86-401: 51°31′44″N 3°17′50″W / 51.52883°N 3.29735°W / 51.52883; -3.29735 Pentyrch (sometimes Welsh : Pen-tyrch ; Welsh pronunciation: [pɛnˈtɪrχ] ) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff , the capital city of Wales . The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers
172-521: A 27% swing to Plaid Cymru's Hywel Wigley, resulted in a narrow win for Conservative candidate Gavin Hill-John by 18 votes. At the Cardiff Council election on 4 May 2017 Cllr Hill-John successfully defended his seat, increasing the margin between himself and Hywel Wigley to 215 votes. The turnout was 56%. The Pentyrch Community Council has thirteen elected (or co-opted) members, representing
258-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under
344-594: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified
430-493: A White Robe Druid of the Gorsedd of Bards". Bowen Rees "campaigned all his life for Welsh rights, language and culture" although he did not believe in the narrow view of nationalism, glorifying one country over another, rather that the "battle for Wales is the battle for all small nations, all small communities, all individuals in the age of genocide". Rhys's mother, Margaret Wynn Meredith, shared his father's love of writing and
516-663: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had
602-542: A couple of largely Welsh-language EPs on the Ankst label, they signed to Creation Records . Apparently, when offering them the deal after a gig, Alan McGee , head of Creation, asked that they sing more songs in English. Rhys pointed out that all the songs that night had been in English. Super Furry Animals went on to release their critically acclaimed first album, Fuzzy Logic , in 1996 – the first time Rhys had recorded in English. He later observed that his singing sounded like
688-607: A fireplace with a chamfered beam, dated 1711. Sport in the village is centred on the Pentyrch Rugby Football Club . There is also a cricket pitch and other facilities at the club. Pentyrch Rangers football club is based in the village. The club has nearly 200 registered players and runs 10 junior and mini football teams in the Cardiff and District League. Other amenities include a village hall and primary school. Craig-y-parc House , in wooded grounds outside
774-577: A limited run of live performances featuring actors from National Theatre Wales. The album and live show are based on the life of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli . Rhys has occasionally collaborated with other artists, providing vocals for the track "Dial: Revenge" on the Mogwai album Rock Action as well as guesting on the songs "Fear of Guitars" (from the album Machine Says Yes by FC Kahuna ) and "Do's and Don'ts" (by Boom Bip ) as well as "Just War" from Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse 's album Dark Night of
860-469: A number of high-profile guest appearances from Fab Moretti of The Strokes , Har Mar Superstar , Yo Majesty , Spank Rock , Cate Le Bon and The Magic Numbers . The first single, "Raquel", was released on 26 November 2007. The follow-up single "I Lust U", featured fellow Welsh artist Cate Le Bon on vocals. The album was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize. On 29 April 2013, Neon Neon released their second studio album, Praxis Makes Perfect , followed by
946-506: A random collection of accents – but it was nevertheless very successful. Follow-up albums included Radiator in 1997, Guerrilla in 1999 and Mwng in 2000. They also became particularly famous for their 40-foot inflatable bears and a blue tank with 'SFA' written upon it which toured summer festivals playing techno music at high volume. Super Furry Animals made a further mark on history in July 2001, when they released their first album for
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#17327762456761032-520: A series of Welsh acts such as Gruff Rhys , Cerys Matthews and Charlotte Church as well as local and international music acts. Many programmes for S4C and the BBC are filmed there. The building itself is converted from the former presbyterian Capel Horeb. Opposite Acapela is the Lewis Arms public house. Housing is split between older housing and large post-1970s developments. The older buildings in
1118-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into
1204-410: Is a Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals , which obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip . Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Prize . He won the 2011 Welsh Music Prize for his album Hotel Shampoo , which
1290-668: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Gruff Rhys Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡrɨ̞fɨ̞ð maˈrɛdɨ̞ð ˈbowɛn ˈr̥ɨːs] ; born 18 July 1970)
1376-688: Is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of the Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to
1462-514: Is relatively unknown in his native Brazil, and Gruff Rhys. On 17 December 2011, Rhys joined Manic Street Preachers on stage during the band's 38 song A Night of National Treasures one-off live event at the O2 Arena in London to provide the lead vocals for the song Let Robeson Sing . Introducing Rhys to the stage, lead singer James Dean Bradfield explained that Rhys had been set to perform
