Language Research

4. Minority groups: To what extent are minority groups in this country disadvantaged by their language?

Updated (February 2004)

STUDENTS PROTEST FOR LACK OF WELSH LANGUAGE TEACHING

The students at the University of Wales Aberystwyth have recently protested for lack of Welsh-language teaching. During one of the protests a list of up to 500 complaints regarding the lack of teaching in Welsh and lack of support for the language within the university was handed to the authorities.

The students believe that the only solution is a federal Welsh-language college; however, the National Assembly argues that it has given £225,000 so far towards Welsh language teaching at the university level and they cannot establish such a college at least until 2010.

A Welsh language federal college would not have its own campus and it would use the facilities of the constituent colleges within the University of Wales. On the other hand, it would have its own budget and lecturers.

“Prospective students are under the impression that they can follow their courses entirely through the medium of Welsh,” says Catrin Dafydd, the president of UMCA (the Welsh Language Union of Welsh Students at Aberystwyth). “But some departments behave as if they have not heard of the existence of the language. Some refuse to correspond with students in Welsh. Although modules in Welsh are offered in the college prospectus, as the term progresses, students find that they are not taught fully in Welsh.”

According Ms. Dafydd, it is high time that the University supports the idea of a federal college because that is the only solution ensuring stability for the language. It is essential that money is invested in postgraduate courses so that there will be Welsh-speaking lecturers in the future.

There are instances where a Welsh-speaking lecturer has to teach in English although about 70 percent of the class speak Welsh. Students also complain of a predominance of the English language when the majority of posters, advertisements and general communication is in English.

The National Assembly acknowledges that there are not enough staff able to teach in the Welsh language, but a steering group has been set up to look at the development of Welsh language courses at Welsh universities.

Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, February 19, 2004, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4422

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Updated (March 2004)

CORNISH

Cornish activists started the campaign for official recognition of this ethnic minority. The representatives from a civil rights NGO, “Cornwall 2000”, chose for this occasion St. Pyran's Day, the patron saint of Cornwall.¹

The Cornish community has been frustrated by the government's refusal to extend the provisions of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities to Cornish people.

The Cornish want recognition under the Convention; however, they were told that it would not happen because they have not been recognized yet as an ethnic group by the British courts.

Thus according to an author and civil rights campaigner, John Angarrack, from Bodmin, schools had missed out on millions of pounds of extra funding to promote the Cornish language and culture. The Ulster Scots and Gaels had this advantage so they invested in the development of their education system and cultural groups.

Parents fighting for their children's right to have the Cornish language, history and culture taught in schools attended a meeting in London at the end of February.² The meeting concentrated on the Government's obligations towards the Cornish in respect of laws designed to end marginalization and forced assimilation of cultural minorities.

Source: Eurolang New, Brussels, March 8, 2004, by Davyth Hicks, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4452

¹ The traditional parade in Truro was one of many events to take place not just in Cornwall but in Cornish communities across the world in honor of St Pyran.

² There were incidents that Cornish children were punished at school for saying they were Cornish and not English.

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Updated (October 2006)

FOUR PEOPLE ARRESTED AT WELSH LANGUAGE PROTEST

The Welsh Language Society (WLS) held a protest meeting at a new retail park in Aberystwyth as all the external signs on the shops are in English only. The shops have refused to use Welsh even though it is the first language of the majority of the local population. During the protest, four members of the Society were arrested for spraying the words "New Language Law" on the frontage of one shop.

Sian Howys, WLS's spokesperson on language legislation, emphasized that the Town Council and Ceredigion regional court had requested each shop and business that moved to the town adopt a bilingual policy, but only few did it as the present language legislation does not require it. Therefore, she drew attention to the fact that this situation clearly shows the need for a new language law.

Source: Eurolang News, October 17, 2006 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2738&Itemid=1&lang=en

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Updated (June 2007)

PROTESTS AGAINST THE THOMAS COOK'S ANTI-WELSH POLICIES

Thomas Cook, the leading UK travel agents, hit the headlines at the beginning of June when it was revealed that they had issued instructions to their Bangor¹ staff, "requesting that all staff speak English when discussing work-related matters".

This was seen as a clear attempt to ban staff from speaking Welsh and the Commission for Racial Equality in Wales said it would be consulting its lawyers, as Thomas Cook's policy is probably in breach of the Race Relations Act.

In the meantime, protesters gathered outside the company's offices and demonstrated with a tape across their months not only in Bangor, but also in Carmarthen and Cardiff.

Political parties and official bodies such as the Welsh Language Board were quick to condemn the "ban". They all agree that such ongoing discrimination only underlines the need for a new Language Act.

Hywel Griffiths, a leader of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg) stated that this disgraceful incident would not have happened if a new Welsh Language Act had been in force. The Language Society have been pressing the Welsh Assembly government to pass legislation that would require private companies to provide full bilingual services.

Hywel Griffiths stressed that even if Thomas Cook back down in the face of the outrage and bad publicity, they will then return to the normal situation - this large private company conducts all its official business and publishes all its material in English only. He said that a Welsh-speaking customer would find a Welsh-speaking member of staff with whom he or she can discuss their business only by chance.

Following the negative publicity, the company released a statement in which they denied a ban on Welsh, but they indicated that they would not be changing their policy substantially when they stated that the company has always requested that its staff, regardless of any geographical location, speak English to other staff members when discussing work-related matters in the workplace.

