82-659: The South Wales Metro ( Welsh : Metro De Cymru ) is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network currently being developed in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central railway station. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are currently under way, with a new depot under construction at Taff's Well and new trains being built by Stadler Rail in Switzerland. The development will also include
164-506: A Cardiff University lead partnership initiative, Clwstwr, assessed the economic impact of the media sector in the region. It reported that the CCR is home to the third largest media sector in the United Kingdom, after London and Manchester, and ahead of other media hubs such as Brighton, Bristol, and Southampton. One in every eight jobs created today in the region is linked to the media sector, with
246-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under
328-586: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified
410-647: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had
492-408: A deadline of 2022 for some work, as the work would need to meet the deadline for the £159 million in awarded European Regional Development funding , which will not be available after that date due to Brexit . It was announced that work on the project would start on 3 August 2020, beginning with track improvements on lines to Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Treherbert. These lines would operate as
574-405: A fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase the number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered
656-399: A new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded,
738-481: A rail replacement service between 8 pm and 5 am until December 2020, except on Fridays and Saturdays. The phase two works were scheduled to be completed by 2023. Total cost of South Wales metro part 1 has been cited by the Welsh government as £88.5 million in a brochure on the development. The total cost of South Wales Metro part 2 is estimated to be £738 million; this includes "electrification of
820-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into
902-659: A working group to examine detailed proposals for the potential subsequent stages of the Cardiff Capital Region Metro system. In 2024, Barry documented his recollections of the advocacy and development of the Cardiff Capital Region (or South Wales) Metro from 2010-2024, in his book, How to build a Metro . Former First Minister Carwyn Jones formally launched the South Wales Metro in November 2015, with
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#1733202212700984-459: A £200 million investment in a Cardiff cross-rail scheme based on trams , between St Mellons in the east via Cardiff Central, south into Cardiff Bay , north to Coryton , converting a number of Valley Lines heavy rail routes to light rail, and a new route north-west via Ely and Radyr Court to the M4 motorway near Creigiau . From Autumn 2012, Barry led the private sector Metro Consortium, with
1066-510: Is a city region in Wales , centred on the capital city of Wales , Cardiff , in the southeast of the country. It is a partnership between the ten local authorities of Blaenau Gwent , Bridgend , Caerphilly , Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil , Monmouthshire , Newport , Rhondda Cynon Taf , Torfaen , and the Vale of Glamorgan , local businesses in southeast Wales and other organisations. The regional city deal
1148-623: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Cardiff Capital Region The Cardiff Capital Region ( CCR ; Welsh : Prifddinas-Ranbarth Caerdydd )
1230-429: Is currently headed by leader of Torfaen Council , Councillor Anthony Hunt. In April 2021, a South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee was formed to allow the ten local councils in the region to collaborate in areas relating to economic well-being, strategic planning and the development of regional transport policies. The region is home to three universities, Cardiff University , Cardiff Metropolitan University , and
1312-420: Is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for the creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as
1394-603: Is funded by the UK Government and Welsh Government . The Cardiff Capital Region includes the cities of Cardiff and Newport, and most of the South Wales Valleys , with the region being coterminous with the area defined as South East Wales . The Cardiff Capital Region covers the principal areas of Blaenau Gwent , Bridgend County Borough , Caerphilly County Borough , Cardiff , Merthyr Tydfil County Borough , Monmouthshire , Newport , Rhondda Cynon Taf , Torfaen , and
1476-617: Is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave the Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of
1558-494: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in
1640-461: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in
1722-659: The Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in the history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by
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#17332022127001804-474: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol
1886-714: The Institute of Welsh Affairs published a report by Professor Mark Barry of Cardiff University , calling for an investment of £2.5 billion over ten years to connect Cardiff , Newport and the South Wales Valleys . The report concluded that with the stated investment in a regional metro system, by 2025 it would be possible to travel from the Heads of the Valleys to Cardiff or Newport in 40 minutes, by combining electrified heavy rail and light rail systems and boosted by faster rail links to London and Heathrow Airport . After
1968-508: The Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of
2050-662: The Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to the people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into
2132-618: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has
2214-707: The University of South Wales as well as the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama . The region contains one airport, Cardiff Airport . The South Wales Metro (sometimes called the Cardiff Capital Region Metro ) is an integrated public transport network centred in the region, with the aim of making the region better connected, through improved rail and bus services. The project involves new rolling stock , electrifying around 170 km (110 mi) of railways, building new stations, upgrading stations and
