Sociolinguistic Conditions of Functioning of the Welsh Variant of English (Wenglish)

Abstract

Geographical differences in the usage of the Welsh dialect of English (Wenglish) and its relationship to Standard English are examined in this article. The author examines two distinct trends that contribute to the shifts in Standard English and the dialect. Following the identification of several Wenglish-speaking regions, comparative analysis is used to look at the geographical variations in Wenglish based on the region of Wales. Based on a speaker's age and place of residence, usage by Welsh and Wenglish speakers is examined. It is observed that younger Wenglish speakers are moving away from the traditional dialect due to pressure from contemporary society, fashion, and globalization, while elder speakers of the language tend to employ a more conservative variation. From a historical, cultural, and linguistic perspective, comparisons to different forms of English are made. Given the regional differences in Wenglish, the author concludes that Wenglish is a distinct language phenomena and poses the question of which forms might be regarded as the standard. All forms are said to be legitimate, but some are so widely accepted that they are used more frequently than the others and are thus advised to be "correct."