Harshen Welsh

**Welsh** (   ko   ) yaren Celtic ne na ƙungiyar Brittonic wanda asalin mutanen Welsh ne. Kusan kashi 18% na al'ummar Wales ne ke magana da Welsh, wasu kuma a Ingila, da kuma  (mallakar Welsh a Lardin Chubut, Argentina ). 

A tarihi, an san shi da Turanci a matsayin "Birtaniya",  "Cambrian",  "Cambric"  da "Cymric". 

Tsarin Harsunan Welsh (Wales) na 2011 ya ba harshen Welsh matsayin hukuma a Wales.  Harshen Welsh da Ingilishi su ne harsunan *hukuma* na Senedd (majalisar dokokin Welsh).  

A bisa ga ƙidayar jama'a ta 2021, mazauna Wales 538,300 masu shekaru uku ko sama da haka (17.8% na yawan jama'a) sun iya yin magana da harshen Welsh, yayin da sama da kashi ɗaya cikin huɗu (25.1%) suka ba da rahoton suna da wasu ƙwarewar harshen Welsh

Wasu bincike-bincike sun samar da adadi mai yawa: wani bincike a tsakanin 2022-2023 ya gano cewa kashi 34% na mutanen da shekarunsu suka kai 16 ko sama da haka za su iya magana da Welsh (wanda kashi 18 cikin 100 suka ce za su iya magana da Welsh, kuma kashi 16 cikin 100 sun ce suna da ɗan iya magana da Welsh).  A watan Maris na 2025, wasu bayanan bincike sun kiyasta cewa mutane 828,600 (26.9%) masu shekaru uku ko sama a Wales za su iya magana da Welsh. 

Kusan rabin dukkan masu magana da harshen Welsh suna ɗaukar kansu a matsayin masu iya magana, yayin da kashi 20% ke iya magana da ya dace.  Kashi 56% na masu magana da harshen Welsh suna magana da yaren kowace rana, kuma kashi 19% suna magana da yaren duk mako. 

Tun daga shekarar 1951, adadin masu magana da harshen Welsh a Wales ya ƙaru, kodayake kaso na waɗanda ke magana da harshen Wales yana raguwa duk bayan shekaru goma ban da adadin da aka ruwaito ta hanyar ƙidayar jama'a ta Burtaniya ta 1991 da 2001.

Gwamnatin Wales na shirin ƙara yawan masu magana da harshen Welsh zuwa miliyan ɗaya, da kuma ninka yawan amfani da harshen a kowace rana nan da shekarar 2050.  Tun daga shekarar 1980, adadin yaran da ke zuwa makarantun Welsh-matsakaici ya ƙaru, yayin da adadin da ke zuwa makarantun Welsh-matsakaici da na matsakaici biyu ya ragu.  UNESCO ta ɗauki harshen Welsh a matsayin harshen Celtic mafi ƙarancin hatsari. 

## Tarihi
 
Harshen Welsh ya samo asali ne daga harshen 'yan Birtaniya .  Fitowar Welsh ba ta kasance nan take ba kuma a bayyane take. Madadin haka, sauyin ya faru ne tsawon lokaci, inda wasu masana tarihi suka yi iƙirarin cewa ya faru a ƙarshen ƙarni na 9, tare da wani lokaci mai ban mamaki wanda masanin harshe Kenneth H. Jackson ya gabatar, Yaƙin Dyrham, yaƙin soja tsakanin Yammacin Saxons da 'yan Birtaniya a shekara ta 577.&nbsp;AD,  wanda ya raba yankin Kudu maso Yammacin Birtaniya daga hulɗa kai tsaye da Welsh.

An gano yanayi huɗu a tarihin Welsh, tare da iyakoki marasa bambanci: Tsohon Welsh, Tsohon Welsh, Tsakiyar Welsh, da kuma Tsohon Welsh. Lokacin da ya biyo bayan fitowar harshen wani lokaci ana kiransa da Tsohon Welsh,  sai kuma Tsohon Welsh - wanda galibi ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin wanda ya fara daga farkon ƙarni na 9 zuwa wani lokaci a cikin ƙarni na 12.  Ana ɗaukar zamanin Tsakiyar Welsh ya kasance tun daga lokacin har zuwa ƙarni na 14, lokacin da zamanin Welsh na zamani ya fara, wanda kuma aka raba shi zuwa Tsohon Welsh na zamani da Ƙarshe.