2296-586: The Vale of Glamorgan . The Cardiff Capital Region Board was established in November 2013, by the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport . Leader of Cardiff Council , Phil Bale, called for a "city deal" to boost Cardiff's and the local region's transport services in November 2014. Bale said that "Cardiff must be treated the same as the other big cities" and that a city deal would increase investment in Cardiff and deliver benefits for
2378-689: The Welsh Government , supported by parties including a CBP team led by Mark Barry, lobbied at Westminster for the extension of the Great Western Main Line electrification programme west to Swansea , and north into the South Wales Valleys , Barry developed a more detailed blueprint plan for Cardiff. After internal consultation, this was submitted by CBP to the Welsh Government's Business Minister Edwina Hart in December 2012. The scheme proposed
2460-461: The electrification of the core Valley Lines and new stations. All nine lines will be electrified, and the service is expected to be in operation by the end of 2024. The rail-based transport system in South Wales was heavily cut down following the Beeching report . By the 1970s, Wales kept less than half of the track it had in 1914. There were closures of some lines and many sub-branches, mainly serving
2542-467: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for
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2624-467: The 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain
2706-589: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in
2788-522: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,
2870-481: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for
2952-508: The Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c. 600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol ) is the label attached to the Welsh of
3034-1000: The CVL; double tracking of selected route sections; a direct connection from the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil lines to Cardiff Bay; and a new train stabling facility at Taff’s Well". In addition, £800 million will be invested in rolling stock, bring the phase two total to £1.54 billion. The fleet operating the South Wales Metro will consist of Stadler Rail 's FLIRT and Citylink families. Class 231 bi-mode trainsets and Class 756 tri-mode trainsets will operate on conventional railways, while Class 398 battery-electric tram-trains will operate on both on-street tracks and conventional railways. By 2021, TfW had taken delivery of two Class 231s. The remaining trainsets were planned to be delivered by 2023. These routes were planned to be developed as high-speed bus routes or light rail/tram-based services – however, they are not currently part of
3116-688: The Cardiff Capital Region City Deal were approved following the conclusion of a gateway review, which occur every five years during the deal's operation. The region is the economically significant to the Welsh economy , accounting for 50% of the total economic output of Wales, and 49% of its total employed workforce population, with a recorded 38,000 active businesses. CCR is a centre of various industries such as: advanced manufacturing, creative and digital industries, energy and energy supply, financial services, and life sciences. In April 2021,
3198-705: The Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons . Classified as Insular Celtic , the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was probably spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth . During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, thus evolving into Welsh and
3280-471: The City Deal aiming to deliver 2,800 new homes across the region. In April 2021, a planned £100 million innovation investment fund was announced. The fund is centred on job creation and business expansion in the region, in addition to attracting inward investment. The fund is in its early stages and may be partially funded (up to £45 million) from the City Deal. In May 2021, funding for the next five years of
3362-582: The City Deal, by both the Welsh Government and UK Government , with an additional £120m committed from the 10 local authorities through the CCR City Deal Wider Investment Fund, totalling to £1.2 billion for the entire city deal. The deal aims to create up to 25,000 new jobs (including 10,000 new apprenticeships) in the region, and an additional £4 billion in private sector investment. The deal aims to boost economic growth through improved transport connections, increasing skills, assisting
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3444-539: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published
3526-704: The Metro plans: UK railway stations : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people . Welsh is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It
3608-553: The Welsh Government setting out its aspirations for the Metro in its November 2015 publication, "Rolling Out Our Metro". Procurement for the Metro began in July 2016, as part of the procurement process for the next Wales & Borders franchise . This was managed by Transport for Wales . This concluded in May 2018, with the awarding of the franchise to KeolisAmey Wales , trading as Transport for Wales Rail Services, from 14 October 2018. Details of
3690-489: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,
3772-673: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither
3854-808: The Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of the population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak
3936-515: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer
4018-481: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to
4100-606: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of
4182-561: The ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of
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#17332022127004264-426: The associated signalling, and upgrading the Core Valley Lines to Aberdare, Coryton, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Treherbert. Funding comes from a ring-fenced contribution of £734m from the CCR City Deal, with sources from the Welsh Government (£500m), UK Government (£125m) and European Regional Development Fund (£94m). The project is being managed by Transport for Wales and contracted companies. In October 2021,
