In Putting Wales First, a recently translated history of Plaid Cymru’s political ideas, Prof Richard Wyn Jones references a 1940s newspaper editorial satirising the party’s then preoccupations. Poking fun at its focus on language, and nostalgia for a rural society of small-scale landowners, the Western Mail waspishly summed up the vision as “three acres and a Welsh-speaking cow”.
It was a caricature at the time, of course. And it certainly bears no relation to the modern-day Plaid, which launched its Senedd campaign this week from a position of strength at the top of the polls. But Plaid’s historic commitment to safeguarding and promoting Welsh language and culture remains a defining cause. If – as currently seems highly likely – it goes on to lead the next Welsh government after 7 May, it has promised a raft of measures to embed the use of Cymraeg more deeply in everyday life.
Happily, given the capacity of minority languages to enrich lives by deepening a sense of belonging and historical connection, the evidence suggests that it would be knocking at an open door. As the Guardian reported at the weekend, new figures from Y Ganolfan Dysgu Cymraeg Genedlaethol – the National Centre for Learning Welsh – suggest a mini-boom. Numbers have steadily increased since the programme began in 2016, and now top 20,000. A sizable proportion are adult learners who have come via the workplace, but there have also been huge increases in take-up by 16- to 24-year-olds, and there is a growing level of participation among diverse ethnicities.
In part this reflects a sea change since devolution in 1999, as bilingualism has become the norm and Welsh-speaking has been embraced beyond Plaid’s ranks as an attractive marker of cultural identity. Welsh-medium education is increasingly sought by parents keen to give their children learning opportunities they did not themselves have. The widespread adoption of Yma o Hyd (We’re Still Here) – a 1980s protest song written by a former Plaid president – as a second national anthem sums up the shift in the zeitgeist.
Welsh Labour, which has set a target of 1 million Cymraeg speakers by 2050, has played an enthusiastic role in the renaissance. But serious challenges remain. The most immediate is making sure that Nigel Farage and Reform UK play no part in the next Welsh government: seeking as ever to polarise, Mr Farage has pledged to scrap the 1 million aspiration and undo the landmark Welsh Language and Education Act, which seeks to further expand provision in schools.
More broadly, a recent report by the Welsh language commissioner emphasised that while the number of speakers has remained stable over decades, it has not risen to reflect significant growth in the population as a whole. Meanwhile, in heartland regions such as Anglesey (Ynys Môn) and Gwynedd, a lack of access to good employment and affordable housing has driven a youthful exodus, undermining the prospects of predominantly Welsh-speaking communities.
Addressing such issues may require giving local authorities more support as they intervene where communities have suffered the downsides of tourism and a rise in second homes. But the success of the National Centre for Learning Welsh testifies to vibrant demand for a language that should be enabled to flourish in the future. As Plaid seeks a historic victory in May, old jibes about Welsh-speaking cows can safely be consigned to history.
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