Page 98 - 《客語及少數族群語言政策》附錄_少數語言法律

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Theme 1:

Increasing the number of Welsh speakers

Target: The number of Welsh speakers to
reach 1 million by 2050.

There are two main methods of achieving a million speakers:
• transmitting the Welsh language from one generation to the next in the
family
• developing and sustaining skills through education and training,
from the early years to Welsh-language provision for adults.

This strategy acknowledges the key contribution of language transmission in the home to the
future vitality of the Welsh language. However, since there is a limit to the additional number of
Welsh speakers which can be created by language transmission from one generation to the
next, the education and training system is the principal method of creating new Welsh
speakers. We need to ensure that people of all ages have the opportunity to develop their Welsh
language skills and use the language with confidence in their daily life.
Census data shows that the number of Welsh speakers increases by age up until the age of 15. The
number of Welsh speakers then generally decreases between the ages of 16 and 25. One of the main
objectives
of this strategy therefore is to ensure that fewer young people lose their Welsh language skills
when moving from statutory education to further/higher education, and that more reach their
mid-twenties with a command of the language.

To underpin efforts to increase the number of Welsh speakers through the education system, it is
vital that we develop a growing workforce able to teach Welsh and teach through the medium of
Welsh.

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