89-885: The River Loughor ( / ˈ l ʌ x ər / ) ( Welsh : Afon Llwchwr ) is a river in Wales which marks the border between Carmarthenshire and Swansea . The river is sourced from an underground lake at the Black Mountain emerging at the surface from Llygad Llwchwr which translates from the Welsh as "eye of the Loughor". It flows past Ammanford and Hendy in Carmarthenshire and Pontarddulais in Swansea . The river divides Carmarthenshire from Swansea for much of its course and it separates Hendy from Pontarddulais at
178-441: A dairy farm and campsite . The nearby Slade Bay includes a small beach , and is a breeding ground for fish such as rays , dogfish, common dab and bass . Three Crosses ( Welsh : Y Crwys ) is an inland village at the north east of the peninsula. Situated at a crossroad on the road from Swansea city centre (10 km) to Penclawdd (5 km), it grew up in the early 19th century to serve small shallow collieries in
267-441: 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
356-594: 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
445-663: 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
534-405: 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 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
623-399: 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 the language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded,
712-573: A sandy headland west of Three Cliffs Bay , is part of the National Trust's Penrice Estate, bought with Enterprise Neptune funds in 1967. The headland had been inundated by sand, probably in the 14th century, burying the now-ruined stone church. It was excavated in 1861 and remains sunk into the sand and overgrowth. Close to the ruined Church is a neolithic chambered tomb, with a substantial capstone, now partly collapsed but still supported on at least 6 upright stones. Sand inundations hampered
801-551: A scattering of houses and one pub – the King's Head. It sits at a crossroads: Moor Lane leads west to a caravan park near Rhossili Bay ; and Burrows Lane leads north to a caravan park overlooking Broughton Bay . The 12th-century village church, St. Cenydd 's Church, is the largest in Gower, and was founded by St. Cenydd, who in the 6th century made a hermitage here, which was destroyed by Vikings in 986. The folk singer, Phil Tanner ,
890-479: 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
979-437: A thriving cockle industry. On the south side of the inlet, the gathering and processing of cockles ( Cerastoderma edule ) contributes significantly to the economy of the villages of Crofty , Llanmorlais and Penclawdd . Anyone can take a bucket of cockles for their personal use, but the commercial fishery is restricted to a relatively small number of licence holders. Cockle density fluctuates from year to year. The estuary
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#17327718985091068-471: Is also an internationally important location for waders and other wildfowl, which has led to demands from cocklers for the control of oystercatchers ( Haematopus ostralegus ), which feed on cockles. The estuary cuts through the southern part of a once-important coalfield. Llanelli , on its north shore, was noted for its tinplate industry, whilst Penclawdd, on the south side, smelted copper from ore shipped in from Anglesey . Both required ready access to
1157-450: Is an inland village – a scatter of houses around the A4118 road at the foot of the slopes of Cefn Bryn . There are a number of archaeological sites in the area. It contains Parc-Le-Breos, a 19th-century hunting lodge, that was once the deer park of William de Breos, Lord of Gower , but today serves as a hotel and pony-trekking centre. Penmaen Castle began as a small timber castle. Later it
1246-584: 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. Llanmadoc The Gower Peninsula ( Welsh : Gŵyr ) in
1335-498: Is buried in its churchyard. A painting of Worm's Head from Llangennydd was made by Cedric Morris . A painting of Llangennith Burrows by John Nash is held in the Government Art Collection. Llanmadoc ( Welsh : Llanmadog ) is in the north west of Gower. The village is named after the churchyard of St Madoc (or Maidoc), who founded his hermitage or monastery here in the 6th century. The 13th-century building
1424-587: Is consistent with the regions of Llanmadoc, Wales and Médoc , Bordeaux , France and the Celtic migrations from the South East to the North West, and likely predates St. Madoc. The population was 365 in 2011. Close by communities include Cheriton and Landimore. Nearby beaches include Broughton Bay and Whiteford Sands . It is in the community of Llangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton . Llanmorlais, on
1513-420: 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 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
1602-555: Is in Swansea 's Penclawdd electoral ward . Pennard ( Welsh : Llanarthbodu ) is on the south of the peninsula, about 7 miles south west of Swansea city centre . It falls within the Pennard ward of Swansea . It has a church, health centre, library, a primary school and a golf course. It contains the ruins of Pennard Castle . The poets Vernon Watkins (1906–1967), Harri Webb (1920–1994) and Nigel Jenkins (1949–2014) are buried at St Mary's church. Penmaen ( Welsh : Pen-maen )
