- Language and Identity in Modern Wales -
through the medium of Welsh. This was a bold departure from the orthodoxy which
was practised by education authorities throughout the whole of Wales. Education in
Wales was not only modelled on that of England but its language was English. Not
only was the content of education English with little, if any, reference to Wales, but
this imperial blessing was to be conveyed in the imperial language. The second half
of this century has seen a sea change in the servile yet understandable attitude of the
Welsh to formal education. English was the key to success, the language of progress
and elevation, with Welsh as a vernacular outside the temples of education. By today
there is a huge network of schools at all levels where Welsh is the primary means of
instruction. This growth has been particularly striking in the anglicized areas in the
south-east and the north-east. There is progression from play group to nursery
school to primary school to secondary school (Figure 40.3). From thereon the
provision in Welsh at the higher education institutions is sporadic. What is signifi-
cant about the bilingual school is that Welsh is the prime language in both classroom
and corridor. It is the lingua franca of the school whereas, in the others, Welsh is a
second language heard only in the Welsh lesson.
- fl gyda chyfarch ion
H Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin
-I.
H Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WELSH MEDIUM NURSERY SCHOOLS AND PLAYGROUPSFigure 40.3 MYM logo.This amazing growth has made life difficult for local authorities, who have had to
respond to demand. The situation is all the more amazing in that the demand for this
kind of education very often comes from parents neither of whom speaks Welsh.
Most bilingual schools are attended by children from non-Welsh-speaking homes.
Welsh schools in the anglicized urban areas have shown the way and schools in the
so-called 'heartland' areas westwards have moved in the same direction. This has had
to be done because of the massive immigration into rural Wales of monoglot English
families, too many of whom are unsympathetic to the native language and culture.
With the assertive development of bilingual schools in the anglicized areas and the
defensive development in the traditionally Welsh-speaking areas, the link between
language and identity is unquestioned.
The role of the media in sustaining identity is of the utmost importance. There is
no national daily Welsh language newspaper but there are a number of weeklies,
monthlies and quarterlies written entirely in Welsh. One particular development has
been the rapid increase in the number of 'local' newspapers in Welsh. These have
arisen as a reaction against the single article in Welsh in the local journal serving a
predominantly Welsh-speaking area. The new papurau bro have proliferated and, in