1548-633: Is right-handed, he learned to play left-handed on his brother's left-handed guitar. Once his brother left home, Rhys only had access to a right-handed guitar. As he had already learned to play left-handed, and rather than invert the nut and re-string it, he taught himself to play the right-handed guitar upside down so the bass strings are on the bottom. Today, Rhys still plays left-handed on an upside down right-handed guitar. When Ffa Coffi Pawb disbanded in 1993, Rhys and drummer Dafydd Ieuan , of Rhoscefnhir, Anglesey , who had played for Catatonia , Anhrefn , Hanner Pei and many other Welsh language bands, formed
1634-511: Is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain
1720-732: The Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of the material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows
1806-598: The 2001 census , Pentyrch contained 3,535 individuals, in 1,358 households. Pentyrch became the newest addition to the Cardiff unitary authority in 1996. The electoral ward of Pentyrch elects one councillor to Cardiff Council . It falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West and is represented by the Labour Party in the House of Commons and the Senedd . The ward is bounded by Rhondda Cynon Taf to
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#17327762456761892-500: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in
1978-466: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in
2064-963: The Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people . Welsh is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave
2150-538: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol
2236-756: The Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic , the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons . Classified as Insular Celtic , the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and
2322-640: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has
2408-692: The libretto for the 2017 opera 2117/Hedd Wyn , with music by the composer Stephen McNeff . The story is inspired by the life of the Welsh poet Hedd Wyn ; set in the year 2117, it imagines a group of schoolchildren in a post-apocalyptic Trawsfynydd learning about the life and work of the poet. It was recorded by Ty Cerdd Records and released in 2022. He supports Bangor City F.C. of the League of Wales . He formed ieie Productions with his partner Catryn Ramasut in 2006 to produce film and television projects. In July 2015, Rhys received an Honorary Fellowship from Bangor University . Among those also receiving
2494-594: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for
2580-596: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in
2666-536: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,
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2752-486: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for
2838-550: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published
2924-527: The M4 Motorway, then A470 , then via Heol Goch, a hill flanked by a quarry and nature reserve. Alternatively, Church Road provides access from Llantrisant Road near St Fagans . Other approaches are from Creigiau and Gwaelod-y-Garth . There was a separate location, Pentyrch Crossing, a flat railway crossing believed to have been removed in the 1960s, between Morganstown and the River Taff. At
3010-531: The Placid Casual label. It was a loose, sketchy, all-Welsh-language album, with most of the instruments played by Rhys. A tour of Wales and several festival appearances followed. After Super Furry Animals signed to Rough Trade, the new label agreed to take on his solo works as well, and on 8 January 2007 they released Candylion , a batch of acoustic pop songs in English, Spanish and Welsh, which Rhys wrote whilst touring Love Kraft but which did not fit with
3096-600: The Sony label, Rings Around the World , on CD and DVD simultaneously. They repeated this for 2003's Phantom Power . Unfortunately 2005's Love Kraft performed poorly commercially and Super Furry Animals agreed to leave Sony. They are presently signed to Rough Trade and released Hey Venus! in 2007 in the UK. In 2009 they released their latest record to date, entitled Dark Days/Light Years . On 24 January 2005, Rhys released his first solo album, Yr Atal Genhedlaeth , on
3182-565: The Soul . He has also featured on the Myspace remix track "I'm Not Lying" by Goldie Lookin' Chain . He features on the track "Cream Dream" from the 2009 Simian Mobile Disco album Temporary Pleasure . He also eats carrots on the Misty's Big Adventure album Television's People , continuing the vegetable relay started by Brian Wilson on Smile . Miles Kane has also called for him to produce
3268-496: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,
3354-704: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither
3440-615: The Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of
3526-526: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer
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3612-487: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to
