Y Fro Gymraeg

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Welsh-speaking areas of Wales today.

Y Fro Gymraeg (literally 'The Welsh Language Area') is a name sometimes used to refer to the linguistic area in Wales where the Welsh language is maintained by the majority or a large part of the population; it is the heartland of the Welsh language. Unlike its equivalents in Scotland and Ireland, Y Fro Gymraeg does not have official government recognition.

1 Counties within Y Fro Gymraeg
2 Education in the Fro Gymraeg
3 Public services and roadsigns
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Counties within Y Fro Gymraeg

There are 4 whole counties within the Fro Gymraeg, and many other communities from surrounding counties. The 4 main counties with a majority of Welsh-speaking inhabitants are Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin in Welsh), Ceredigion and Anglesey (Ynys Môn), while surrounding areas in the Fro include Neath Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot), Powys, Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro), Conwy, Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych), Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) and Swansea (Abertawe).

[edit] Education in the Fro Gymraeg

It is often argued that Welsh medium education is the major contributor to the revival of the language. Education in the Fro Gymraeg is generally through the medium of Welsh, which accounts for about 70% of the school timetable, on average. Although this is a fairly high figure, some argue that more needs to be done to ensure that all pupils within the region receive their education through the medium of Welsh.

[edit] Public services and roadsigns

In the Fro Gymraeg road signs appear with the Welsh name first. This even occurs in non-predominantly Welsh speaking areas to increase the profile of the language.

Official publications in general are bilingual, usually with Welsh appearing first, within the Fro Gymraeg because of the increased and evident use of the language in these fields.