Simon Brooks, chairman of the Welsh-speaking Communities Commission, said that unless action was taken, there was a risk that Welsh would soon be lost as a community language in some of its traditional heartlands. “What we are facing is an important moment in history,” he said. “A lot has happened in a short period of time. You had Brexit, which is a huge economic shock, after the pandemic, which led to a race for space. In my opinion, Anglicization has accelerated. There may be a turning point in the use of language. The fear is that many of these communities are at this tipping point.” Brooks said the “avalanche effect” helped community languages – which he defined as a language spoken by many or more people in the local community and used in everyday interaction – to thrive. “When everyone speaks the language, you use it. When another language is introduced, you can get to a point where the majority language becomes much more dominant, and that can happen very quickly.” He said he had noticed a change in his own seaside village in Gwynedd, north Wales. “The language on the street has become more English. This was accelerated by the Covid crisis.” Brooks said Welsh would still be spoken by many people across Wales, but without intervention it could be at risk as a community language. He added: “The decline of Welsh as a community language is significant for the whole of Britain. It is the last Celtic language spoken at community level. It is important in terms of wider cultural diversity.” The commission is calling for evidence from citizens and organizations on issues affecting Welsh-speaking communities, from housing and education to community development and regeneration. Brooks said the survival of the language in secondary hotspots such as coastal villages in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire was already critical. “You can have 40 or 50% of the homes tied up in second homes. At this point a community is not sustainable. It cannot survive.” He said Welsh language homes were often financially deprived. “They are on the periphery of the UK, far away from the British and European markets. Historically, many regions face the same post-industrial problems as places like the north of England.” Brooks said Brexit stress and the cost of living crisis were pushing Welsh speakers away. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Welsh Government, led by the Labor Party, has taken a number of measures designed to stop the erosion of the Welsh language due to the rise in second home ownership, including allowing local authorities to increase council tax premiums council for second homes at 300% and forcing homeowners to obtain planning permission to change the classification of a property from primary residence to second residence. Brooks, an associate professor at the management school at Swansea University, said that as well as looking at the issue of secondary homes, the committee would look at issues ranging from tackling long-term structural disadvantages, to how tourism is managed and the language could to be kept alive in the rural community. Strengthening Welsh-speaking communities is central to the Welsh Government’s strategy to double the everyday use of Welsh by 2050. For the year ending 30 June 2022, the annual population survey reported that 29.7% of three-year-olds and over were able to speak Welsh – about 899,500 people. Just under 15% reported speaking Welsh every day. Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, said: “It is vital that our communities are strong and protected so that Cymraeg can thrive. The challenges facing Welsh-speaking communities have increased in recent years and I’m sure many people will have views and suggestions to change this.” The call for evidence starts on 9 November 2022 and responses should be submitted by 13 January 2023.
