Welsh literature it seems is on the rise in Cardiff’s multi-cultural community. After the recent celebrations of Roald Dahl’s centenary and hosting the Cardiff Book Festival it appears that reading in Welsh is still a popular past time hobby.
Welsh is a grounding aspect in many resident’s daily lives, as proven by the Welsh Language Use Survey. Conducted by the Welsh Government and the Welsh Language Commissioner, the study found that 47% of Welsh speakers now consider themselves to be fluent. While, this is an impressive figure it is still an 11% drop on the previous study. However, a further 53% stated that they speak Welsh daily proving that the use of the Welsh language is flourishing.
Reading in Welsh is also thriving. A representative from Literature Wales stated, “There are hundreds of authors who are big in Welsh Literature. In fact, the Welsh book of the year has been published in both English and Welsh.”
This viewpoint is also reinforced by the Welsh Books Council. They regularly conduct the Welsh speakers Omnibus Survey, which focuses on Buying & Reading Welsh-language books. Since the study was first conducted in 2003, there has been a 40% increase of those choosing to read in Welsh.
The study also analysed different demographic sets and found that children’s books are the most common type of Welsh language novel to be published. Another 19% of those surveyed stated that they read a Welsh language novel once a month (a 6% rise).
Alt.Cardiff investigated these statistics further by asking members of the public, “How often do you read in Welsh?” Maureen Murphy, 55, the shop manager at Bodlon said she uses Welsh every day as part of her job and believed that for many Welsh nationals it’s their first language and a normal part of their culture.