TO BE WELSH OR NOT TO BE WELSH? THAT IS THE QUESTION

I suppose language can be likened to glue; depending on its formula and purpose it binds together disparate substances to form in effect a new or enhanced object with a new or enhanced purpose.  In any population, society, tribe, grouping, sect or family language can also be as divisive as the English Channel dividing England from the European continent.  

Language can divide or unite nations.  Belgium is an artificial construct between original Dutch speakers and French speakers where politics is forever treading a tightrope between two proud communities.  The tragedy of Ukraine has a basis in geographical separation of language between the east and west of the country. When early Zionists in the 19th century began buying land in Ottoman controlled Palestine they were communicating with the Jews and Arabs living there in European languages as well as Arabic and Hebrew.  As time went on the early pioneers of increased Jewish immigration realised that to increase the cohesiveness of a diverse people Hebrew would be imposed as the target national language of a future nation and thus a language that had been in common use until two thousand  years ago but had diminishing numbers of speakers mainly for religious purposes was re-born in a modern form alongside Arabic as the national languages of the modern State of Israel.

Before the Roman invasion the Brittonic language was the lingua franca in what is now Great Britain south of the Firth of Forth.  The Romans left their 400 year occupation having bequeathed to future generations the Latin language which has been a foundation stone of modern English. Similarly after 1066 Norman French was the predominant language of the English nobility until English, derived from invaders between the 5th and 7th centuries, was given official status by the Pleading in English Act 1362.  That act stated that pleas in Courts had to be held in English although written accounts were still in Latin. English became the official language in England during the reign of King Henry V.

Researchers have shown that Cornish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Manx and Welsh belong to the Celtic branch of Indo-European. Celtic, in turn, divides into two distinct subgroups: P-Celtic (or Brythonic) and Q-Celtic (or Goidelic). Cornish and Welsh are P-Celtic languages, whilst Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Manx are Q-Celtic languages.  Nationalism thrives as a driving force for populist political philosophy and language is part of that force.  Ireland is a prime example where many Catholics in Northern Ireland were encouraged by their co-religionists over the border to learn Gaelic.  The SNP legislated for road signs in Scotland to be in Scottish Gaelic as well as English. Many government and other official documents are now published in Welsh alongside English.  The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 is the legislation that created the Welsh language standards. It is a legally binding framework that all public organisations in Wales must follow to make sure that the Welsh language is treated no less favourably than English.  All children in Wales have to learn Welsh up until they are 16. Details of language provision is available here.  

A private parking company with a dubious reputation has recently won an action against a Welsh speaker for not publishing its documents in Welsh.  With both Scots and Welsh assemblies originally offered in an attempt to assuage nationalistic murmurings beginning to be aroused 50 years ago they are now being seen by their proponents as a springboard, especially in Scotland, for complete independence.  Such division would be a catastrophe for this United Kingdom but a triumph for those who seek to increase European division both within and without its geographic boundaries.  The General Elections both in this country, Europe and USA might answer the question as to whether a certain Mr V. Putin has succeeded with his disruptive aspirations aided by social media acolytes. 

Language was, is and always will be a uniter or disuniter of societies.  Ours is no exception.  The very term "woke" is a familiar example. Lewis Carroll and George Orwell each in his own way owed much of their literary status to the effects of understanding or misunderstanding the meaning of words.