Saving the Welsh language

We have been discussing a lot in class and through our blogs about the reality of saving languages: whether it is possible, viable, or even necessary to save a dying language, what we can gain or preserve by saving one, and what we might or might not lose by letting one die away. Debating the need and benefits of saving dying languages, it would be very helpful to observe and analyze the benefits and problems of a success story, also. The effort to save and revive the Welsh language is such a story.

As writer Eluned Morgan states in the article "Language should help unite the nation," Wales "should be proud of the fact that it is one of the very few countries in the world that has managed to turn around the fortunes of a minority language and increase the number of its speakers" through "direct and targeted government intervention." Before this, however, Wales must face and address two main concerns from its people and other countries. First, it must answer criticisms of the resulting reverse discrimination against non-Welsh speakers, especially in the labor market. This is not exactly a concern specific to the language revival in Wales, though. A bilingual laborer almost anywhere in the world will have a better chance of getting a job than a monolingual applicant, assuming they are similar in other aspects of their application. (Once this condition fails, of course, discrimination truly sets in, and is in no way tolerable.) Language-wise, "it goes without saying that to ensure the continued revival of the language we must ensure that, where relevant, there are opportunities to use that language," which means "some employees must speak Welsh." Just like it is necessary in California to hire bilingual medical employees to communicate with non-English speakers, it is necessary and socially beneficial to hire Welsh speakers to communicate with non-English speakers (especially as most of them are senior citizens whose social needs are greatest).

The second concern the article addresses is one much more relevant: how best for a government to allocate scarce resources in attempting to revive a language. The writer phrases it best: "Would the money currently spent on reams of complex and costly Welsh documents read by very few not be better spent on expanding the opportunities to speak Welsh at the grassroots level, with for example help to open a Welsh-language nursery school in every small town in Wales?" What is the perfect balance between policies and outreach? Between official literature and everyday, informal conversations? In the case of Wales, what about the 80 percent of the population that are non-Welsh speakers? How can the government reward and encourage Welsh speakers without leaving out and angering the rest of the population?

Here in lies the problem of saving minority languages: the government must actively take part in the process in order for it to succeed and last, but the fact that it is a minority language prevents the government (especially democratic governments) to properly dedicate to it, what with the many other social issues it must deal with that much more directly affect its citizens' daily lives. Saving languages, at least in the most literal sense of preserving the vocabulary and grammatical structures themselves, are not impossible. Today's recording technologies can ensure so. Whether communities can rally the financial and social support to do so, however, remains a tricky question to be answered only by each community itself.

Good luck on your midterms, everybody! =]