How history is used in the text

Here, we focus on the way in which history is used in “Cachau Bant: Mind Your Language” by Tom Law. In Tom Law’s article, the use of history has two main points: focusing on the general (the overall history of the British Empire) and on the particular (the way in which English has almost entirely replaced Welsh).

When history is used in general, its role is to show how the British Empire is known for subduing the colonies and nations it has come into contact with:  

It's the way that the British Empire used language to control their various colonies during the 19th century. It was a benign method of dominating occupied nations with minimal bloodshed or confrontation ‒ a very English form of tyranny. (ll. 141-146)

Law uses the example of “Ireland, Singapore, Nigeria or North Borneo” (ll. 147-148) to show how the English language has imposed its domination on the natives of those lands.

When history is used in particular, its role is to show how Welsh people slowly but surely fell under the domination of the English language, and the specific historical events which led to changes in the English attitude towards the Welsh:

This is exactly what happened in Wales. The country in the 19th century was viewed by the English as being a dangerous and lawless land ‒ Wild Wales. It was a fear fu...