On this page, you can find out more about:

• languages and dialects
• national identity and culture
• teaching ideas and resources.

Languages and dialects
The language of Wales is Welsh, though English has a significant presence. The Welsh accent puts a rising intonation on many words, giving it a singsong quality. Indeed, Wales is known as ‘The Land of Song’ and has a rich tradition in song and poetry. Every year, the Eisteddfodau (English spelling – Eisteddfod) festival takes place in Welsh and a ‘bard’ is crowned. The figure of the bard is an important one, as it is the bard who keeps the oral culture and Welsh language alive. The bard had an almost religious power within the Druidic era (2000BC-60AD) of Welsh history, as it was the bard who was responsible for reciting and describing the traditional history and therefore laws of the Welsh culture. The Welsh language is intrinsic to Welsh identity, and the English language is therefore sometimes resisted as potentially damaging. All road signs in Wales are written in both English and Welsh, and Wales is famous for having the longest place name in the world (see photo below).

Historically, Wales has never been defeated in a war, although the Druids were hard pushed by the Romans (48BC) and had to retreat all the way back to their holy island of Anglesey. For a long period, Wales had its own royal family, with a line of princes. However, Henry Tudor (Henry VII) represented the intermarriage of the Welsh and English royal families. Henry VIII's Act of Union in 1536 brought Wales into the United Kingdom, the seat of government of which was London. Wales lost its own Parliament at that point, English was established as the official language and the Church of England became the official denomination.

Unsurprisingly, the number of Welsh speakers began to fall after 1536. The 17th century, however, saw a revival of the Welsh language, with religious instructions published in the mother tongue. The 18th century popularised Wales as a tourist destination and the Romantic Revival brought Celtic culture into the limelight. In the 20th century, the nationalistic party Plaid Cymru gained popularity, demanding self-government for Wales. The process of devolution was begun and culminated in the establishment of the Welsh Assembly in 1999. As a consequence, the number of Welsh speakers has been increasing in recent decades: in the 1991 census of Wales only 18.7% of people spoke Welsh, but the 2001 census recorded 20.8% of the population (of 3.7 million people) as being speakers. The upward trend looks set to continue as more and more young people speak Welsh.

National identity and culture
Wales is a country with a unique culture, national costume, set of customs, language, literature, sports profile, industrial profile and history. The richness of the Welsh culture cannot be done justice in this limited space, but some of the more unique aspects of the culture can be touched upon here.

Patron saint
The Welsh celebrate their patron saint, Saint David (‘Dewi Sant’ in Welsh), on 1 March every year. Dewi was a Celtic monk who lived in the sixth century AD. During his life, he was the archbishop of Wales, and he was one of many early saints who helped spread Christianity among the pagan Celtic tribes of western Britain. He travelled far on his missionary journeys through Wales, where he established several churches. He also travelled to the south and west of England, Cornwall and Brittany in France.

Dewi founded a monastery where the cathedral city of St. David stands today, and where Dewi’s body was ultimately laid to rest. St. David is the smallest city in the UK but is still the ecclesiastical centre of Wales. The monastic brotherhood that Dewi founded was very strict, the brothers having to get up very early in the morning for prayers and afterwards work hard to help maintain life at the monastery, cultivating the land and even pulling the plough.

There are many stories regarding Dewi. He is sometimes known in Welsh as 'Dewi Ddyfrwr' (David the Water Drinker) because he is said to have drunk only water. On a number of occasions, springs of water appeared where he trod. It is also said that he once raised a youth from the dead. Perhaps the most well-known story regarding Dewi, however, is said to have taken place at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi, when a great crowd gathered to decide if Dewi should be Archbishop. When Dewi stood up to speak, one of the congregation shouted, ‘We won't be able to see or hear him!’ At that instant the ground rose till everyone could see and hear Dewi. Unsurprisingly, it was decided that Dewi should indeed become Archbishop. His last words to his followers before he died were: 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the little things' ('Gwnewch y pethau bychain') is today a very well-known phrase in Welsh, and has proved an inspiration to many.

Industry
Wales has always been known for its agriculture and mining. Copper mining has always gone on, but gold, lead and silver have also been mined at certain times. The 18th century was characterised by the growth of the coal and iron industry. After a period of industrial prosperity and speedy development of cities and transport, came an economic decline, culminating in the Miners Strike in 1984-85, which followed with the closure of most mines.

Entertainment
In terms of modern culture, Wales has a strong music scene, with headline musicians such as Tom Jones, The Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and The Stereophonics. Rugby union has always been the national sport, and Wales is one of the world’s top rugby-playing nations.

Geography
With its rugged coast lines, sandy beaches, craggy mountains and rolling valleys, Wales is a country of great natural beauty. It has 400 castles but only one motorway. In the northern half of the country, Snowdonia is one of the most famous regions, containing Snowdonia National Park and Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. The other half of the country has the Brecon Beacons National Park, which is well-known for its plunging waterfalls, caves and wildlife (for example, the rare Red Kite). It is also one of the least densely populated parts of Wales.

Teaching ideas and resources

• Listen to some Welsh

These extracts are part of the Welsh Language Board's introduction to Welsh. Listen to numbers and greetings in Welsh. Note this is the southern variation of Welsh, with slight differences from the language spoken in the north. You can use the greetings to support task 5 in the lesson plan below.

Numbers:

Greetings:

• Simple lesson plan about Wales and spoken Welsh

This lesson plan will give learners an insight into life in Wales, through reading and communicative language tasks.

• Listen to English being spoken in a Welsh accent

Coming soon!

• Some intercultural teaching activities

Activity 1:
Consider the situation in your own country. How many different languages are there? How many different dialects? Do you think regions of your country that have their own language and culture should have independence (i.e. be allowed to become their own country?). Ask your students to come up with a list of pros and cons about allowing such a region to have its own independence.

Activity 2:
Ask your students to imagine they had to set up a new country. Put them in groups to make decisions about their new country’s language, national costume, geography, industry, national anthem, music scene, national sport, religion and political system. Then ask them to invent a story about their patron saint or ‘founding father’. Each group should then present their new country to the other groups (they can make a poster or tourist brochure to advertise their country). Each group should decide on a score out of 10 for the countries presented. The country that gets the highest score gets its full independence!

• British Council in Wales

http://www.britishcouncil.org/wales.htm

• Information about visiting Wales

http://www.visitbritain.co.uk/destinations/wales/index.aspx

• Read about the Welsh language project in Argentina

http://www.britishcouncil.org/argentina-education-edu_cooperation-welsh.htm