The Welsh Language Commissioner in Context: Roles, Methods and Relationships

This research monograph is the first authoritative work on the office of the Welsh Language Commissioner and the associated Welsh language regulatory and statutory regime. In setting the Commissioner in context – in Wales, the UK and internationally – the work draws upon a rich variety of source material arising from fieldwork conducted in a number of jurisdictions. The research data includes, for example, an extensive series of documents obtained under a number of Freedom of Information applications, in-depth interviews with key actors from pertinent legislatures, governments, regulatory offices, interest groups and civic society. The linguistic coverage of source material includes English and Welsh, as well as, where relevant, Irish, German, Catalan, Spanish, French and Basque, in a publication which is multi-disciplinary in approach, engaging with the scholarly and professional literature in language policy and planning, socio-legal studies and the politics of language.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements 1 Introduction: research aims and methodology 2 Independence, accountability and structure 3 Language rights and freedom 4 Regulatory standards 5 Promotion and complaint-handling 6 The Crown, Ministers of the Crown and Crown bodies 7 Official language 8 Conclusions: too complex a regime?

About the Author :
Higher level undergraduate and beyond.

Review :
'A key question in language policy is the effectiveness of central management. In this book, a pioneering and highly documented account of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner in attempting to regulate the statutory provisions of recent legislation concerning the language, the author has provided a balanced account of the complexities of the process and the many competing interests involved.' - Emeritus Professor Bernard Spolsky, Bar-Ilan University. 'This detailed, scholarly and robust examination of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner is essential reading for anyone with an interest in language rights, democratic scrutiny and law-making in Wales. Drawing on comparative research, the author casts a sharp and critical eye on one of the principal achievements of the Welsh legislature since its inception, and confronts misconceptions and false precepts with ruthless precision. In particular, this book exposes the potentially conflicting demands made of the Welsh Language Commissioner in fulfilling a regulatory role within the constitutional and legislative terms of reference, and championing the demands and expectations of the Welsh-speaking community. A paragon of policy analysis, it provides anyone with an interest in the maturing of Welsh democracy with a valuable but cautionary tale.' - Professor R. Gwynedd Parry, Swansea University. 'In this extremely timely volume Diarmait Mac Giolla Chriost provides a detailed and systematic analysis of the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner, as well other key aspects of the 2011 Welsh Language Measure. It includes numerous insights that should be of interest to academic researchers working in the fields of language planning and language law, as well as broader as fields such as public administration and public policy analysis. Moreover, it highlights a series of important recommendations that demand careful consideration by those responsible for policy and legislation relating to the Welsh language.' - Dr Huw Lewis, Aberystwyth University