Law: Legislation as a tool in Language Revitalisation: evidence from Wales 1997-2027 (RS921)

Funding Providers: Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Swansea University's Postgraduate Research Office through its central equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) funding.

Subject Areas: Law

Project Start Dates: October 2026 **Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates

Supervisors: Professor R. Gwynedd Parry

Aligned Programme of Study: PhD in Law

Mode of Study: Full-time / Part-time

Project Description

*The research must be completed and the thesis submitted through the medium of Welsh only.*

Introduction

It is almost thirty years since the advent of devolution in the United Kingdom. In Wales, that period has seen the evolution of the national democracy from the modest initial settlement to the current Senedd with increasing law-making powers and expanding membership.

One of the matters which constantly has engaged this evolving Welsh legislature is the Welsh language. From the beginning, the founding constitution in the Government of Wales Act 1998 had envisaged the Welsh Assembly as an institution which gave due regard to the bilingual character of the nation (s.47). Subsequent developments in the development of the institution served to reinforce its bilingual values. The Government of Wales Act 2006, s. 35, states that the Senedd must implement the principle that Welsh and English are treated equally as far as is practicable. The National Assembly for Wales (Official Languages) Act 2012 declared that Welsh and English are the official languages of the Senedd and must be treated equally.  Furthermore, the Government of Wales Act 2006, s. 156, stated that Welsh and English versions of the legislation have equal status.

With the acquisition of primary law-making powers, the Senedd passed further laws on the Welsh language. Shortly before and after the gaining of primary law-making powers in 2011, there has been a great deal of legislative development with a direct, or indirect bearing on the Welsh language.

The most comprehensive and ambitious to date has been Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011 with its 157 sections and 12 annexes. Its key principles are that 'there is an official status for the Welsh language in Wales'. Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, s. 1(1), and that Welsh should not be treated less favourably than English: s. 3. This legislation establishes the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner and also creates the Welsh Language Tribunal. More significantly in terms of practical implementation, it creates the language standards mechanism which imposes duties on organisations to provide services and operate through the medium of the Welsh Language (s. 26-32).

The Welsh language is also a subject which appears as an integrated and pervasive element in other spheres of statutory activity.

The Planning (Wales) Act 2015 aa. 11, 31, stated that the Welsh language must be considered in the planning process when a planning application is submitted. In addition, the Welsh language is a consideration when deciding on a planning application and when considering the sustainability of development plans.

The Welsh language also figures prominently in education laws passed by the Senedd. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022. Section 6 states that the Commission must promote the carrying out of research and innovation activities through the medium of Welsh. Section 9 imposes a duty to promote tertiary education through the medium of Welsh and take all reasonable steps to ensure that there is sufficient Welsh tertiary education provided through the medium of Welsh to meet demand.

Aims and Objectives

Since devolution, there has been a considerable amount of legislative activity in relation to the Welsh language. This project will ask fundamental questions about the impact of these legislative initiatives. Put succinctly, what has devolution done for the Welsh language in practical terms, and has what has been done been successful and made a difference? The Welsh language, spoken by about 20% of the population is endangered, a minority language in its own land, and in a state of perpetual vulnerability. The project aims to evaluate the impact of devolution on the Welsh language through a number of specific aims and objectives:

• To carry out a consolidating assessment of the laws produced by the Assembly/Senedd in relation to the Welsh language to identify overarching themes and trends.
• To analyse the rationale, the thinking and the political and policy imperatives that inspired these legislative initiatives.
• To assess and categorise the legislation with reference to specific policy areas, such as education, planning and public administration.
• To assess the effectiveness of Welsh language laws and measure their impact. For example, have the Welsh language standards led to greater use of Welsh in public life and within public institutions? How much of Senedd business is conducted through the medium of Welsh? Do Senedd members habitually use the Welsh language in plenary and committee sessions and is there use made of Welsh versions of legislation? What are the challenges in terms of implementing s. 6 of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (conducting research through the medium of Welsh).
• To identify and analyse the personality of these legislative initiatives with reference to legal, statutory and sociolinguistic theories. For example, the laws will be appraised with reference to rights, anti-discriminatory, status planning, behaviour and use, or affirmative action theories.

Methodology

The project will engage a range of methodologies, including analytical, doctrinal, theoretical and empirical. It will provide a detailed legal analysis of the legislative output of the Senedd, by looking at, for example, issues of clarity, certainty and transparency. It will ask and answer legal questions, such as, was the legislation well-drafted, did it make clear what actions were required by which actors, what sanctions would follow in the event of non-compliance, and have the sanctions been effective.

A fundamental objective is to appraise the effectiveness of the legislation. For example, regarding the Welsh Language Measure (2011), the project will scrutinise the impact of the standards regime, the regulatory performance of the Welsh Language Commissioner, and the judicial output of the Welsh Language Tribunal and the High Court of Justice when hearing judicial review applications in relation to the Welsh language.

Impact and non-academic users

The fruits of the research will be of enormous value to language activists, NGO’s, language planners, policy makers, legislators and politicians. The holder of the scholarship will have the opportunity to make a career-defining contribution with high impact to an important field of democratic activity in Wales.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA (Full list of categories for HE in Wales)

PhD: Applicants for PhD study must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University), with no failed modules at undergraduate level, and a master’s degree with an overall grade of ‘merit’.

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.0) or Swansea University recognised equivalent.
Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

This scholarship is funded jointly by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Swansea University's Postgraduate Research Office through its central equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) funding for three years and commences in September 2026.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26).

Additional research expenses of up to £500 per year will also be available.

*Please note that the ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential. *

To apply, please complete the entire application form

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS921

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)

i. In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input both:

• the RS Code, RS921 and
• the scholarship title.

ii. Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank

iii. Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank

iv. In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’(Mandatory) Please select Yes

v. Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf)

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable).
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert.
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.  

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.
• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of EDI form submission

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact: Prof. Gwynedd Parry; r.g.parry@swansea.ac.uk

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.

** In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.