The language and style of the Welsh Bible translations: historical development and sociolinguistic dynamics

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of Welsh Bible translations and pivotal role in shaping both the literary standard and national identity of Wales. Through a diachronic and comparative examination oftranslations produced from the sixteenth to the twenty- first century, situated within their respective historical and cultural contexts, the study demonstrates how successive versions of the Bible contributed to the standardisation andenrichment of the Welsh literary tradition. Particular emphasis is placed on the seminal translations by William Salesbury (1567) and William Morgan (1588), which laid the foundations for modern Welsh orthography and literary style, as well as on more recent translations tailored to colloquial usage and younger readerships. The article’s originality lies in its systematic treatment of the entire Welsh biblical translation tradition, including lesser- studied dialectal and simplified versions from the twentieth and twenty- first centuries — sources that have hitherto received little attention in both Russian and Western scholarship. The findings suggest that Welsh Bible translations not only reflect internal linguistic developments but also perform a vital sociocultural function, actively sustaining the Welsh language in the face of longstanding Anglophone pressure.