What is the status of the English language in Wales?
Welsh in Wales is very much a minority language and is just about to become an official language, and I believe is also the language of Government. What status does/ will English hold, and will non-Welsh speakers continue to be able to hold public office? In addition, will all (even small) businesses have to be bilingual? I speak many languages and am very comfortable with using different languages, but, despite having pleasant experiences in social interaction with many mother tongue Welsh speakers, ordinary spoken Welsh is elusive to me as there are many cultural barriers between first language Welsh speakers and first language English speakers, which make to possibilities for fluency in Welsh very limited. Also speakers of Welsh often seem to have huge hang-ups about "getting it right", which leads to slowness in propagating their spoken language. How will this all work in practice? I have no fixed point of view and certainly no axe to grind, but am curious as to how this will work without acting unfavourably against those with no Welsh in the jobs and public office market. Can anyone give me an overview? Will English now become a second-class language, offering limited possibilities in decision-making positions? Clearly I need to know this, as our current business is in a growth phase (along with my family), and we need to plan ahead about whether we will be able to contribute adequately to the new Welsh nation....
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