Page 81 - 《客語及少數族群語言政策》附錄_少數語言法律

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Conceptual basis and principles

In order to reach a situation by 2050 where there are a million Welsh speakers and increased use
of Welsh language skills, concerted action is required now and in the future to:
• increase the number of Welsh speakers

• increase and widen opportunities for them to use their skills
• create an environment where everyone will want to use the
Welsh language.

Language use and language behaviour are conditioned by a variety of interdependent factors.
The theoretical model for language revitalisation proposed by Joshua Fishman, and
subsequent
approaches that have sought to illustrate the multi-dimensional nature of language behaviour,
have provided a basis for understanding the dynamics of language use (Grin and Moring 2002;
Darquennes 2007) . Miquel Strubell (Strubell 2011) introduced his Catherine Wheel model to
2
demonstrate the interrelationship between:

• language learning
• demand for and supply of goods and services in the language
• consumption of goods and services in the language

• perception of usefulness of the language
• motivation to learn and use the language.

The fundamental principle introduced by Strubell is that the vitality of a language hinges on
the interaction between a number of interdependent elements which generate growth. The
wheel is an
attempt to illustrate the interdependency between these components. Despite the limitations
associated with a schematic model of this kind, the wheel continues to provide a useful starting
point as we develop a sustainable infrastructure for the Welsh language.

At the same time, creating and implementing a strategy for the Welsh language in the year 2050
requires an understanding of how speakers use the Welsh language today, and a consideration
of how they are likely to do so in future. We must be prepared to adapt our language planning
policy methods to reflect the social, economic and political changes that shape, and which will
continue to shape, contemporary Wales. We do not have a detailed picture of how people will be
living

2 See the Welsh Language Strategy Evaluation Framework
(http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/welsh-language-strategy-evaluation/?skip=1&lang=en)

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