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Responding to this challenge will mean considering each area of Wales on the basis of its
linguistic composition, and planning in order to strike an appropriate balance locally between
formal and informal events, creating contexts in which the use of Welsh occurs naturally, and
taking action to normalise the language and improve its prestige.
An important element of this will be developing prominent leaders who understand the key
aspects of language planning. This will enable people and organisations outside the government,
whether funded or not by the government, to act as independent catalysts. The aim will be to
move away from funding every organisation and event, in order to support opportunities which
give communities a platform to act for themselves.
Opportunities for new speakers
The Welsh language belongs to everybody and everyone has the potential to become a Welsh
speaker. New speakers who learn the language as adults need sufficient opportunities to
practise their Welsh language skills and to use it socially in order to achieve fluency. Those
opportunities need to involve existing fluent speakers who can act as catalysts for use by new
speakers as part of their everyday lives. Evidence gathered in some communities (Welsh
Government 2015) indicates that some new speakers felt that Welsh speakers’ tendency of
using English with learners in the community hindered their opportunities to practise their
skills and gain confidence in the Welsh language.
We will therefore develop a variety of interventions – from disseminating messages to fluent
speakers concerning core behaviours when speaking with new speakers to ensuring the
commitment of fluent speakers to devote time to improving the confidence of new speakers,
bridging adult education sessions and informal use in the community.
Our aim: embed positive language use practices supported
by formal and informal opportunities to use Welsh socially.
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