Language is key to our global identity

WE support the Welsh Government in its endeavour to increase the number of Welsh speakers to a million by 2050.

Carwyn Jones and Alun Davies are right when they describe the Welsh language as one of the treasures of Wales.

But while creating the conditions that will enable our ancient language to flourish is commendable in itself, there are many reasons beyond some kind of cultural sentimentality that make it an important venture.

Globalisation has a tendency to make everything more alike. International brands swamp markets and make it more difficult for the quirky and interesting to survive.

It is possible for cultures to retain their distinctiveness, however, when they are deeply rooted in history.

The Welsh language, more than anything, has been responsible for keeping Wales alive as a discrete entity for more than seven centuries since it was conquered by England in 1282.

Dafydd Iwan’s rousing anthem Yma o Hyd celebrates the survival of the language against all the odds that were stacked against it. If Welsh hadn’t survived, Wales would have been subsumed fully by England – there’s surely no doubt about that.

This leads to the fact that most people in Wales understand that our nation is culturally richer for having two languages, even if they aren’t Welsh speakers.

In many cases, non-Welsh speaking parents have chosen to send their children to Welsh-medium schools so they can play a bigger part in the culture that’s fully available to them when they learn Welsh.

Achieving the target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 will not be easy. It will mean rowing against the tide of globalisation through significant Welsh Government intervention.

Education is, of course, at the centre of the strategy, and that means investment in more Welsh-medium schools. That, in turn, means an investment in more Welsh-speaking teachers.

This can only happen, though, with the full cooperation of local authorities, many of which have been less than dutiful in satisfying the existing demand for Welsh-medium education in their own communities.

It may be that with responsibility for schools becoming more and more that of regional consortia, better progress will be made in the future.

There are also concerns that the incremental targets may slip as time progresses. We sincerely hope that isn’t the case. We also hope the Welsh Government hasn’t given itself a get-out clause by putting some of the burden on individual members of the public.

It is, of course, right that parents should be helping their children to speak Welsh in social settings and providing encouragement for them to become fully bilingual. There is also a place for others to help.

Ultimately, however, this is the Welsh Government’s strategy, and its responsibility to ensure the target is met.