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From Learners to Speakers:

Welsh Decline After School

Daniel Strogen, Swansea University

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Cymru

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Wales

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Ages 5-11 Primary

Ages 11-16 Secondary

Ages 15-18

Further

Age 18+

Higher

Welsh is compulsory

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English-medium

Welsh-medium

22.45%

77.55%

Fluent but school-bound use

Limited exposure, low confidence

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Siaradwyr newydd?

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New speakers?

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01

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03

Research Problem

Looking Forward

Research Design

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Research Problem

01

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Why?

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Research Design

02

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PHASE 1 – Qualitative�(Interviews, thematic coding)

01

02

PHASE 2 – Quantitative

(Item development, pilot testing)

03

PHASE 2 – Quantitative

(Larger testing, statistical analysis)

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Looking Forward

03

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“I wouldn’t feel very comfortable speaking to a native speaker in Welsh... my Welsh is rubbish.”

“I did Welsh up to GCSE because I had to [...] but honestly, I just sort of forgot about Welsh after school.”

“crachach” [...] “almost English” [...] “aboveness” [...] “arrogance”

“I don’t think I’d even have that many opportunities to use it.”

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—Saunders Lewis, Tynged yr Iaith (“The Fate of the Language”), 1962 (author’s translation)�

“Nid dim llai na chwyldroad yw adfer yr iaith Gymraeg yng Nghymru.”

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—Saunders Lewis, Tynged yr Iaith (“The Fate of the Language”), 1962 (author’s translation)�

“It will be nothing less than a revolution to restore the Welsh language in Wales.”

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Thank you!�Diolch yn fawr!