Welsh Not by Martin Johnes

Welsh Not by Martin Johnes

The Welsh Not was a wooden token given to children caught speaking Welsh in nineteenth-century schools. It was often accompanied by corporal punishment, and is widely thought to have been responsible for the decline of the Welsh language. Despite having an iconic status in popular understandings of Wales’s history, there has never before been a study of where, when and why the Welsh Not was used. This book is an account of the different ways children were punished for speaking Welsh in nineteenth-century schools and the consequences of this for children, communities and the linguistic future of Wales. It shows how the exclusion of Welsh was not only traumatic for pupils but also hindered them in learning English – the very opposite of what it was meant to achieve. Gradually, Welsh came to be used increasingly in Victorian schools, making them more humane places but also more effective mechanisms in the anglicisation of Wales.

Martin Johnes teaches and researches the 20th century history of Wales and Britain. He has published various books and articles that look at popular sports, obscure sports, national identity, historiography, disasters and local government. Two recent titles include Christmas and the British: A Modern History which looked at the social, cultural and economic history from 1914 to the present day. Other books include: Wales since 1939 which was the first major survey of Wales in this period and has a particular emphasis on social history and national identity. Martin is a regular contributor on history, sport and politics to the Welsh print and broadcast media.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781837721801
ISBN 10	1837721807
Title	Welsh Not
Author	Martin Johnes
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	University of Wales Press
Year published	2024-10-15
Number of pages	440
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable