised as a language in its own right but there is no directly related legislation, nor is there any for foreign and immigrant languages, apart from legislation relating to education. Languages other than Welsh, when mentioned in legislation other than that dealing with education, are largely mentioned in connection with interpretation or translation facilities.

Languages in pre-primary education

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support 
FL:  all  restricted  no support 
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
NL:  all  immigrant children only  no support 
3 none none 3
Duration
≥2 years 1 year <1 year  
3 none none 3
Minimum group size requirements
 none  5-10  >10
3 none none 3
Days per week
 >1 day  0.5-1 day  <0.5 day
3 none none 2
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none
3 none none 3
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none
3 none none 3
State funding available
full partial none
3 none none 3

Languages offered in pre-primary education

R/M Languages

Welsh

Foreign Languages

-

Immigrant Languages

-

Pre-primary education is not universally provided by the state; most of the provision comes from the voluntary sector. An organisation, now called Mudiad Meithrin, was formed in 1971 with the aim of providing Welsh-medium nursery schools. They have over 550 playgroups, estimated at providing for around 17 per cent of Wales’s two year olds. Over two-thirds of the children attending their playgroups come from homes where Welsh is not the main language. Attendance at the playgroup is their introduction to the language.

Languages in primary education

Organisation

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
2 none none
Languages used as a medium of instruction (CLIL)
  widespread localised absent  
3 none none
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support
FL:  all  restricted  no support
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
3 none none
Start of language education
from year 1 from mid-phase end-phase only  
3 none none
Scheduling
in school hours partly in school hours  outside school hours   
3 none none
Minimum group size requirements
none 5-10 >10  
3 none none
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised  school based  absent   
2 none none
Level to be achieved
Other NL: national or regional norms school norms not specified
FL: linked to CEFR national or school norms not specified
IL: national or regional norms school norms not specified
3 none none
State funding available
full partial none  
3 none none

 

NL

National Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
2
Extra support for newcomers
before mainstream during mainstream  absent   
3
Diagnostic testing on entry
all immigrants only absent  
3
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised  school based  absent   
2

Teaching

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers  unqualified   
3 none none
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 none none
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 none none
Mobility
incorporated into training informal financial support no informal financial support not applicable  
0 none 0

 

NL

National Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers  unqualified   
2
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3

Languages offered in primary education

R/M Languages

Welsh

Foreign Languages

-

Immigrant Languages

-

Over 20% of pupils in primary school are educated through the medium of Welsh, a proportion which has been gradually increasing for many years. Welsh-medium education is available throughout Wales. All other pupils are taught Welsh as a second language. Education through the medium of community languages (the preferred term in the UK for what LRE refers to as immigrant languages) or foreign languages is not available. Foreign languages are taught in some schools, as are immigrant languages to a lesser extent. English language support for ethnic minority pupils is also provided.

Languages in secondary education

Organisation

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3 3 none
Languages used as a medium of instruction (CLIL)
widespread localised absent  
3 1 none
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support
FL:  all  restricted  no support
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
3 3 none
Scheduling
in school hours partly in school hours outside school hours  
3 3 none
Minimum group size requirements
none 5-10 >10  
3 3 none
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised school based absent  
3 3 none
Level to be achieved
Other NL: national or regional norms school norms not specified not applicable
FL: linked to CEFR national or school norms not specified not applicable
IL: national or regional norms school norms not specified not applicable
1 1 none
State funding available
full partial none  
3 3 none

 

NL

National Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3
Extra support for newcomers
before mainstream during mainstream absent  
3
Diagnostic testing on entry
all immigrants only absent  
3
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised school based absent  
3

Teaching

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers unqualified  
3 3 none
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 none
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 none
Mobility
incorporated into training some financial support none not applicable  
0 3 0
Language level required
linked to CEFR national or region-wide standards none not applicable  
0 1 0

 

NL

National Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers unqualified  
3
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3
Language level required for non-native speakers
linked to CEFR national or school-based norms not specified  
1

Languages offered in secondary education

R/M Languages

Welsh

Foreign Languages

French, German, Spanish: one of these languages is compulsory

Immigrant Languages

-

Welsh-medium secondary education is also increasing. By 2010/11 16.7% of pupils were being taught Welsh as a first language (nearly all in Welsh-medium schools). All other pupils are taught Welsh as a second language although the level of achievement is low. All pupils are also taught at least one foreign language during their first three years in secondary school. The percentage proceeding to take a public examination in a modern foreign language when aged 15 has been falling for many years: 28% were entered for a GCSE examination in a modern foreign language in 2010, compared with 50% in 1997. Community languages are taught in little more than a handful of secondary schools and sporadically, depending on pupil numbers which can fluctuate according to trends in immigration. As in the primary sector, English-language support for ethnic minority pupils is provided.

