An Analysis of the Vitality of the Welsh Language

Authors

  • Daniel M. Packer
  • Romain Rivaux

Abstract

This paper discusses the vitality of the Welsh language. English is one major causation for the reduction of Welsh
speakers in Wales over the past two centuries. Welsh phonetic mutation, which is a cross-linguistic irregularity,
has become undesirable, and is thus becoming a linguistic feature of the past. Metatypy between English and Welsh has begun to influence the morphosyntactic and phonemic features of Welsh. In an effort to revitalize Welsh, the Welsh government implemented a new language policy and plan (LPP) titled “Cymraeg 2050.” A proposed differential equation model could be used to forecast the success of Cymraeg 2050 by assuming different social-status values for English and Welsh. Finally, the nine factors developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the four factors of the Language Endangerment Index (LEI) are calculated to determine that Welsh is classified somewhere between vulnerable and endangered.

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Published

2020-04-13

Issue

Vol. 9 (2020): FAU Undergraduate Research Journal

Section

Articles

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