A state of blissful ignorance?

At the school where I currently teach, there's a bright, ambitious lad who is as keen on engines as he is on English. He often asks for my opinion on aspects of English life. He's a huge fan of the TV show Top Gear and, specifically, Jeremy Clarkson himself. Though I do not share his fascination with the man, I'm happy that my student has found a topic – or a vehicle, if you will – through which to express himself and his likes and dislikes in a language that is not his own. I'm even happier that while the BBC may broadcast Clarkson's shows over here; the presenter's opinions that are not voiced on an international platform seem less likely to be discovered by eager 14-year-olds in Switzerland.

We all know that Clarkson has been in trouble over language in the past, and has been threatened with the sack by the BBC. But I doubt that his latest comments will lead to that. He's reported to have taken aim at the Welsh language, this time; calling it a “maypole around which a bunch of hotheads can get all nationalistic”. Some people in England seem to like to denigrate things they have little or no knowledge or experience of. So spouting rubbish about their neighbour is just lazy and boring. Welsh is significantly older than English, and English itself is a historical mix of many languages – as we know. Under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, Welsh is also the only language that is de jure official in any part of the UK. English is merely the de facto official language. But why should such facts get in the way of a celebrity's right to rant in exchange for money?

How exactly the UN might even begin to implement his wider call to abolish some languages is anyone's guess. What an utterly ludicrous proposition! Could a multilingual version of the Welsh Not be introduced at UN level to punish people for using their native languages? Would all foreign loan words used in English also be banned (including 'penguin' – from Welsh – and words with Latin roots)?

Alternatively, Clarkson could concede that the UK's policy of foreign language learning being optional at GCSE level since 2004 is appalling. It does not justify the rejection of a multilingual world – full of cultures, histories, traditions and personal experiences that differ from his own. Respecting that diversity means engaging with it, whilst also recognising that imperialistic attitudes are one component in the constructed 'otherness' that allows resentment, fear and hate to thrive. So when I read such depressing diatribes with increasing frequency and I factor in the populist rise in anti-EU and anti-immigration sentiment, I wonder if the UK I left some four years ago has become a state of blissful ignorance during my absence.

Storm mewn cwpan de?

Living abroad, I'm often asked to explain my own cultural identity and linguistic heritage. Sometimes I'm sure people wish they'd never asked when I answer them with: "I was born in England, near Liverpool, although I spent all but the first two years of my life growing up in Wales." This then opens the floodgates for more questions: "Do you speak Welsh?" "No, I gave up Welsh at school when I was 14, having been advised not to study three foreign languages (with German and French) and thus limit my skills set." "Do you feel Welsh or English?" "Well, I'm English by birth but I do support Welsh sports teams and others – especially in the face of English domination." Thankfully my Swiss colleagues, unlike former colleagues elsewhere, do understand that Wales is not "just another part of England". Linguistic and cultural pluralism in the UK is probably more acceptable to the Swiss, on account of their own country's multilingual landscape.

I've always been interested in the status of the Welsh language and even wrote an assignment about English/Welsh bilingualism for my Linguistics MA, drawing mainly on the research of Professor Colin Baker at the University of Bangor. Back then, Gwynedd was the area of Wales with the highest concentration of Welsh speakers – above 60%. Fast-forward a decade or so, and the 2011 Census reveals a slight decline in Gwynedd (56%) as well as a slight decline across Wales as a whole – with 19% of the Welsh population over the age of three now indicating that they can speak Welsh.

Against this background, I read of a recent incident where police were called to a shop in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, where a native Welsh speaker, Dr Robin Lewis, was angry that the shop assistant would not tell him his bill in Welsh, only English. Although the Welsh Language Act 1993 serves to put the Welsh language on an equal footing with English where the public sector (e.g. in councils, public bodies and road signage) is concerned, I'm not sure that there is a legal requirement covering its use in shops. This particular case is interesting because the shop assistant concerned was able to speak Welsh but, for whatever reason, chose not to. When the police were called, the first officer was not a Welsh speaker and so needed back-up. The situation was only resolved when another shop assistant conducted the entire transaction in Welsh – to the satisfaction of the customer.

This raises several questions, and I'd be interested to hear the views of people living in Wales. Does the non-compliant shop assistant belong to a subset of the 56% of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd – i.e. a smaller group of people who can speak Welsh but who don't? Was the customer right to insist that the Welsh language be used in this situation? Is this an isolated incident or a more widespread occurrence? Is it a further sign of a decline in the use of Welsh or simply a storm in a teacup?