Origins of the Welsh population

Heir to many peoples, first the Neolithic populations, then the Celts, the country has been throughout history the battlefield and union of two different peoples: one continental (the Celts) and the other Nordic (the Vikings, the Normans or the Anglo-Saxons). Today's population and its rich culture are the result of this mixture. The large wave of immigration that overwhelmed the country during the industrial revolution is another factor that explains its cosmopolitanism. During the 20th century, it was mainly the English who came to live in South Wales to enjoy the Welsh work and landscape. Over the last fifty years, many English people have also settled for retirement, creating significant tensions in the Welsh-speaking areas, regions with a strong Welsh identity.

The industrial revolution

After the First World War, Wales lost many commercial export markets. In 1921, the crisis began and worsened in 1926, then with the Wall Street crash in 1929. By 1932, 53% of working-age men in the Rhondda area were unemployed. By the end of the crisis in 1939, the population of the valley had decreased by about 36%, most of whom returned to the cities in search of work in English factories.

In 1945 a new election was held and the Welsh Labour Party won a majority. The mining industry was to be revived and attract many workers, particularly from Eastern Europe, especially Poland.

Indian and Pakistani immigration

From 1962 onwards, the main immigrants to Britain were Indians and Pakistanis. For one simple reason: working conditions. It all began in 1957, when a rubber company in the London suburbs decided to hire these nationalities "in the hope that they would get used to the hot and humid atmosphere of the factory". Other firms did the same, praising "their docility and the nimbleness of their fingers, but what is most appreciated about them is their willingness to work night shifts.

Moreover, today, the Indian minority is the one that voted the most in the "leave" vote on Brexit. According to a study conducted by Eviane Leidig, there are several reasons for this: they encounter more difficulties in obtaining visas. They feel that the free movement policy is unfair to Commonwealth migrants compared to those from the EU and they hope that Commonwealth products will be valued compared to those from the EU, thus creating more opportunities for local businesses.

The Welsh language

Welsh is the most widely spoken Celtic language, something the Welsh people are very proud of. It is estimated that there are about 500,000 speakers of Welsh in the world. Today, one in five people are fluent in Welsh. It is mainly in the north and west of the country that Welsh is spoken on a daily basis. In these areas, over 80% of the population speaks Welsh, compared to 10% in the south-east. Even today - and the Welsh people will confirm this - the north and the south are considered to be two quite distinct regions in terms of culture and population. The 1999 devolution recognises two official languages in Wales, Welsh and English. Previously, the Welsh language already enjoyed some recognition, thanks to the Welsh Language Act of 1967, which tolerated both languages in the courts. In 1993, the Welsh Language Bill allowed (at last!) Welsh to be taught in public schools. A law of 1997 established the equality of English and Welsh in public services administrations (police, health, education...).

For the last 20 years, public schools have given a choice of first language: Welsh as a first language and English as a second language, as for 17% of primary students and 12.6% of secondary students, English as a first language and Welsh as a second language, as for 75% of primary students, 65% of secondary students, English only (5% of primary students, 22% of secondary students).

The English accent of the Welsh is sometimes a little bit complicated to understand! And if you want to learn Welsh, the website https://learnwelsh.cymru gives you the courses available.

Some vocabulary words

You can try to fit in by testing your Welsh! Some words will be very easy to remember, as you will see them everywhere: many signs are in English and Welsh. And in museums or information centres, both languages are always present.

For example, welcome says "croeso". And hello, "bore da". The "please" is a bit more complicated, as it is "Os gwelwch yn dda". And "thank you" is "diolch".

But how do you pronounce all that? Here are a few little techniques, the first of which is intonation: pretend you're angry with an Englishman! Then, the F is equivalent to the V, the FF on the other hand is equivalent to an F in French. CH or C'H is "jota", W is "ou", TH as in English in "breath", DD in the same way as TH in "breath" and LL... it's about the sound you can make with a hot potato in your mouth! The best, however, is to ask for a demonstration.

Bretons and Great-Bretons

What brings the Bretons and the Welsh together? For a start, a common legend, that of King Arthur. Its history comes after the capitulation of the Romans who, overwhelmed by the barbarian invasions, renounced "Brittany", as Britain was called at that time. The Celts then found themselves alone to defend their territory, and their social structure, inherited from the Romans, collapsed with their departure. Their disorganization prevented them from fighting the fearsome Picts, Scots and Saxons warriors until our hero intervened! King Arthur is said to have helped the "Britto-Romans" to gather their forces again to fight the barbarians effectively.