UNIT 6. The Decline of Welsh

Read and translate the text.

A hundred years ago 60% of Welsh people spoke Welsh. Now only 20% are Welsh-speaking. Why have the numbers fallen so quickly? Here are some of the reasons for the decline.

In the nineteenth century people thought that Welsh was an uncivilized language. If you wanted to be successful in life, you had to learn English, the language of the British Empire. So in many schools in Wales the children were forbidden to speak Welsh.

At the beginning of the twentieth century many English and Irish people moved to South Wales to work in the mines and steel works. They didn’t learn Welsh.

People, especially young people, moved away from the Welsh-speaking villages and farms to look for work in the big towns and cities, so the Welsh-speaking communities became much smaller.

In the 1960s and 1970s many English people bought holiday cottages in Wales. Most of them did not learn Welsh. This also pushed up the price of houses so that local Welsh-speaking people couldn’t afford them.

English comes into every Welsh home through the television, the radio, newspapers, books, etc. There are Welsh-language TV and radio stations, but far fewer than English ones. And now there’s cable and satellite TV, too – in English, of course!

The decline in the number of Welsh speakers has now stopped. But will numbers ever start to increase again? Young people are now learning Welsh at school, but if the small Welsh-speaking communities of North Wales die, then the Welsh language will probably not survive as a living language.

 

6.2. Read the article again and answer these questions:

1. What percentage of the Welsh population spoke Welsh in 1800?
2. Why were children forbidden to speak Welsh in school in the 19th century?
3. Why did many English people buy cottages in North Wales?
4. What part of Wales would you like to visit – north or south Wales and what part to live in?
5. What do you think if the Welsh language will survive?

UNIT 7. Wales – the Land of Song.

7.1. Read and translate the text.
         Wales is a land of mountains and valleys. The highest mountain is Mount Snowdon in the Snowdonia National Park. It is a favourite holiday and hiking spot for the Welsh and English.

Wales has some wonderful holiday towns. And the beaches are beautiful.

This is Caernavon Castle, where the Prince of Wales received his title. There are castles everywhere in Wales. Most were built by the English to keep the Welsh under control. The English and Welsh have been very bad neighbours for centuries. The English have invaded Wales many, many times. And the Welsh invaded England. One of the ancient defensive structures in Britain is Offa’s Dyke. It runs along the border between Wales and England. It was built in the eighth century to keep the Welsh out of England, but it didn’t.

The most populated part of Wales is the south around Cardiff. This is where the coal is. In this part of Wales, coal has become part of everyday life. For two hundred years the Welsh have been mining coal in these valleys. Mining coal and singing. The Welsh take great pride in their choirs and their songs have travelled the world from the “Singing Valleys”.

The people take great pride in the Welsh language. It is taught in schools and has its television and radio stations. This sign on the border between Wales and England welcomes the visitor. “Croeso y Cymru”, it says, “Welcome to Wales”. But don’t worry, Welsh people speak English too!

Answer the questions:

1. What is Wales?
2. Where do people like to spend holidays?
3. Where did the Prince of Wales receive his title?
4. Why was the Castle built?
5. What is the main industry in South Wales?
6. Does the Welsh language differ from English?

 

Complete the sentences:

1. Wales is a land of… ………………
2. The highest mountain is …………………
3. Castles were built by the English ……………………….
4. The English and Welsh have been …………
5. Offa’s Dyke was ……………………………
6. It was built in the 8th century ……………………………..
7. The most populated part of Wales is ………………………..
8. The Welsh take pride in ……………………..
9. The Welsh language is ……………………..

 

True or false:

1. Wales is a land of mountains.
2. The highest mountain is Кazbek.
3. Snowdon is in Snowdonia National Park.
4. The Welsh don’t like hiking.
5. The Prince of England received his title in Caernavon Castle.
6. Most Castles were built by the Welsh.
7. The English wanted to keep the Welsh under control.
8. The English and Welsh have been bad neighbours for centuries.
9. The English have invaded Wales many times.
10. The Welsh have invaded England.
11. Offa’s Dyke is on the River Thames.
12. Offa’s Dyke was built in the 20th century.
13. The most populated part of Wales is the south around Cardiff.
14. This place is where gold is.
15. For 200 years the Welsh have been mining coal in these valleys.
16. The Welsh are proud of their traditional choirs.
17. The Welsh speak only English.
18. They have their own TV and radio stations.

UNIT 8. THE US А