Welsh language is safe from dying out, says reserchers in New Zealand

Researchers in New Zealand have concluded that the Welsh language is safe from dying out after finding how vulnerable languages are on the verge of extinction. The study was published in The Royal Society and estimates that 74 % of the population will be proficient Welsh speakers by the year 2300.

There has been an imminent threat that the Welsh-speaking communities are becoming extinct. A survey that was conducted in 2018 revealed that the number of people able to speak the language increased with  874,700 people saying they could speak Welsh up from 726,600 people in 2008.

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Welsh-speaking communities under imminent danger

With young people moving away in search of work and new housing developments attracting newcomers who do not speak the language, there have been growing concerns that the traditional Welsh-speaking communities are under danger. The government of Wales expects to get one million people speaking Welsh by 2050.

The scientists at Canterbury University took a glance at the future of endangered languages and found that the Welsh language would grow to a great extent in the next 300 years. They concluded that the future for the language would remain threatened for the next 50-100 years. 

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Trump aims to preserve indigenous languages

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has come up with a measure that extends federal grant programs aimed at preserving indigenous languages and expands eligibility so more tribes can participate. The president’s signature came Friday after the measure cleared the US House with bipartisan support. Senate approval came earlier this year.

The legislation was named after Esther Martinez, a traditional storyteller and Tewa language advocate from New Mexico’s Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. She died in 2006. Her family, tribal leaders and members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation say reauthorization of the programs through 2024 marks a commitment by the federal government to keep Alaska Native and American Indian languages alive.

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