1691-474: Is in the Gower electoral ward of Swansea and the community of Llanrhidian Lower .) The village gets its name from Saint Rhidian. Its church is dedicated to St Illtyd and St Rhidian . The present building was constructed in the 13th century, with a chancel and tower added in the 14th century. In the porch may be seen a 9th-century stone, bearing simple carvings of human figures and animals. A standing stone on
1780-503: Is in the north of the peninsula. It is one of the larger villages in Gower. Part of the village is perched on a high location, enjoying panoramic views over the Loughor estuary and Gower country, while the main part of the village stretches along the edge of the estuary. It is plentiful in birdlife , and wild horses roam the estuary. Penclawdd is known for its local cockle industry, which goes back for many years to Roman times. It
1869-574: Is partly closed off by Whiteford Point, which extends from Llanmadoc in Gower towards Burry Port and Cefn Sidan in Carmarthenshire. This is now a National Nature Reserve maintained by the National Trust and Natural Resources Wales and is an area of sand dunes supporting several rare species. Just off the tip of the point is one of the few remaining cast-iron lighthouses , long since disused and in need of preservation. During World War II several gun batteries were established to both
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#17327718985091958-638: 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 the Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of
2047-500: 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
2136-466: 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
2225-683: 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 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
2314-581: The Bristol Channel via Carmarthen Bay. The main channel has fluctuated from side to side of the estuary in the past; in the late 19th century, the Llanelli Port Authority obtained legislation permitting the construction of a training wall intended to confine it to the north side of the estuary; unfortunately, this merely dissipated the currents, accelerating the silting-up not only of the entrance to Llanelli North Dock but also of
2403-538: 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
2492-623: The Gowerton electoral ward of Swansea .) In 1980, the Welsh National Eisteddfod was hosted on the 'Elba' area of the village. The Eisteddfod stone ( Gorsedd stones ) is located on the round-about opposite the garage on the road to Penclawdd. Ilston ( Welsh : Llanilltud Gŵyr) is an inland village. It has its own community council. The population of the community in the United Kingdom Census 2001
2581-519: 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 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
2670-686: 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 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
2759-640: 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
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2848-463: The village green may be the remains of a village cross. The village is served by an Esso filling station (including a shop, the post office is currently closed), two public houses (The Welcome to Town and The Dolphin Inn), a primary school and a community hall. Murton is in the community of Bishopston and is also a ward for elections to Bishopston Community Council. Murton lies between Bishopston and
2937-542: 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
3026-473: 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
3115-596: 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
3204-549: The 18th century, the river was a noted salmon and sea trout river. Fish from the river was then carried on ponies to be sold at Swansea Market . The fishing declined in the 19th century due to increasing pollution from industrialisation. Carmarthenshire County Council is currently undertaking studies into the possibility of constructing a barrage across the River Loughor upstream from the Loughor bridges. The Loughor Estuary (aka Burry inlet or Burry estuary , from
3293-536: 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 ,
3382-486: 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
3471-517: 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 ) is the label attached to the Welsh of
3560-684: 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 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
3649-465: The City and County of Swansea , Wales, contains over twenty villages and communities. Most of the peninsula is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Bishopston ( Welsh : Llandeilo Ferwallt , or historically Llanmerwallt or Llancyngur Trosgardi ) is an inland village, 6 miles (9.5 km) west-southwest of Swansea and near the beaches of Caswell Bay , Brandy Cove and Pwll Du. One of
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3738-545: The City and County of Swansea, was formed in 2012 from the Three Crosses ward formerly in Llanrhidian Higher community. Upper Killay ( Welsh : Cilâ Uchaf ) is an inland village and community . It has its own elected community council. The Clyne Valley cycle track passes through the village. Upper Killay is a gateway to Gower from the east. It lies to the south of Dunvant . The main road through
3827-550: 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
