History of the Welsh Language

In order to investigate the modern Welsh language, it is integral to look back to its’ formation and early usage.

Originally the Celtic language was spoken in Great Britain, but it was split into two different groups: Gaelic and Brythonic. Gaelic was spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man and the highlands of Scotland and Brythonic was spoken in Wales and the rest of England.  In 43AD, the Romans, who spoke Latin, invaded the UK. This caused many Latin words to be inserted into these languages and explains how many languages in the British Isles are based on Latin.

In the 400AD, Anglo Saxons colonised Britain. Their Germanic language was the predecessor of English but due to strong forces around the Welsh border, they did not settle in Wales.

Around this time, due to major differences in dialects, the Brythonic languages became distinct and became Welsh, Celtic, Cornish and Breton. Unlike the other languages, Welsh continued to thrive and develop.

Primitive Welsh (550-800AD)

The English Linguist, Kenneth H. Jackson, used medieval literature to identify how Welsh was formed. For example, he was able to use Taliesin’s poetry to show that Welsh and the other Brythonic languages were technically distinct by 550AD.

He therefore labelled this area of time ‘primitive welsh’ as it was the first sign that the languages were completely separate. However, at this is time, all of the languages were very similar and Welsh was spoken in Northern England as well as Wales.

Old Welsh (800-1000AD)

During this time, the Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of great Britian went ahead and therefore different areas of Britain rapidly began to divide. This is a likely reason to explain why Welsh, Cornish and Cumbric changed very contrastingly.

Middle Welsh (1000-1300AD)

Since this is much more recent than older stages, there is a greater record of literature during this time. For example, many of the Welsh Law manuscripts were written during this time.

Modern Welsh (1300-present)

During this era, lexicographers wrote Welsh Dictionaries. This boosted the language since literature was able to be recorded accurately. However, the industrial revolution in the 1800 century caused English workers to flood into Wales, which possibly was an initial cause of the decline of the Welsh Language.