Languages in Further and Higher Education

Further Education (in three institutions)

 

Institution A Institution B Institution C

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Range of language support programmes
 wide variety  limited  no specifications
3 3 none 3 3 none 3 3 2
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines
3 3 none 3 3 none 3 3 2
Level to be achieved
linked to CEFR national none not applicable
0 3 0 0 3 0 0 3 0
State funding available
full partial none
2 2 none 2 2 none 2 2 3

Additional NL
support

National Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages
Range of language support programmes
 wide variety  limited  no specifications
3 2 3
Target groups
all restricted none
1 1 1
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines
3 3 3
Job related skills
yes no
3 1 1
General upskilling
yes no
3 3 3
State funding available
full partial none
2 2 2
Internships in companies
built into course optional none
1 1 1
Use of EU instruments
yes no
1 1 1

Languages offered across 3 VET institutions in Wales

R/M Languages

Welsh

Foreign Languages

French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, German, Greek

Immigrant Languages

Arabic

Higher Education (in three institutions)

 

Institution A

Institution B

Institution C

Language(s) of instruction
 national, foreign and R/M national and foreign national only
3 3 3
Languages on website
 national, foreign and R/M national and foreign national only
3 3 3
Target groups for additional support in the national language
all restricted none
3 2 2
Level to be achieved in foreign language instruction
linked to CEFR national or institution-based none
2 2 2
Recruitment of non-national students
 international and immigrant only international only native speakers of national language
2 2 2
Mobility for language students
obligatory optional no offer
3 3 1
Mobility for non-language students
obligatory optional no offer
2 2 2

Languages offered across 3 higher education institutions in Wales

Welsh

The three cities covered by the research are where the large majority of immigrant communities are to be found. Even so, demand and provision for education in any particular community language is limited. The use of Welsh as a medium of tuition is much more limited in these sectors. In higher education, Welsh-medium provision, although still not extensive, is mainly concentrated in universities not covered by the research, namely in Bangor and Aberystwyth, as well as at the University of Wales Trinity St David, Carmarthen. 

European Union domiciles accounted for five percent of all enrolments at Welsh higher education institutions in 2009/10 and non-EU overseas enrolments for another 13%. There is substantial provision for supporting these students in English.

Languages in Audiovisual Media and Press

 

Cardiff

Swansea

Newport

Number of languages on radio
>4 3-4 1-2 national language only
2 2 2
Number of languages on television
>4 3-4 1-2 national language only
2 2 2
Non-national language TV productions
subtitled dubbed
4 4 4
Non-national language films in cinema
subtitled dubbed
4 4 4
R/M language programmes outside of region
always regularly sometimes never
4 4 4
Availability of sign language on TV
always regularly sometimes never
2 2 2

Languages offered in audiovisual media and press across 3 cities in Wales

Radio

Welsh

Television

Welsh

Newspapers

German, Welsh, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Urdu

The use of Welsh in audio-visual media is limited to the sole Welsh-language TV channel, S4C, (established in 1982) and largely to the national Welsh language radio service of BBC Radio Cymru (established in 1977).

Other languages have almost no presence at all in the mainstream audio-visual media outlets, beyond the occasional subtitled film on television.

Languages in public services and spaces

Institutionalised language strategies at city level

> 4 3-4 1-2  national language only

frequency of practice: widely practised occasionally practised not practised

Cardiff

Swansea

Newport

City council services

4 4 4

Website presence

4 4 0

Annual municipal reports

4 4 0

External or internal translators and interpreters

6 6 6

Competencies in languages other than the national language in job descriptions of staff members

4 1 1

Plan or scheme in place to increase skills in languages

4 4 4

Recruitment of speakers of other languages to support corporate objectives

4 4 1

Offer of training in languages to employees

4 4 4

Regularly updated record of skills in languages of employees

4 4 4

Reward or promotion schemes for being able to adequately communicate in other languages

