Jones's book should fascinate two audiences:
those concerned with the current state of the Welsh language,
and those with a more general interest in the phenomenon
of language obsolescence. Her presentation is both clearly
readable and meticulous in its detail. The work centers
on case studies of two sociologically similar but linguistically
different communities, Rhymney and Rhosllannerchrugog,
situated in different regions of Wales. These studies investigate,
in parallel fashion, the varied retention both of Welsh
and of its relevant local dialect across the generations.
Jones demonstrates greater linguistic retention in the
community where Welsh still plays a significant role in
everyday social interactions (Rhosllannerchrugog), but
her data also illustrate a strong trend in both communities
toward the greater use of historically inappropriate forms
by younger speakers. Both studies also reveal a recent
loss of dialect-specific features, to the point where many
schoolchildren in both towns fail even to recognize the
local dialect as belonging to their own community. Jones's
generational analysis is quite revealing, particularly
because the current set of generations have experienced
quite different social contexts with respect to the state
of the language and its use in official settings.