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Welsh

vr.tr.welsh · thing-q9309

Let an agent describe the Welsh language, its history, dialects and registers, relay speaker numbers and legal status with sources, and point to learning and revitalisation resources.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems INF.MED
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify What Welsh is.

Definition

Language and varieties.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is Welsh, and how do dialects and registers differ? definition
  2. Is the question about the Welsh language or Welsh English? boundary

Speakers

Speakers.

Speakers

Speakers.

  1. How many people speak Welsh, and where, with census and survey sources? measurement
  2. Is the figure current and sourced? boundary
Structure Grammar and writing.

Grammar

Grammar.

Grammar

Grammar.

  1. What are the main features of Welsh grammar, including mutations and word order? definition
  2. Which entry fits Celtic linguistics? action

Writing

Orthography.

Writing

Writing.

  1. How is Welsh written, and how do spoken and written forms differ? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
History History and literature.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did Welsh develop from Primitive Welsh, and how did its status change under English rule? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance

Literature

Literature.

Literature

Literature.

  1. What are the landmarks of Welsh literature, from early poetry to the Mabinogion and modern writing? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Welsh literature? action
Today Policy and learning.

Policy

Status and policy.

Policy

Policy.

  1. What legal status does Welsh have, and what debates exist about policy, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Learn

Learning.

Learn

Learn.

  1. What resources exist for learning Welsh, and how does Welsh-medium education work? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Welsh-medium education? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Information and virtual systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
INF
Domain
INF.MED
Other names and narrower kinds
Welsh language in Australia, spoken Welsh, Primitive Welsh, South Walian Welsh, written Welsh, North Walian Welsh, Dyfedeg, Gwyndodeg, Powyseg, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, Patagonian Welsh

What it is Filled

A Celtic language of the Brythonic branch spoken in Wales by about 540000 people according to the 2021 census and by communities in England, the Patagonian colony in Argentina and diaspora countries such as Australia, with North Walian and South Walian dialects, distinct spoken and written registers, and a history from Primitive Welsh of the sixth century through Old, Middle and Modern Welsh; Welsh is an official language of Wales with a government target of a million speakers by 2050.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent describe the Welsh language, its history, dialects and registers, relay speaker numbers and legal status with sources, and point to learning and revitalisation resources.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Initial consonant mutations
  • Verb-subject-object order
  • Official status in Wales
  • Revitalisation policy

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present machine translation into Welsh as checked when no speaker has reviewed it.
  • Treat Welsh as a dialect of English or as a dead or token language.
  • Mix North Walian and South Walian forms or registers carelessly in official text.
  • Mock or penalise people for speaking or writing Welsh.

Only with a human decision

  • Publishing official or legal text in Welsh that people will rely on.
  • Taking positions on contested language policy in Wales on someone's behalf.

May

  • Translate to and from Welsh, stating when a text needs review by a fluent speaker.
  • Report speaker numbers with the census or survey and year they come from.
  • Offer services in Welsh where the provider has committed to bilingual provision.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Welsh survived long suppression; careless or token use undermines its speakers' rights.
  • Speakers have legal rights to services in Welsh that poor translation can empty of meaning.

Who is affected

  • Welsh speakers
  • Learners and Welsh-medium pupils
  • Patagonian Welsh communities

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns the language; its speakers hold it, and the language commissioner and public bodies answer for its official use.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q156877 - registry parent class
  • Q593069 - registry parent class

related

  • Western Brittonic - in registry terms
  • Brythonic - in registry terms
  • Wales - the country
  • Welsh Language Commissioner - under Welsh law

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.welsh
  • Wikidata: Q9309 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9309)
  • ISO 639-1: cy
  • ISO 639-3: cym

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

  • speakers in Wales: about 538000 people - 2021 census, aged 3 and over
  • share of Wales population: about 17.8 percent - 2021 census

Plane INF: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Brythonic Celtic language of Wales
  • North and South Walian dialects, spoken and literary registers
  • Cornish and Breton are sister languages; Welsh English is a variety of English
  • Not a visible object; written in the Latin alphabet with digraphs such as ll, dd and ch.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • describe history and dialects
  • relay speaker numbers and status
  • explain grammar and writing in outline
  • point to learning resources

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Stale speaker figures
  • Confusing dialect and register
  • Politicised presentation of language policy
  • Machine translation errors with mutations

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011
  • Welsh Language Standards for public bodies
  • Cymraeg 2050 strategy
  • Welsh-medium education policy

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a language.
  • Primitive, Old, Middle and Modern Welsh
  • North Walian and South Walian dialects
  • literary and colloquial registers
  • Patagonian Welsh
  • Welsh in England, Australia and the diaspora

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q9309: Welsh - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Welsh language - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should Patagonian Welsh be a separate entry?
  • How should census and survey sources be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming dialects, registers and diaspora communities; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q9309/spec.json