0 0 0

Oral Communications Facilities

>4 3-4 1-2 national language only

Cardiff

Swansea

Newport

Political debates and decision-making processes at the city council level

1 2 1

Educational services

2 2 2

Emergency services

2 2 2

Health services

4 2 2

Social services

4 4 4

Legal services

4 4 4

Transport services

2 2 2

Immigration and integration services

4 4 4

Tourism services

4 3 3

Theatre programmes

2 2 2

Written Communications Facilities

>4 3-4 1-2 national language only

Cardiff

Swansea

Newport

Political debates and decision-making processes at the city council level

2 2 1

Educational services

2 2 2

Emergency services

2 2 1

Health services

2 2 2

Social services

4 2 2

Legal services

2 2 2

Transport services

2 2 2

Immigration and integration services

1 1 1

Tourism services

3 2 3

Theatre programmes

2 2 2

Languages offered in public services and spaces across 3 cities in Wales (N ≥ 2):

Welsh, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), French, German, Polish, Arabic, British Sign Language, Czech, Somali, Bengali, Slovak, Urdu, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Persian, Portuguese, Panjabi, Romanian, Russian, Kurdish, Tigrigna

In local and central government and its agencies the existence of Welsh language schemes, required by the Welsh Language Act 1993, ensures the availability of a number of services in Welsh and the extensive use of Welsh, for example on signage and forms. However, as the focus of the research is on three cities where the percentage of Welsh speakers is low compared to areas in the north and west of Wales, the provision of Welsh language services is also lower than it would be for areas with higher percentages of Welsh speakers. On the other hand, as these cities contain higher concentrations of immigrants, the use of interpretation services is probably greater than would be found elsewhere in Wales.

Languages in business - 20 companies

General Language Strategies

Widely Practised

Occasionally Practised

Not Practised

Availability of language strategy

1 3 16

Emphasis on language skills in recruitment

2 7 11

International mobility provision

2 1 17

Use of external translators/interpreters

3 7 10

Staff records of language skills

1 9 10

Use of networks for language training

0 2 18

Use of EU programmes/funding

0 0 20

Awareness of EU programmes/funding

0 0 20

Internal Language Strategies

Widely Practised Occasionally Practised Not Practised

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

Partnerships with education sector

0 0 0 1 3 0 19 17 20

Reward/Promotion schemes based on language skills

1 0 0 2 3 1 17 17 19

Language training provision

1 0 0 3 3 2 16 17 18

Use of CEFR

0 0 0 0 0 0 20 20 20

Language used for workplace documents/intranet

20 1 0 0 3 1 0 16 19

Language used for software, web programmes

20 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 20

External Language Strategies

Widely Practised Occasionally Practised Not Practised

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

Language used for annual/business reports

20 0 0 0 3 0 0 17 20

Language used for marketing

20 2 1 0 7 5 0 11 14

Language used for branding/identity

20 3 1 0 6 2 0 11 17

Language used for website

20 2 3 0 1 0 0 17 17

Languages other than English and Welsh offered in business across 20 companies in Wales (N ≥ 2):

French, German, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian

Internal business use of languages other than English in the cities is limited but some use of Welsh is made on signage and in advertising.

Key Findings overall

Efforts continue to be made to ensure equality of treatment for Welsh and English in Wales. Good progress has been made in school education but much remains to be done elsewhere. Foreign and immigrant languages both have a relatively weak presence even in the school education.

Promising initiatives and pilots

The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (National Welsh Language College) was established in 2011. It is not a single geographical entity, nor a degree awarding body. It will work with and through all universities in Wales to deliver increased opportunities for students to study through the medium of Welsh.

Under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 a Welsh Language Commissioner is to be established from 1 April 2012. The Commissioner will be given functions to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh, to work towards ensuring that Welsh is treated no less favourably than English, investigating interference with the freedom to use Welsh, and to conduct inquiries into related matters. The Commissioner must have regard to ‘the principle that persons in Wales should be able to live their lives through the medium of the Welsh language if they choose to do so’. The Welsh Ministers (in the National Assembly of Wales) must adopt a strategy setting out how they propose to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh. It also allows them to specify standards with which public bodies must comply. These standards will replace the current system of Welsh language schemes. The Commissioner will oversee the implementation of the standards.

The Welsh Government published its new Welsh language strategy on 1 March 2012.

References

Welsh Government (2010) Welsh-medium education strategy: information. Information document No: 083/2010, Cardiff, Welsh Government.
http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/100420welshmediumstrategyen.pdf

Welsh Government (2010) Making languages count: Modern foreign languages in secondary schools and Learning Pathways 14-19 Information document No: 088/2010, Cardiff, Welsh Government.
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/guidance/makinglanguagescount/?lang=en

Welsh Language Act 1993
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/38/pdfs/ukpga_19930038_en.pdf

Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/mwa/2011/1/pdfs/mwa_20110001_en.pdf

Welsh Government (2012) A living language: a language for living, Cardiff, Welsh Government.
http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/122902wls201217en.pdf

TEXT