| Patagonian Welsh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cymraeg Patagonia | ||||
| Spoken in | Chubut, Argentina Chile |
|||
| Native speakers | approx. 1,500 (date missing) | |||
| Language family | ||||
| Writing system | Latin (Welsh alphabet) | |||
| Language codes | ||||
| ISO 639-3 | – | |||
|
||||
Patagonian Welsh is the dialect of Welsh which is spoken in the region of Patagonia in South America. The language is principally spoke in Y Wladfa with sporadic speakers throughout Argentina and Chile by Welsh Argentinians and Welsh Chileans. The Welsh people first arrived in Patagonia in 1865, the reason for their migration was to protect their native Welsh culture and language, something they thought was at threat in their native Wales. In 2004, the Welsh speakers in Argentina asked permission from the Welsh government to access Welsh TV programmes to encourage the learning of the language and for the language to possibly grow.[1] Patagonian Welsh is the third main variety of Welsh, the other two being North and South Wales Welsh.