Mind Your Language

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have some kind of knowledge about the British colonisation.

So, Tom Law uses history to create a more negative view on England and this makes him seem intelligent and therefore more reliable, it enhances his ethos, and it actually makes it easier for the readers to relate to the problem.

Sometimes Tom Law can be a bit sarcastic in his use of words, for example: “It’s hard to give a toss about language when you’re an English speaker. Because losing your language is not something you’ll ever have to worry about; thanks to the glory days of the British Empire”. He don’t actually see the British Empire as “glory days” but a lot of English people do. He makes these people look like fools when later in the article he starts to mention all the negative aspects about England. He also uses some kind of imagery when he says; “The Welsh language has declined so rapidly because the English placed a pillow over its face and smothered it”. This makes the problem seem much more awful to readers.

Tom Law ends his article with a reference to the poem “Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night” by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas which explores the themes of grief and death. This is a comparison to the fact that the whole of Welsh culture and language is slowly dying.

There is no doubt that Tom Law has a negative view on the Welsh situation and as a reader it is possible to relate to his thoughts. Some people might think that he is exaggerating when he compares the situation with the British Imperialism but if you look at the way the Welsh language had been “destroyed” by England it is comparable to Ireland, Singapore and so on. We’ll have to look at it from a native’s point of view: A whole country’s history has been torn apart and this is how he, as a native, sees the situation. It’s not easy for citizens in a country where patriotism is dominating to let go of something which has had an importance to the country’s history. For a patriot the fact that your country had surrendered to a stronger country is a sign of weakness and you can’t avoid a vertain sense of shame.

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