Welsh language is being threatened by social media
It could also be due to the hangovers of children rebelling against Welsh because they were punished for speaking English in Welsh schools.
Young people still make up the bulk of Welsh speakers in the country, largely thanks to moves to make the language compulsory in schools.
But experts believe that momentum has now plateaued, despite the Welsh Government’s goal of having 40 per cent of schools in Wales be Welsh by 2050, when they hope to have a million people will speak the language.
Both of these targets were said to be overambitious, particularly given the lack of teachers in the UK and the declining number of Welsh speakers.
The language’s survival depends on its organic use, but a Welsh government source told the Telegraph there were too many barriers pushing people towards English options.
Use Welsh in everyday life
Bad translations, awkward terminology, being conditioned to do things in English and fear of inferior service all play their part, says Professor Chríost.
He told the Telegraph: “Language needs people to use it in their daily lives and not just in controlled environments like schools.
“For me, one of the main challenges is to ensure that we have more Welsh-speaking people to speak the language when using public services.
“There is a huge gap between people who have the potential to speak Welsh while using public facilities and services and those who actually do.
“These services come at a cost, and the lack of use of these services rightly raises questions about whether or not they are profitable.”
The Welsh Government is said to be trying to tear up its translation policy to end the current practice of English translations for Welsh services on signs, websites and documents.
A source told The Telegraph: ‘Welsh renovation – you’re on a stash for nothing.’
Speaking Welsh at work
Dafydd Trystan, chairman of the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Board, said there needed to be more opportunities for young professionals to use Welsh in the workplace.
He said: ‘The problem is that when you leave work or leave university there are not many workspaces where Welsh is used. Cardiff Council and Sport Wales there are more, but what about Starbucks and Tesco where you have Welsh staff who don’t use the language.
The Swansea University study compared the responses of minority and majority language speakers on social media.
The team assessed 800 first-language and first-language Welsh speakers aged 13 to 15, attending Welsh schools across Wales.
It also assessed the psychological impact of social media use on bilingual Welsh-English speakers.
The data revealed that Welsh speakers’ desire to use social media in Welsh could be driven by a desire to boost self-esteem, achieve greater linguistic parity with English speakers, or connect with people. other Welsh speakers.
“The consequence of minority language speakers shifting to the majority language threatens the continued vitality of minority languages and raises questions about the importance of the minority language in the minds of minority language speakers,” said Dr Jones.
His colleague, Professor Phil Reed, added: “The study shows that governments need to consider not only the impacts of social media on psychological health and well-being, but also its impact on the cultures of minority groups. who may be forced to abandon important and stabilizing influences in the pursuit of digital interactions, which are becoming increasingly necessary for everyday life.”
The results are published in the journal Trends in Psychology.