Exploring the relationships between the Welsh language, investment, and identity at Wales’ universities

Thesis

This study focused on collecting data surrounding the patterns of language usage reported by students at Welsh universities and the reasons for these patterns, the extent to which students engaged with learning Welsh and their reasoning for their reported level of engagement, and whether these choices contributed to students’ sense of identity.

The answers to these questions were collected through a mixed-methods design consisting of an online survey circulated amongst four universities across four regions of Wales, which yielded 35 total participants, and three maximum variation cases selected for subsequent semi-structured interviews from willing survey respondents.

The results indicated that the Welsh language played a crucial role in personal identity for students. For some, learning or speaking Welsh served as a form of reclamation of personal identity, whilst for other participants, engagement with Welsh served as a method for reaffirming their identity as a courteous, productive member of society: a person who puts effort into communicating with others in the target language of their wider community. Students were found to avoid investment in Welsh or feel restricted from further investing in Welsh due to time constraints or insufficient access to resources at their universities, whilst the impetus for initial investment was predicated on ideas of inclusion and personal identity.

Authors: Begun, V

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-g7pxpbv9w
• Type of award: MSc
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: ALSLA2025; Welsh language; investment; ALSLA; Welsh; Wales; Welsh universities; identity
• Subjects: ALSLA; Applied Linguistics; ALSLA2025; Linguistics