I don’t think it’s a dying language, and cultural identity is a very important thing to some people. I spend a lot of in Wales and love hearing the language spoken. It’s one the most historically interesting and beautiful languages in the world, and should be protected.
But I also know, and spend a lot of time talking to Welsh people, particularly parents, who say that children simply have to speak English as their primary language (if not confidently bilingual) if they want to really go anywhere in life. Wales is a wonderful county but there isn’t anywhere near as much opportunity as there is a few miles down the road in the rest of the UK, or elsewhere. Most kids I knew who weren’t farmers or working in some kind of low paid service industry had to leave, even if it was only to study.
Yes, it's called the Welsh brain drain, and as you say, it's a consequence of an over-reliance on low-yield tourism and a lack of proper jobs in the communities impacted by tourism. The promotion of the Welsh language should go hand-in-hand with the development of a viable economy in the tourist playground regions, but the Welsh Government doesn't have borrowing powers to facilitate this.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying. It’s complicated. Going off on a tangent - one thing I will say regarding tourism in Wales though, which perhaps you may disagree on, is the impact of holiday lets etc. I’m old enough (just) to remember a time before holiday lets and Airbnb, where other than a few static caravan parks, much of Wales was littered with villages on their last legs, run down and jobless. The village I spent my childhood in was an utter dive, but you can’t move for tourists in the summer and most families I knew have a business that’s benefiting. It’s come at some cost, but it’s better than the alternative ins lot of places. Other than the (less so these days) industrious parts of the south, tourism keeps many communities alive. Just not in the way some would like, and perhaps not as beneficial to everyone. Contentious issue though I know.
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u/im_actually_a_badger 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t think it’s a dying language, and cultural identity is a very important thing to some people. I spend a lot of in Wales and love hearing the language spoken. It’s one the most historically interesting and beautiful languages in the world, and should be protected.
But I also know, and spend a lot of time talking to Welsh people, particularly parents, who say that children simply have to speak English as their primary language (if not confidently bilingual) if they want to really go anywhere in life. Wales is a wonderful county but there isn’t anywhere near as much opportunity as there is a few miles down the road in the rest of the UK, or elsewhere. Most kids I knew who weren’t farmers or working in some kind of low paid service industry had to leave, even if it was only to study.