4346-408: The campaign of a Cardiff city deal. All councils announced their commitment to a £500,000 fund to develop a city deal proposal. Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb urged local councils to support the proposal, calling the opportunity a "once in a generation". The regional partnership was formed through the passing of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal , lasting between 2016 and 2025. It
4428-408: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of
4510-448: The city deal hope that the shorter timeframe encourages funding to be delivered to the region faster. It was ratified on 1 March 2017, and every five years the deal undergoes a gateway review where the local authorities can decide to opt-out if they desire to. Carwyn Jones said following ratification "I’m delighted that the landmark £1.2bn Cardiff Capital Region City Deal has been formally ratified.". £1.1 billion has been committed to
4592-627: The common aim of promoting the South Wales Metro project, which included representatives from Capita , Jones Lang LaSalle , The Urbanists and Steer Davies Gleave. They produced a further interim report, "A Cardiff City Region Metro: transform | regenerate | connect" published in February 2013. Hart then commissioned Barry to lead a more detailed analysis of the potential benefits: The Metro Impact Study of October 2013. This more substantive report concluded that an initial £1 billion investment in an integrated metro transport network for South East Wales could, within 30 years, add 420,000 people to
4674-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within
4756-408: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over
4838-431: The ex-mining communities, and their easy links to ports and resorts on the coast. Since 1987, five of the main closures have been reversed: services were reinstated on Cardiff's City Line that year, the Aberdare Line the following year, the Maesteg Line in 1992, the Vale of Glamorgan Line between Barry and Bridgend in 2005, and the Ebbw Vale Line in 2008. In February 2011, Cardiff Business Partnership (CBP) and
4920-431: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of
5002-411: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval
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#17332022127005084-413: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to
5166-431: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to
5248-402: The least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead, the shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson ,
5330-495: The material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This
5412-468: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in
5494-433: The name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi , the Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic ,
5576-479: The network, create 7,000 new jobs and invest an additional £4 billion into the regional economy. In October 2013, after Barry had submitted his report to Hart at the end of summer 2013, the Business Minister endorsed the report. She allocated £62 million for phase one of the scheme to improve bus and rail links, including rail infrastructure improvements, station upgrades, park and ride schemes, bus corridors, and walking and cycling schemes. She also set up
5658-503: The other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been
5740-402: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to
5822-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over
5904-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by
5986-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in
6068-498: The project would be delayed due to "unresolved issues", particularly around maintenance cost estimates, which are preventing sale of the freehold land, buildings, and operational assets, by current owner Network Rail to the Welsh Ministers . The deal would require approval from the Office of Rail & Road before contractor KeolisAmey Wales could undertake work including electrification and other improvements. The project faced
6150-427: The report stating that targeted funding and productivity incentives can potentially make the region a "global hub for media production". 1,318 firms were stated by the report to be present in the region, with BBC Cymru Wales taking a big share (47%) of the economic contributions from the sector. The Capital Region is overseen by a regional cabinet, consisting of a councillor from each of the ten local authorities. It
6232-409: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of
6314-487: The unemployed into employment, and providing business support to growing businesses. The deal establishes the Cardiff Capital Region Cabinet, composed of leaders of each of the ten local authorities, to make decisions, pool the resources of the region together, and partner with local businesses. The city deal is composed of various initiatives including: In August 2020, a £45 million fund was launched by
6396-518: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from
6478-552: The wider Welsh economy. Talks of a £1 billion city deal began in April 2015 by Cardiff Council. In the spring 2015 UK Budget , the UK treasury announced that the UK Government is opening negotiations for a Cardiff city deal with the Welsh Government and local partners, with funding being made available for the deal by the UK Government in 2015–16. In July 2015, the ten local councils backed
6560-528: The £5 billion investment were announced in June 2018. All of Wales' rail services were to be run over 15 years by two European companies jointly. In October 2018, £119 million of funding was obtained from the European Union to support the modernisation plans. In January 2019, a new report had proposed several new schemes such as a rail link to Abertillery. In August 2019, it was announced that work on
6642-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through
6724-522: Was signed in Cardiff on 15 March 2016 by the Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands , local council leaders, and the Welsh Government. First Minister of Wales , Carwyn Jones said the deal was a "vote of confidence in the region", and was a "fantastic" deal handing "real power to local decision makers". The CCR city deal is shorter than other city deals which typically last thirty years. Supporters of
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