A 16-year-old has been awarded the Learners' Medal at the Urdd Eisteddfod, the annual youth arts festival held in Wales.
Jack Pulman-Slater knew little Welsh when he moved from Norwich, in east England, to Crymych, south Wales, in 2003. However, life in a Welsh-speaking village of just 400 people forced him to learn the language.
"Learning another language has awoken my interests in how languages work," he told the Daily Post (North Wales). "I hope to go on to become a language therapist."
To compete in this year's festival, Jack penned an essay about the past and future of the Welsh language, wrote a dialogue, and recorded a conversation between himself and a teacher.
The teenager is studying Welsh at school, and enjoys exploring languages at home, where he has "shelves full of dictionaries in different languages."
As well as linguistics, he has a keen interest in theatre, and writes regularly for his local theatre group.
Jack was among 15,000 young people to compete in various events at the Urdd Eisteddfod. For 2010, the venue was the elegant 18th-century mansion and estate at Llanerchaeron. An estimated 100,000 visitors attended.
The Urdd Eisteddfod is held at a different location each year, in order to encourage young people from all across Wales in their appreciation of the Welsh language and culture.
Welsh Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones recently spoke out in support of the festival, saying it was important that funding was made available, and that it continue to move around the country.
He told the Daily Post that as a youngster, "The Urdd enriched my life like so many others."
07 June 2010
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