Colin H. Williams (ed.). Language revitalization: Policy and planning in Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000. 388 pp. £35 ($69.95)

Extract

By the end of the twentieth century, Wales had become a hotbed of language planning. The sharp decline experienced by the Welsh language in the first half of the century had given way to a state of “level maintenance.” The Welsh Language Act of 1993 has brought about marked improvements in the language's profile and in people's attitudes toward bilingualism. Language planning in Wales has created significant interest in other parts of Europe and around the world in other minority language communities hoping to achieve something of the Welsh successes of recent years. Nevertheless, if there have been important accomplishments, much still remains to be done to turn Wales into a truly bilingual society. The edited collection Language revitalization is an excellent, state-of-the-art volume by top specialists who analyze in detail what has been accomplished and identify remaining challenges.