Aspects of Bilingualism in Wales

Wales is a small nation with a long and varied tradition of bilingualism. The minority language and culture is under threat. The book seeks to take the temperature of the Welsh language. Building on a computer analysis of the 1981 Welsh language Census data, the book provides evidence of a language moving slowly towards extinction. The aim of each chapter is to examine an issue which is of significance in most minority language situations, but is exemplified and encapsulated in the Welsh context. The effect of television and other mass media, the potential and threat of the microelectronic revolution, the existence and erosion of heartlands are issues which are part of the nervous tension of contemporary Wales and many other minority language regions. The role of bilingual education is a central issue of the book. A bilingual education model is described as a basis for analysing some of the problems and issues of Welsh and worldwide bilingual education. Another chapter analyses differe