Welsh Language Society

Welsh organization

Also known as: Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg

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July 15, 2026

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, or the Welsh Language Society, is a Welsh organization focused on promoting and preserving the Welsh language. Founded in 1962, it brought a more militant approach to the cause of the language's survival. The society has been instrumental in advocating for the language's rights, influencing legislation such as the Welsh Language Act of 1967 and the Welsh Language Act of 1993. These acts aimed to give Welsh equal legal standing with English and established bodies to facilitate its use. The organization operates on the fringe of the broader nationalist movement and has, at times, engaged in civil disobedience to further its goals.123

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Plaid Cymru
History
The formation of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 was particularly propitious, because it allowed Plaid to turn more of its attention to electoral politics. The party won its first seat in Parliament in a by-election in 1966, and its policies helped to bring about the passage of the…
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The formation of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 was particularly propitious, because it allowed Plaid to turn more of its attention to electoral politics. The party won its first seat in Parliament in a by-election in 1966, and its policies helped to bring about the passage of the…
Read More

Wales
Political process
…Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society), exist on the fringe of the broader nationalist and separatist movement and are disassociated from Plaid Cymru. Some such groups have engaged in civil disobedience to further their ends, while the more extreme factions have carried out attacks on property, most notably…
Read More
…Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society), exist on the fringe of the broader nationalist and separatist movement and are disassociated from Plaid Cymru. Some such groups have engaged in civil disobedience to further their ends, while the more extreme factions have carried out attacks on property, most notably…
Read More