Brexit, a new era for languages?

Zoé Gonzalez de Lara, Founder and President of European Horizons at Bangor University

The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-wales-vote-leave-eu-referendum-result-brussels-funding-economy-a7136196.html

The EU as a source of linguistic protection

Respect for linguistic diversity is a fundamental value of the EU as noted in its motto ‘United in Diversity.’ This idea has been enforced in numerous European legislation, such as the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) Article 3 which states that the EU ‘shall respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity’ and reaffirmed in Article 165(1) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Every citizen of the EU has the right to write to any of the institutions or bodies of the EU in one of the 24 official languages and to receive an answer in the same language (Article 24 TFEU.) The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, adopted in 2000, is also a fundamental tool in prohibiting discrimination on grounds of language and placing an obligation on the Union to respect linguistic diversity.

The EU played a major role in policy developments for research on languages with the creation of a European Master’s in Translation but also action programmes such as Erasmus+, the European Day of Languages or the European Language Label. During the Social Summit held on 17 November 2017 in Gothenburg, the Commission set out the idea of a ‘European Education Area’ whereby 2025, ‘in addition to one’s mother tongue, speaking two other languages has become the norm’ and is regarded as one of the basic skills that all EU citizens need to acquire.

What about the future of the Welsh language?

The EU is home to over 60 regional or minority languages spoken by some 40 million people, such as Basque, Catalan or Welsh. The European Parliament adopted a resolution in 2013 on ‘endangered European languages’ to call on the Member States to commit to their promotion, and in 2018 to call on the Commission to strengthen the use of minority languages, especially in communities where there is more than one official language. The Welsh Language Commissioner released reports highlighting the potential risks of Brexit for Welsh speakers and criticised how this issue has not been discussed as it should have. Now that Brexit has been officially announced on the 31st January 2020, it is important to consider what the future of the Welsh language is.

The 2018 inquiry first underlines the impact Brexit could have on economic projects which raised linguistic benefits such as ‘Skills for the Digital Economy’ programme where £4.38 million have been delivered between 2011 and 2015 with the financial assistance of the European Social Fund, offering training in the creative field in order to promote a competitive industry in Wales. It will also impact the economic sectors of particular importance for the Welsh speakers. In June 2017 the EU Select Committee in the House of Lords was warned of the possible ‘destructive’ impact that Brexit could have on economically vulnerable rural communities and Labour MP for Cardiff Central Jo Stevens, said: “[b]eing a member of the European Union has enabled the regeneration of communities in Wales, created jobs, funded education projects, and promoted the Welsh language” in March 2019. The UK Government must absolutely take these issues seriously and establish financial plans to keep supporting economic sectors important for Welsh speakers. The UK will also no longer has access to the EU platform for speakers of various minority languages. The withdrawal from Erasmus+ programmes will prejudice UK students but also post-16 education since universities will no longer benefit from Brussels’ financial support. The UK will have to replace the EU in awarding £40 million to institutions as the EU has done in Wales through Erasmus+ and in supporting over 7000 individuals. This paper takes the approach that Welsh universities should create their own network with European ones. One system could even be to establish strong contacts with other regional bilingual universities, such as the ones in Catalonia or in the Basque Country. Such network would permit the Welsh language to stay recognised equally to other European minority language, if not in law at least in fact.

The 2018 inquiry also underlines the impact Brexit can have on opportunities for Welsh speakers at the European level. Between 2013 and 2016, the EU funded LEARNMe (Language and Education Addressed through Research and Networking by Mercator) which one of its six research centres across Europe is based at Aberystwyth. Research on languages is very important in promoting minorities’ culture. The UK should consider taking back such programmes. More importantly, although Welsh is recognised as an official language in Wales and the UK Government websites are bilingual, this is not the case for Irish Gaelic. The UK Government should thus establish Centres for Research for all its minority languages.

Finally, one important matter is that Brexit may impact attitude towards minorities, especially with the replacement of the 1998 Human Rights Act by a British Bill of Rights. Since the Brexit vote, the number of derogatory comments aimed at Welsh speakers has raised concern and Lawyer Emyr Lewis even claims that Brexit “could lead to marginalising the voice of minority communities in political discourse and undermine respect towards them.” The UK will need to put extra care in providing protection for Welsh speakers in the British Bill of Rights to compensate for the missing protective European regime. Right to protection from discrimination is absolutely necessary to prevent injurious comments and acts towards this community.

In 2016, language groups signed a letter warning of the consequences of quitting the EU, leaving minority language at the “mercy” of the UK Government. Such a statement can, of course, be nuanced since Welsh speakers are already protected in the UK through the Welsh language Act 1993 and the recognition of Welsh as an official language. It is, therefore, hazardous to state that the Welsh language is at the “mercy” of the UK Government but it must take this issue seriously to protect all of its citizens.

The return of multilingualism in the EU

English may disappear as the official European institutional language. Even though this may take some time, what is interesting is that none of the 27 Member States has notified English as an official language: for Ireland, it is Gaelic, for Malta, it is Maltese… It also appears ‘doomed’ now that English is the mother tongue of only 7 million people out of a total population of 450 million and that no large State can support it.

French will not become the official language nor German because of reluctance to such predominance of one State over others and because of the Community Regulation 58-1 requiring to amend languages of the Union by unanimity only. Brexit may, therefore, announce the return of multilingualism and cultural diversity in the EU. Every States representatives would speak its mother tongue.

This is good news in reaffirming democracy in the EU. The European Union could be more ‘United in Diversity’ than it was for a very long time.

Welsh speakers must, however, be particularly careful in this scenario. As the only future stronghold of the English language in Europe, Britain may promote it by reducing protection towards minority language.

Sources

http://bruxelles.blogs.liberation.fr/2020/02/16/ue-apres-le-brexit-la-fin-de-lunilinguisme-anglophone/?fbclid=IwAR37BIYm1lkuGDBb1aZb1d-lMSllOogATtbHSDMFK6lRSriRUcyybXt2tEc

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/fr/sheet/142/la-politique-linguistique

https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/eu-languages_fr

http://www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru/English/News/Pages/The-implications-of-Brexit-for-the-Welsh-language.aspx

http://www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru/English/Publications%20List/20181008%20DG%20S%20Ymchwiliad%20Brexit.pdf

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-should-not-become-official-3209950

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-language-risk-britain-leaves-11497396