The impact of the language policy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the development of English, Welsh and Gaelic

The article centers around the historical development of the language policy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This context formed another aspect of the British language policy, which is called in the article "national". An introduction gives a reader some understanding of terms. In addition, questions, which are significant for the research, are raised in this section. The first part of the article unfolds key dates and facts for limitation and then development of regional languages in Great Britain. It is highlighted, that the official usage of Welsh and Gaelic languages was restricted and punished in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, initial acts permitting these languages were adopted only in the second half of the 20^th century. The authors also stress the role of these documents in the development of both languages. In general, the analysis of discrimination and restoration of these regional languages shows that the democratization of the British society, non-governmental organizations and national factors had a strong influence on the language policy. While talking about the national context of the British language policy, we should take into account two significant factors. They are the crisis of identities in the United Kingdom and multicultural policy concerning national minorities. In the era of globalization and supranational organizations the United Kingdom faced the problem of preserving its national identity. The term "Britishness" as an indicator of the British national identity appeared. On the one hand this consolidation of the nation on the national factor facilitated the process of the restoration of regional languages. On the other hand, multiculturalism, as a policy of co-existence of various cultural groups on one territory led to migrants using their mother tongues and the huge influence of the latter on the English language. Thus, we can see in the conclusion, that the British language policy should be considered in two aspects: measures concerning the regional languages and procedures in regard with mother tongues of migrants. Eventually, the number of public activities devoted to the language policy allows us to conclude, that the British society influences this issue more than the government.

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