3698-630: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of
3784-415: The basis of Super Furry Animals. They soon settled on a line-up consisting of Rhys on vocals and guitar, Ieuan on drums, his brother Cian Ciaran (formerly of WWZZ) on keyboards, Huw Bunford (formerly of U-Thant) on guitar and Guto Pryce on bass. This line-up has remained constant to the present day, although the role of each member has become more flexible, particularly in the studio. In 1995, following
3870-460: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of
3956-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within
4042-489: The creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as a new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of
4128-479: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over
4214-406: The direction of the new Super Furry Animals album. A third solo album by Rhys, Hotel Shampoo , was released on 14 February 2011. On 4 March 2011, it was announced that Rhys would be playing at Glastonbury 2011 . In May 2014, Rhys released his new work, American Interior ( I Grombil Cyfandir Pell ), a combined project of an album, a film, a hardback book and an app for mobile devices. The film
4300-491: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of
4386-469: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval
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#17327762456764472-476: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to
4558-456: The history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by the Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period
4644-595: The language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for
4730-506: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to
4816-555: The language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded, the Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c. 600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol )
4902-622: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in
4988-524: The music features drummer Chris Walmsley, double-bassist Jim Barr ( Portishead ), Gavin Fitzjohn on trumpet and pianist Osian Gwynedd (formerly of Big Leaves and Sybridion) on piano, with strings arranged by Gruff Ab Arwel ( Y Niwl ). Additional string music was recorded by the Elysian Quartet. In September 2015, Rhys won the 2015 BAFTA Cymru award for Original Music for the score. Rhys wrote
5074-472: The name means 'everyone's coffee beans', though if said quickly in Welsh, it can sound like 'fuck off everyone' in English and Welsh combined. On signing to Ankstmusik , Ffa Coffi Pawb became one of the leading bands on the Welsh music scene during the Cool Cymru movement, and released three albums – Clymhalio , Dalec Peilon and Hei Vidal! . Rhys plays the guitar in an unusual style. Although he
5160-489: The next album by his band the Rascals. Rhys also collaborated with influential hip-hop group De La Soul on a Gorillaz track titled Superfast Jellyfish . The track is on the third Gorillaz studio album, Plastic Beach , and provided vocals on the song "We Won't be Broke Forever Baby" on Akira the Don 's LP The Life Equation. In 2010 he released an album with Brazilian artist Tony da Gatorra on Turnstile Music. The album featured both compositions by Tony da Gatorra, who
5246-468: The next election in 2022. Political affiliation recorded as 'Welsh Conservative' on the Pentyrch Community Council website (March 2020). Political affiliation recorded as 'Welsh Conservative' on the Pentyrch Community Council website (March 2020). The next election is due to be held in May 2022. Acapela Studio, a concert hall and recording studio, is owned by harpist Catrin Finch and music and television producer Hywel Wigley. Acapela studio has hosted
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#17327762456765332-433: The north; and by the wards of Whitchurch & Tongwynlais to the east; Radyr & Morganstown to the southeast; and Creigiau & St. Fagans to the southwest. Pentyrch was represented by Conservative councillor Craig Williams on Cardiff Council until he stepped down in 2015, following his election to Parliament for Cardiff North . A by-election for the Pentyrch ward took place on Tuesday 30 June 2015 which, despite
5418-448: The number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered the least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead,
5504-435: The original album), Sweet Baboo , Emma Daman Thomas and Kliph Scurlock . The show also included actors Remy Beasley, Matthew Bulgo, Dyfan Dwyfor , Natasha Lewis and Dyfrig Morris. On 21 April 2016, Rhys released a new song entitled "I Love EU", a song praising the European Union ahead of the EU Referendum on 23 June 2016. Rhys released his fifth album, entitled Babelsberg , on 8 June 2018. A further album, "Pang!",
5590-402: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to
5676-412: The people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi ,
5762-436: The population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak a fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase
5848-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over