3916-491: The Penclawdd anchorage. The wall has since been breached in several places. A later influence on the physical environment was the planting of cordgrass ( Spartina anglica ) to claim grazing land at the western end of the Gower side during the 1930s. This vigorous grass has since spread in a wide band all along the south side, forming the basis of a salt-marsh supporting the grazing of sheep, ponies and cattle. The estuary
4005-496: 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,
4094-704: 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
4183-895: 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 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
4272-526: 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
4361-487: 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
4450-630: 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
4539-579: 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 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
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#17327718985094628-428: The area. These collieries had disappeared by the early years of the 20th century, and since then Three Crosses has developed as a 'dormitory village' for Swansea. Three Crosses is home to Capel Y Crwys , a large independent chapel. The village is currently home to one village shop (Country Stores) and two public houses, The Joiners Arms and The Poundffald. It has its own Community Council. Three Crosses community , in
4717-527: The attempts at excavation in 1861, 1882 and 1893, and still make it hard to appreciate what the original landform would have been like. It was probably on a false summit of the headland. It is thought that the now lost village of Stedwarlango also lies buried somewhere under the Penmaen Burrows. A pencil and watercolour painting of Penmaen Burrows was made in 1951 by John Nash . This small, south coast village, extending from Port Eynon beach to
4806-408: 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
4895-578: The churchyard are the remains of an old stone cross. Cheriton, near the north coast, is a tourist destination where summer visitors stay whilst exploring the beaches in the local area. The 13th-century church of St Catwg (or Cadoc ) is Grade 1 listed. The psychoanalyst Ernest Jones is buried in its churchyard. The author and cricketer William Collins was born at Cheriton. Footpaths lead south-east to Stembridge and south-west to Llangenydd. 51°36′54″N 4°14′25″W / 51.61506°N 4.24035°W / 51.61506; -4.24035 Crofty, on
4984-414: 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
5073-479: 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
5162-550: The east and west of Penclawdd, where gun-barrels were calibrated and shells (of various types including high-explosive and mustard gas ) were fired across the salt marsh towards Whiteford Point ; quantities of unwanted munitions were also buried on the seaward side of this point. The area is regularly swept by the Royal Navy 's bomb disposal team, although few shells are now recovered. Persistent rumours that anthrax biological warfare shells were tested against sheep in
5251-439: The end of 2008 following the availability of ADSL . Rhossili ( Welsh : Rhosili ) is on the southwestern tip of the peninsula. Since the 1970s it has fallen within the boundaries of Swansea. The village has a community council and is part of the Gower parliamentary constituency , and the Gower electoral ward. Slade is situated near the south coast, north west of Oxwich Bay . Points of interest include Eastern Slade Farm,
5340-587: The estuary were finally substantiated in a reply to a parliamentary question from the late Tony Banks in January 1987. In the 1960s, the Ministry of Defence proposed to move its main artillery and explosives testing facility at Foulness , at the mouth of the River Thames , to a site between Burry Port and Kidwelly , which was already used in a very sporadic way as an air-to-ground rocket range. The intention
5429-491: 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
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#17327718985095518-469: 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
5607-476: 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
5696-431: 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
5785-423: The larger villages in Gower, it has its own rugby club, South Gower Rugby Football Club, and its own primary and comprehensive schools. (Bishopston is part of Swansea's Bishopston ward .) Bishopston church, at the head of Bishopston Valley, is dedicated to Saint Teilo , who gives the village its Welsh name. The church contains a plain, massive font of Romanesque type, and its tower holds two 18th-century bells. In
5874-402: 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, 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 ,
5963-495: 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 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
6052-468: 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
6141-433: 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 , 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 ,
6230-451: The north coast, is a small cockling village, situated between Penclawdd and Llanmorlais . 51°38′18.00″N 4°07′33.00″W / 51.6383333°N 4.1258333°W / 51.6383333; -4.1258333 The inland village of Gowerton ( Welsh : Tregŵyr ), about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre , is a gateway to Gower . Its original name was Ffosfelin; it has also been known as Gwter Felen. (The village falls within
