Defiance within the decline? Revisiting new Welsh speakers’ language journeys

Figures & data

Table 1. Research participants’ vignettes from the 2006 and 2016/2017 data collection: Hodges 2021 for the purpose of this paper.

Research participant	2006	2016/2017
Alex (NWL)	Alex is from a non-Welsh-speaking background; both his parents come from the Rhymney Valley. None of his grandparents speaks Welsh. As a child, Alex attended an English-medium chapel, and he was a member of Urdd Gobaith Cymru. He studied at Bangor University and now works in Cardiff	Alex lives in Cardiff with his partner and works as a secondary school teacher in England. His use of Welsh is limited as his partner is a non-Welsh-speaker and he does not use Welsh regularly with his siblings or friends. He does use Welsh occasionally on social media and when texting/emailing certain friends
Buddug (ML)	Buddug comes from a ‘mixed language’ home, with her father coming from north Wales and her mother from England. Buddug has spoken Welsh since she was a toddler with her father but does not use the language regularly with him. She comes from Caerffili but is at present working in London, after spending three years at university in that city. Buddug used to attend the Welsh-medium chapel in Caerffili regularly	Buddug lives in London with her husband and works in HR. She lives her life through the medium of English, as there is no call for Welsh within her daily life. She spoke Welsh mainly with her ‘Nain’ (grandmother) but since she passed away, she does not use the language regularly (occasionally with her Welsh speaking father) and lacks confidence to use it socially
Dafydd (NWL)	Dafydd is from a non-Welsh-speaking background. He studied in London before returning to the area recently. He uses Welsh regularly in his job as a translator. His parents are from the Rhymney Valley, neither speaks Welsh. He has a sister who teaches at a local Welsh-medium primary school. He attended the Urdd regularly and is now a member of a Welsh-medium drama group and Welsh choir	Dafydd lives in London and is a teacher. He lives with his partner, who is non-Welsh-speaking. He recently attended a language refresher course to feel more confident using Welsh every day. He often attends Welsh language events held in London. He uses Welsh whilst texting and communicating online with select family members and friends
Elizabeth (NWL)	Elizabeth is from a non-Welsh-speaking background. She has just returned to the area after attending university in England. Her mother attended Welsh lessons, but is not a fluent speaker. Elizabeth came into Welsh-medium education later on in her school career. Currently, she works through the medium of Welsh on a local authority education scheme	Elizabeth lives in the Rhymney Valley with her partner and her child. The language of the home is mainly English although she will choose Welsh-medium education for her child. She teaches in an English-medium school. She tries her best to speak Welsh to her young niece who attends Welsh medium nursery (‘Meithrin’)
Hywel (WL)	Hywel is an only child, who has always spoken Welsh at home with both parents. He used to attend the Welsh-medium chapel and the Urdd regularly and now plays football with a Welsh club. He graduated in Welsh and works for the National Assembly for Wales	Hywel lives in Cardiff with his wife, who is a non-Welsh speaker. His wife will learn Welsh when they have a child. He uses Welsh in his work for the Welsh Government. He plays football for a Welsh-medium local team; the majority of their mutual friends are non-Welsh-speaking
Lliwen (NWL)	Lliwen has just returned to the area after studying in England. As a child, she attended the Welsh-medium chapel, a Welsh-medium youth club, and received piano and harp lessons through the medium of Welsh. She comes from a non-Welsh-speaking background. Her mother is from the Rhymney Valley and her father is from England. Lliwen works through the medium of Welsh for a private sector company in Cardiff. She sings with a Welsh choir	Lliwen lives in Cardiff and works as a civil servant. She uses both Welsh and English daily in her work and is very comfortable using both languages socially too. She moved to London for a period but has since moved back to Cardiff. She used Welsh in every aspect of her life with her ex-husband who was a fluent Welsh speaker. She uses English (and some Welsh) with her sibling but uses only Welsh with her young nephew and niece who attend Welsh-medium education
Meleri (WL)	Meleri comes from a Welsh-speaking family background, with her father from north Wales and her mother from the Rhymney Valley. She attended the Welsh-medium chapel, and was a member of the Urdd and local Welsh choir. She has just returned to the Rhymney Valley after spending four years in England studying. She is presently looking for work	Meleri lives in Cardiff with her partner. They are hoping to move back to the valley soon. Her partner is non-Welsh speaking but hopes to learn Welsh someday. She works in telecommunications and uses Welsh informally within her job. She uses Welsh with her parents whom are Welsh speaking but mainly English with her siblings despite her WL background
Rhun (NWL)	Rhun is on the last year of his university course. He is from a non-Welsh-speaking background, with a mother from England and father from the Rhymney Valley. The majority of his father’s family have chosen Welsh medium education for their children. However, none of his grandparents speaks Welsh. He has an older sister who lives abroad. He used to attend the Urdd youth club regularly and compete in the Eisteddfod when he was in school	Rhun lives in Cardiff and works for a major public sector employer. He lived in London for a number of years. He uses the Welsh language within a work setting and amongst some select school friends socially. Despite not using Welsh with his sibling, he does use Welsh with his niece who attends Welsh-medium education