Bringing Back the Welsh Language

Jon Miller for 'Worlds of Difference'

Signs in both English and Welsh in the town of Cardiff.

Listening to the Welsh Language

Hear examples of the native tongue:

 A Welsh nursery rhyme called 'Mynd Drot Drot,' distributed by the government-supported Twf language program

 A clip from "Branwen Ferch Llyr" (Branwen, Daughter of Llyr) from the 12-century Mabinogion legends. Llyr was the basis for Shakespeare's King Lear

Languages around the world are disappearing as fast as you can say "Yoba" or "Zarphatic." But in tiny Wales, where folks have been speaking English for centuries, a national effort to rescue the Welsh language is showing results.

As part of Worlds of Difference -- a series on global cultural change created by Homelands Productions -- reporter Jon Miller recently visited the Welsh countryside to spend time with people eager to learn their native tongue.

Ten years ago, after decades of grass-roots pressure, the British Parliament passed a sweeping language act that put Welsh on an equal footing with English.

The law has sparked a huge interest in learning Welsh. The latest census shows that for the first time, the number of people who say they can speak Welsh has risen to more than 20 percent.

The biggest jump was among children -- about one-fourth of children in Wales are enrolled in Welsh language and culture schools.