6319-428: The north coast, was a cockling village. The name Llanmorlais is not a true Llan place name , but a corruption of the village's old name, Glan Morlais, which refers to the banks of Morlais Stream. (The village is in Penclawdd electoral ward of Swansea .) In 2014, it was rated one of the most attractive postcode areas to live in Wales. Llanrhidian is a north Gower estuarine village, sloping down to salt marshes. (It
6408-627: 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 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
6497-473: 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
6586-606: The point where the river becomes tidal. The Loughor meets the sea at its estuary near the town of Loughor where it separates the south coast of Carmarthenshire from the north coast of the Gower Peninsula . Among its tributaries is the River Amman and the River Morlais , with the former joining the Loughor near Pantyffynnon . The area of the catchment is some 262 square kilometres (101 sq mi). In
6675-471: 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
6764-502: 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
6853-407: 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
6942-409: 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
7031-402: The small Burry River which enters on the Gower side near its mouth) is the region of the waterway below the road and rail bridges at Loughor, where it turns abruptly from a southerly to a westerly direction towards Carmarthen Bay . The Afon Lliw empties into the estuary just below the Loughor bridges. This region almost completely empties at low tide, exposing extensive sandy areas supporting
7120-462: The stone baptismal font was placed there by the saint himself. Parkmill is an inland village between Penmaen and Ilston , on the northern side of the A4118 road , the main road between Swansea and Port Eynon , in a wooded valley. It once lay within Parc le Breos, a deer park established in the 1221–32 CE by John de Braose , Marcher Lord of Gower . Penclawdd ( Welsh : Pen-clawdd )
7209-543: The top of a hill, has two fish and chip shops at the sea front, a youth hostel , a pub , a coffee shop and a restaurant . To the north-west lies Overton village, with footpaths to Overton Mere, a rocky beach. Half a mile to the east of the main beach stands the village of Horton. Reynoldston is an inland village. It has its own elected community council. It had one of the longest functioning community broadband schemes in Britain; which started in 2003 and finished at
7298-526: 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
7387-581: The village of Newton. Murton is home to Murton Methodist Church a Wesleyan Methodist Church dating back to 1828, which celebrated the centenary of its current building in 1997. Murton also hosts Murton Rovers AFC Football team. Oxwich is in the far south of Gower. Attractions include the Oxwich Burrows, the Tudor Oxwich Castle , Penrice Castle and Oxwich Bay . The ancient church is dedicated to Saint Illtyd . Legend has it that
7476-554: The village passes over a cattle grid to the west, which marks the start of Fairwood Common . The village has its own rugby team, Swansea Uplands RFC . Their clubhouse and playing fields are to the south of the village, on Fairwood Common. There is a primary school in Upper Killay, named Cila Primary School. The school has a nursery. There is a park next to the community centre and a village shop. Fairwood Hospital , an elderly care facility, closed in 2010. The community population
7565-609: Was 538. The name of the village ( Welsh : Llanilltud ) is thought to have originated from Saint Illtud . The village is home to a brook, a 13th-century parish church (which has a 15th-century bell inscribed with a prayer to St Thomas) and a Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales limestone quarry . The community is surrounded by common land used as grazing land, woodlands and fields. 51°35′38″N 4°04′49″W / 51.59399°N 4.08026°W / 51.59399; -4.08026 See also: Ilston Book Llangennith ( Welsh : Llangynydd ), in north-west Gower, has
7654-518: 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
7743-476: Was replaced by a stone structure. Excavations in 1960 and 1961 led by Leslie Alcock found evidence that the castle was in use in the 12th and 13th centuries; the first phase was likely built by the Normans . The timber gateway was destroyed by fire and later replaced by a drystone walled gate tower. Alcock suggested that stylistically this phase of the castle may have been built by the Welsh. Penmaen Burrows,
7832-584: Was restored in 1865, but retains a Romanesque font and a Romano-British tombstone. Llanmadoc Hill , formed of Old Red Sandstone , is a landmark of west Gower and affords wide views from the top. An evocative painting of the Hill, by Cedric Morris , may be seen at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery , Swansea . A painting of Llanmadoc was also made by John Nash . The Medulli were the likely Celtic tribal ancestors of Madoc . Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA)
7921-731: Was to make way for a planned third London airport. The proposal was vigorously resisted locally and was dropped when another airport site was agreed. Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] ) is a Celtic language of 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
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