LIFT Vlog Episode 13: Why I Enjoy Learning Welsh
543 views · Published 13 October 2013 · 6:29 · Indexed 11 October 2026
Channel: Alex Liáng · 2013 · People & Blogs
In this vlog piece, I am going to share with you why I enjoy learning Welsh - it is not the most obvious language to learn when it comes to picking a foreign language... but it does bring a unique set of challenges that are most rewarding. Mind you, I am British so Welsh is not a foreign language for me but a local, indigenous language... I just want to clarify the figure I quoted of 720,000 people with some knowledge of Welsh - that is an estimate by Welsh language proponents and a rather generous one. It really depends on what you define as "have some knowledge of Welsh" - anyone who lives in Wales will probably know a few words of Welsh, but clearly knowing a few words is hardly the same as being able to speak a language competently. I have come across another estimate of 562,000 people who can speak Welsh - but clearly, the definition of being a "Welsh speaker" was different in the two studies and the higher you raise the bar, the smaller the number. If you really want to include only fluent Welsh speakers who use the language confidently on a regular basis, then that number is going to be a lot smaller. But regardless whether you set the figure at 720,000 or 300,000 - the conclusion is the same, not many people speak Welsh, even in Wales (population 3 million).
