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LanguageOne of the key features of culture in Wales is its language. The use of Welsh during earlier history is difficult to gauge. Welsh poetry and culture flourished during the 6th and 7th Century, and itinerant bards and poets who spoke purely in the Welsh tongue were patronised up until the 16th Century. At the time of the Acts of Union (1536 to 1543), the use of Welsh appears to have been almost equal with that of English, many people being proud to say that they could converse equally well in both languages. It was not until the beginnings of the industrial revolution in the 1800’s that the use of Welsh began to decline, in part due to the amount of immigration into Wales as the Industrial Revolution approached it's peak. However, the use of Welsh never stopped in Caerphilly. In 1911, it was stated that one third of the Caerphilly Urban District, which amounted to some 10,284 people, were bilingual. According to the 2001 Census 12% of the population in the Caerphilly borough are Welsh speakers compared with the National Wales average of 20%. The use of Welsh at School, in work, and within the cultural life of the nation, has been strengthened in recent years by the increasing popularity of Welsh Medium Education, the introduction of S4C, the first Welsh Language Television Channel, and the Welsh Language Act of 1993. Caerphilly County Borough illustrates this resurgence through its nine Primary and one Secondary Welsh Medium Schools. Image date: unknown Do you have any stories, images and interesting facts relating to this picture. Help Chronicle build a website of your Caerphilly County Borough memories. Email the webmaster telling us as much as you can about your pictures. Thank you Description: |
