Where to study the Welsh language in the US?

tk21769
Tue, 10 Feb 2015 12:08:19 +0000

Think about what it would take to build and sustain a major program around a less-commonly-taught language such as Welsh. Very, very few colleges could bring together a community of interest, and resources, to do that. Maybe Harvard can. Maybe Berkeley can. I’m pretty sure someplace like Middlebury College could not.

Even at a well-resourced place like Harvard, I really doubt you’ll find a full gamut of elementary-intermediate-advanced Welsh language courses, Welsh literature and history courses, etc. You might find a more-or-less robust Celtic Studies program, in which Welsh occupies a niche. If not at Harvard then perhaps at Michigan or Chicago, you might find historical/comparative linguistics courses that cover Celtic languages, possibly including Welsh.I’d be really surprised if you found a full-up “Welsh” program at Harvard or anywhere else in the USA. And even then, if it’s at Harvard, you’d have to get into Harvard.

I suggest the OP’s relative/friend consider programs in linguistics, comparative literature, or some other broader field (possibly as a foundation for graduate study in Celtic historical linguistics or whatever).