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The Welsh Language
Welsh is the most vibrant of all the Celtic languages. Known as 'Cymraeg' in Welsh, the language began to develop from the old
British tongue spoken in Britain in about the third century AD.
The language has close links with both Breton (spoken in Brittany) and Cornish, which is now experiencing a revival in Cornwall. The language also has links which can be identified clearly through basic patterns and vocabulary with Irish and Scots Gaelic.
The basic patterns of Welsh have changed very little since about the sixth century AD and students of Welsh, with assistance, can tackle the earliest written documents without too much trouble. The language has, of course, grown and developed over the centuries - with perhaps the greatest changes taking place in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries under the influence of the industry based British Empire and the increase in English language influence.
The language, however, remains remarkably strong and is well supported by the institutions of Wales. A fifth of the population of Wales speak the language - both in the rural heartlands and in the densely populated southeast. All children in schools in Wales learn Welsh or undertake their education through the medium of Welsh.