Whilst the Welsh language enjoys considerable status within the public sector, where official bodies are required to use both English and Welsh for public signs and documents, private companies are not required to treat both languages equally. Over the next few months Welsh language organizations will be backing the call for new legislation and bring pressure to protect the rights of Welsh speakers.

After the incident, the Welsh government was forced to issue a statement. Carwyn Jones, Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language, said: "It is totally unacceptable for Thomas Cook to bar staff from speaking Welsh in the workplace. I would like to meet Thomas Cook to discuss their policy towards the Welsh language". He went on to add, "Our long-term aim is to create a bilingual Wales, where people will be able to speak Welsh or English when going about their daily business."

Source: Eurolang News, June 12 and 16, 2007 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2897&Itemid=1&lang=en and http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2901&Itemid=1&lang=en

1. Bangor is situated in Gwynedd area - one of the areas where the Welsh language is the strongest.

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Updated (August 2007)

MORE LANGUAGE RIGHTS FOR STUDENTS

According to Gareth Butler, an expert on minority language legislation and a governor of the University of Wales, the Welsh Assembly must do more to ensure better Welsh language provision in further and higher education. Furthermore, the Assembly should include basic education rights in any new legislation proposed for the Welsh language, he adds.

Butler has sent a letter to the new Minister of Culture, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, saying that every student should have a minimum right to access a tutor to discuss their course subject together with receiving a list of the course terminology in Welsh. He says “the present system gives quite substantial rights to some students, who can study entire subjects in the language, while others may receive none”.

Source: The National website for Wales, Headline News, August 10, 2007 by Abbie Wightwick http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=language-rights-for-students&method=full&objectid=19603482&siteid=50082-name_page.html

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Updated (September 2007)

A travel firm, which was at the centre of a row over staff speaking Welsh, has produced a new office language policy.

In June, the Welsh Language Society held protests outside the Thomas Cook Travel Agency offices in Bangor, Cardiff and Carmarthen after the staff of the company were told to speak only English in work–related discussions.

About 80 protesters gathered at Bangor. A number of the protesters were wearing signs around their necks with the letters WN (meaning Welsh Not) – a punishment introduced in the 19th century schools to stop children speaking Welsh.

Back then, the company said that it wanted to ensure clear communication at all times and believed English should be used, as it is the common language in the UK.

Now, after discussions with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Welsh Language Board, Thomas Cook has developed a new policy – “whenever appropriate the staff can use and develop their language abilities”.

The company said it would promote the use of Welsh as well as English among staff in Wales “in a manner that does not interfere with the good working of the business and which recognizes that individual members of staff have a right to use the language of their choice in the workplace where this is reasonable, proportionate and practicable”.

Meri Huws, chair of the Welsh Language Board, welcomed the constructive way Thomas Cook had responded. She said they looked forward to working with the company to implement their new language policy effectively “so that they can make the most of the skills their staff possess”.

Source: BBC News, September 28, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7018650.stm

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Updated (January 2008)

A MARCH TO SUPPORT THE LANGUAGE ACT WILL BE HELD IN BELFAST

The campaign for an Irish Language Act in Northern Ireland, organized by POBAL after the Minister of Culture rejected at the end of the last year, continues this year with a march that will take place in Belfast city center on 16 February 2008.

The campaign allows Irish language groups, local councils, schools, residents associations, ethnic groups, teachers, partnerships, artists, trade unionists and others to express their support for the language. The February march is a crucial part of the campaign and will mark a new stage in the continuing push for the Language Act.

Some say there are still several ways in which the issue can be progressed if the Northern Ireland's politicians constantly attack the Irish language and argue against the Language Act. For example, the Act can be progressed through Westminster which has already passed the Welsh Language Act and legislation related to Gaelic in Scotland.

Source: Eurolang News, January 21, 2008 by Eoghan O Neill http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3015&Itemid=1&lang=en

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Updated (April 2008)

NEW ACTION TAKEN IN FAVOR OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE ACT

The radical pressure group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) has again taken further steps in the campaign in favor of legislation to give rights to use Welsh when dealing with private companies. On 1 April, they painted slogans and plastered posters on supermarkets in a number of towns across Wales.

The group has been leading the call for a change in the law and a 10,000-name petition was presented to the Welsh Government last year. All the main political parties agreed and assurances were given that a new act would be introduced.

It would appear, however, that the Government of Wales are reluctant to move on the matter fearing an outcry from business leaders who see provision for a language other than English as an un-needed, extra expense. Business owners argue that only a quarter or so of the people of Wales speak Welsh and that everyone in the country understands English.

Campaigns and non-violent protests have resulted in a number of changes in legislation over the past 30 years. The status of Welsh has risen from having no recognition or official use to now being used extensively on road signs and with local government and public bodies providing bilingual services. But many complain that there is no obligation for shops and private companies to provide bilingual services.

Over the next few months, the Cymdeithas intend continuing with similar protests against supermarkets, banks and mobile phone companies.

Source: Eurolang News, April 3, 2008 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3041&Itemid=1&lang=en

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Updated (June 2008)

FOUR ARRESTED DURING THE PROTEST

Four members of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg) were arrested during the latest protest campaign to gain more rights to use the Welsh Language on June 8th.

This time slogans were painted on a number of well-known chain stores belonging to large companies who have refused to use Welsh on signs, advertisements and labels.

Each month this year the Cymdeithas have been targeting different business sectors, such as banks, supermarkets and mobile phone companies, in order to draw attention to the fact that businesses in Wales do not use Welsh to the sufficient extent and the right to use Welsh applies only to governmental departments and official institutions.

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