Welsh Language
You won't need to learn it to survie in Wales, but your children will probably learn it at school. The Welsh language is an important part of the Welsh need to assert their independence and individuality in the United Kingdom.
The Principality of Wales is the largest principality in the world, and has its own distinct language. The language is nothing like English, and comes from a totally different root. Everyone who visits Wales will know of the language's existence even if they never hear it spoken, as all road signs in Wales are written in both English and Welsh. The Welsh language has been slowly recovering from over a century of decline in the last twenty five years. The numbers of people able to speak Welsh is rising, and now that the language is taught in schools, the future looks a lot brighter.
The problems for the Welsh language began in the 1840s, at a time of unrest and social change. English commissioners sent to Wales to research the problems drew conclusions which were very unfavourable to the Welsh people and their language, and promoted English as the way forward. The effect of this report is still in evidence today. Schools began to teach only in English, and pupils were severely censured for even speaking their own native tongue.
The Welsh language has a greater similarity to continental languages than it does to English, with nouns having gender, and double letters and accents being used. There is even a considerable difference between the way the language is spoken in different parts of the country. This can basically be called a North/South divide, as the major population centres in South Wales have a totally different speech from the rural farming areas.
Welsh today is making huge strides from where it was following the disastrous report of the 1840s. Figures show a rise in the number of Welsh speakers compared to the last census, and the numbers then were higher than ten years before. Whereas schoolchildren were once penalised for speaking their own language, now Welsh is a compulsory part of the National Curriculum. This should lead to a continued increase in the numbers of people who can speak Welsh, even if they don't use it on a daily basis.
The future for Welsh has to be uncertain to some degree, as English continues to dominate through the influence of the media. Economic considerations will always mean that the learning and use of English must take priority. However, with the new rules in the education system, even children of English parents who emigrate to Wales should grow up with an understanding of the Welsh language. This, combined with S4C continuing to broadcast TV programmes in Welsh, should ensure that the use of Welsh continues to expand in the coming years.