5934-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by
6020-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in
6106-409: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of
6192-651: The shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson , the Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in
6278-524: The song at the band's 2001 performance in Havana, Cuba but circumstances had prevented this from happening. In 2010, Dylan Goch's film Separado! premiered. It is a documentary about Gruff Rhys's trip to Patagonia to try to locate members of his family whose ancestors had emigrated in Victorian times. In 2014, the pair co-directed a film about the Welsh explorer John Evans , American Interior . It
6364-526: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from
6450-638: The village and immediate surrounding area. The Pentyrch community includes the neighbouring village of Creigiau and Gwaelod y Garth . People living in Pentyrch are commonly known as "Penterchyians". On 26 February 2016, multiple witnesses reported seeing UFOs . The village is situated approximately 6 miles north-west from Cardiff city centre, next to the Garth Mountain , high above the River Taff . The village can be reached from junction 32 of
6536-476: The village are reached by forking left after entering the village, travelling down to the King's Arms pub, and St. Catwg's Church, at the lowest point of the village. Along with St. Catwg's Church and its lychgate, the King's Arms is a Grade II Listed building . Originally a seventeenth-century copyhold farm called Cae Golman, the King's Arms became established as a public house in the eighteenth century. The bar has
6622-409: The village, is a former country house, now a residential school for children and young adult with disabilities. Designed by Charles Edward Mallows for the colliery owner Thomas Evans, and built between 1914 and 1918, it is a Grade II* listed building . Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] ) is a Celtic language of
6708-411: The villages of Pentyrch, Creigiau (including Capel Llanilltern) and Gwaelod y Garth (the three community wards) on a ratio of 6:5:2. Elections are held every five years. Ten candidates (6 Independent, 3 Welsh Labour, 1 Plaid Cymru) stood for election during the 2017 Cardiff Council election . All candidates were therefore elected unopposed. The following by-elections took place between May 2017 and
6794-590: Was a poet. Rhys was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen , Bethesda , Gwynedd , North Wales and was awarded a degree in art at Manchester Metropolitan University . As a teenager in 1985, Gruff Rhys played drums for the North Wales band, Machlud, appearing at the Pesda Roc festival in Bethesda. After playing drums for the band Emily, Rhys found fame in Wales as the front man of Ffa Coffi Pawb . Translated,
6880-487: Was co-directed by Dylan Goch, who also worked with Rhys on his previous film, Separado! (2010). From December 2015 to January 2016, Rhys fronted a co-production with National Theatre Wales titled "The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion", featuring songs from Candylion and several new tracks. The music and lyrics were by Gruff Rhys and the play's text, which included audience participation, by Tim Price. The musicians appearing with Rhys were Lisa Jên Brown (who also sang on
6966-622: Was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been the ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to
7052-520: Was followed up by American Interior in 2014, accompanied by a film, a book and a mobile app . His most recent album, Sadness Sets Me Free , was released in 2024. He is considered a figurehead of the era known as Cool Cymru . Rhys was born 18 July 1970 in Haverfordwest , Wales . He has a brother and a sister; his father was Ioan Bowen Rees (13 January 1929 – 4 May 1999), a "poet, essayist, polemicist, mountaineer, internationalist ... and
7138-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through
7224-517: Was probably spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth . During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, thus evolving into Welsh and the other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern
7310-674: Was released in cinemas in the UK on 9 May 2014. In 2011 Rhys composed the music for the successful iOS and Android game Whale Trail which has been an iTunes game of the week. In 2016 Rhys composed and sang "I Love EU" to support the Remain campaign in the UK European Membership Referendum . In 2014, Rhys composed the film score for Set Fire to the Stars about Dylan Thomas and starring Celyn Jones and Elijah Wood . The jazz group he formed to record
7396-415: Was released on 13 September 2019, produced by South African DJ Muzi . In 2007 Rhys launched a new electro-pop collaborative project with Boom Bip under the collective moniker Neon Neon . Their album, titled Stainless Style , is a loose concept album based on the tumultuous life of DeLorean Motor Company founder John DeLorean , and was released on 18 March 2008 via Lex Records . The album includes
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