Patagonian Welsh - Wikipedia Patagonian Welsh This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2014 ) Patagonian Welsh Cymraeg y Wladfa Native to Argentina Region Chubut Native speakers L1 : Unknown ( 2017 ) L2 : 1,500 - 5,000 Language family Indo - European Celtic Insular Celtic Brythonic Welsh Patagonian Welsh Writing system Latin ( Welsh alphabet ) Language codes ISO 639 - 3 -- Glottolog pata1258 This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help : IPA. Patagonian Welsh ( Welsh : Cymraeg y Wladfa ) is the name given to the Welsh language as spoken in Y Wladfa, the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, Argentina, specifically in the province of Chubut. There is no evidence to suggest there are still any first language speakers remaining. Claims about the number of native speakers refer to second language speakers or language learners. Teachers are sent to teach the language and to train local tutors in the Welsh language, and there is some prestige of knowing the language, even among those who are not of Welsh descent. The Welsh education and projects are mainly funded by the Welsh Government, British Council, Cardiff University and the Welsh - Argentine Association. In 2005 there were 62 Welsh classes in the area and Welsh was taught as a subject in two primary schools and two colleges in the region of Gaiman. There is also a bilingual Welsh - Spanish language school called Ysgol yr Hendre situated in Trelew and a college located in Esquel. As of 2016, there are three bilingual Welsh - Spanish schools in Patagonia. Patagonian Welsh has developed to be a distinct dialect of Welsh, different from the several dialects used in Wales itself ; however speakers from Wales and Patagonia are able to communicate readily. Toponyms throughout the Chubut Valley are of Welsh origin. A total of 1,220 people undertook Welsh courses in Patagonia in 2015. History The Welsh people first arrived in Patagonia in 1865. They had migrated to protect their native Welsh culture and language, which they considered to be threatened in their native Wales. Over the years the use of the language started to decrease and there was relatively little contact between Wales and the Chubut Valley. The situation began to change when many Welsh people visited the region in 1965 to celebrate the colony 's centenary ; since then the number of Welsh visitors increased. In 1945 and 1946 the BBC World Service broadcast radio shows in Patagonian Welsh. In 2004 the Welsh speakers in Argentina asked permission from the Welsh government to access Welsh TV programmes to encourage the learning of the language and for the language to grow. Trilingual sign in Patagonia Ysgol yr Hendre, Patagonia 's Welsh - language school. References Jump up ^ `` Patagonia 's Welsh settlement was ' cultural colonialism ' says academic ''. WalesOnline. Retrieved 6 May 2017. Jump up ^ wales.com. `` Wales and Patagonia ''. Retrieved 6 May 2017. Jump up ^ Hammarström, Harald ; Forkel, Robert ; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. ( 2017 ). `` Patagonian Welsh ''. Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany : Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Jump up ^ `` Viewpoint : The Argentines who speak Welsh ''. BBC News. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` BBC National Orchestra of Wales first for Patagonia ''. BBC News. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2017. ^ Jump up to : Huw Edwards ( 29 August 2016 ). `` BBC One - Patagonia with Huw Edwards ''. BBC One. Retrieved 15 September 2016. Television program by Huw Edwards on Patagonia and its Welsh community and culture. Jump up ^ http://cymraeg.llyw.cymru/news/index/ysgol-patagonia?lang=en Jump up ^ `` Welsh Language Project Annual Report 2015 '' ( PDF ). British Council. British Council. Jump up ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/history/audio.shtml Jump up ^ http://clanjames.com/patagonian_welsh.htm External links Project - Hiraeth -- Documents the stories of the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina through film, text and illustration. Languages of Argentina Official languages Spanish Regional languages Guarani Mapuche Quechua Indigenous languages Chonan Puelche Tehuelche Teushen Mataco -- Guaicuru Charruan Balomar Guaicuruan Abipón Guachi Mocoví Payaguá Pilagá Toba Qom Matacoan Iyo'wujwa Chorote Iyojwa'ja Chorote Nivaclé Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay Wichí Lhamtés Nocten Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz Quechuan Southern Quechua Santiagueño South Bolivian Tupi -- Guarani Ava Guarani Eastern Bolivian Guaraní Kaiwá Mbyá Guaraní Others Aymara Chané Vilela Minority languages Belgranodeutsch Cocoliche German Argentinien - schwyzertütsch German Ligurian Lunfardo Welsh Patagonian Welsh Dialects of Spanish Cordobés Cuyo Rioplatense Vesre Sign languages Argentine Sign Language Italics indicate extinct languages This article related to the history of Wales is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patagonian_Welsh&oldid=783750216 '' Categories : Endangered diaspora languages Welsh language Welsh settlement in Patagonia Languages of Argentina Welsh history stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from October 2014 All articles needing additional references Dialects of languages with ISO 639 - 3 code Languages without ISO 639 - 3 code but with Glottolog code Language articles without reference field Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016 All articles containing potentially dated statements Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2014 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017 All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Languages Cymraeg Español Bahasa Indonesia Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 4 June 2017, at 12 : 07. About Wikipedia

Question: why is there a welsh community in patagonia
Answer: to protect their native Welsh culture and language, which they considered to be threatened in their native Wales