The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖhas welcomed initial findings from a group of experts on protecting the future of Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ-speaking communities.
The Commission for Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ-speaking Communities, which was set up by the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖto look at ways of supporting Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ as a community language, has published its preliminary findings today.
The Minister for Education and Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Language, Jeremy Miles, will discuss the findings with the Commission’s Chair, Dr Simon Brooks, and hear the views of young people today, in a Q&A session at the Urdd Eisteddfod. This event is part of a series of events engaging with Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ-speaking communities about what is important to them.
The report proposes designating as ‘areas of higher density linguistic significance’ in parts of Wales where intervention might be needed to sustain Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ as a community language. This would enable public policy to be varied to acknowledge the needs of different parts of Wales.
Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Language, said:
I welcome the findings of the Commission’s report today. It’s crucial that our communities are strong and protected so Cymraeg can thrive. The challenges facing Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ-speaking communities have intensified in recent years, which we saw in the census results last year and is reflected in the Commission’s paper. The paper acknowledges the importance of listening to the needs of our Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ language communities directly, which why I have started a series of visits to hear from people about their lived experiences.
Dr Simon Brooks, Chair of the Commission for Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ-speaking Communities, said:
The Commission has listened carefully to people’s views. Our preliminary finding is that further support is required to support Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ as a community language, especially in socio-economic areas such as housing, planning, community development, as well as education. This could be achieved by allowing policies which impact on the social use of Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ to be varied in different parts of Wales. To do this, the Commission believes that ‘areas of higher density linguistic significance’ should be designated, and our Position Paper discusses how this might be achieved.