Kalmar *Welsh* zuriya ce, ta hanyar Tsohon arzikin Ingila , na kalmar Proto-Jamusanci , wanda aka samo daga sunan mutanen Celtic da Romawa suka sani a matsayin  kuma wanda ya zo yana nufin masu magana da harsunan Celtic, sannan kuma ba tare da la'akari da mutanen Daular Roma ta Yamma ba. A cikin Tsohon Turanci kalmar ta wuce ta hanyar taƙaita ma'anar ma'ana, wanda ya zo yana nufin ko dai 'yan Birtaniya musamman ko, a wasu mahallin, bayi.  Tsarin jam'i  Sun samo asali zuwa sunan yankinsu, Wales. 

Sunaye na zamani na mutane daban-daban masu jin harshen soyayya a Nahiyar Turai (misali Walloons, Valaisans, Vlachs / Wallachians, da , sunan Poland ga Italiyanci) yana da irin wannan tushen.  Kalmar Welsh don harshen, , ya sauko daga kalmar Brythonic , ma'ana 'yan uwa' ko 'yan ƙasa'. 

### Asalin

Harshen Welsh ya samo asali ne daga harshen Common Brittonic, harshen Celtic da tsoffin 'yan Birtaniya Celtic ke magana da shi. An rarraba shi a matsayin harshen Celtic mai kama da na Insular, wataƙila ya isa Birtaniya a lokacin Zamanin Tagulla ko Zamanin ƙarfe kuma wataƙila ana magana da shi a duk tsibirin da ke kudu da Firth of Forth .  A lokacin Tsakiyar Zamani na Farko, harshen Birtaniya ya fara rarrabuwa saboda ƙaruwar bambancin yare, don haka ya rikide zuwa Welsh da sauran harsunan Brittonic. Ba a fayyace lokacin da Welsh ya bayyana ba.   

Masanin harsuna Kenneth H. Jackson ya ba da shawarar cewa juyin halittar tsarin kalmomi da tsarin sauti ya cika da kusan 550&nbsp;AD, kuma ya yi wa alama tsakanin lokacin da kuma kusan 800&nbsp;AD "Primitive Welsh".  Wannan Primitive Welsh wataƙila an yi magana da shi a Wales da kuma  ('Tsohon Arewa') - yankunan da ake magana da Brittonic na abin da yanzu ake kira arewacin Ingila da kudancin Scotland - saboda haka wataƙila shine kakannin Cumbric da kuma Welsh. Duk da haka, Jackson ya yi imanin cewa nau'ikan biyu sun riga sun bambanta a wancan lokacin. 

Waƙoƙin Welsh na farko - wanda aka danganta da  ko "Mawakan Farko" - galibi ana ɗaukar su tun zamanin Primitive Welsh. Duk da haka, yawancin wannan waƙar an rubuta ta ne a cikin , yana ƙara yin tambayoyi game da lokacin da aka rubuta abu da kuma harshen da aka fara rubuta shi.  Wannan ikon ya samo asali ne daga gaskiyar cewa an yi imanin cewa Cumbric shine harshen da aka yi amfani da shi a cikin Hen Ogledd. Wani rubutu na ƙarni na 8 a cikin Tywyn ya nuna harshen da ya riga ya faɗi a cikin raguwar sunaye. 

Janet Davies ta gabatar da cewa asalin harshen Welsh ba shi da tabbas sosai; a cikin *Harshen Welsh: Tarihi*, ta gabatar da cewa Welsh na iya kasancewa a kusa da shekaru 600.&nbsp;AD. Wannan yana tabbatar da raguwar kalmomin ƙarshe daga Brittonic:  'mawaki' ya zama , da kuma  'kogi' ya zama   Duk da cewa Davies da Jackson sun ambaci ƙananan canje-canje a tsarin harafi da sautuka a matsayin shaida ga ƙirƙirar Tsohon Welsh, Davies ya nuna cewa ya fi dacewa a kira wannan harshen da aka samo asali da  maimakon a siffanta shi a matsayin sabon harshe gaba ɗaya.

### Welsh na asali
Ana ta muhawara sosai kan kwanakin da aka yi jayayya a kansu na lokacin "Primitive Welsh", inda wasu shawarwarin masana tarihi suka bambanta da ɗaruruwan shekaru.

Babban lokaci na gaba shine Tsohon Welsh ( , ƙarni na 9 zuwa 11); waƙoƙi daga Wales da Scotland an adana su a cikin wannan nau'in harshe. Yayin da mulkin mallaka na Jamusanci da Gaelic na Birtaniya ya ci gaba, masu magana da harshen Brittonic a Wales sun rabu da waɗanda ke arewacin Ingila, suna magana da Cumbric, da waɗanda ke kudu maso yamma, suna magana da abin da zai zama Cornish, don haka harsunan suka bambanta. Ayyukan Aneirin ( ,  ) da kuma *Littafin Taliesin* (  ) an rubuta su a wannan zamanin.

## Manazarta