Pennod 41 – Maniffesto William Salesbury

We discuss an incredibly exciting text in this episode, namely William Salesbury’s introduction to a book published in 1547, Oll Synnwyr Pen. We suggest that this introduction can be seen as a Welsh humanist manifesto, a call which presents an agenda for safeguarding and perfecting the language. 

William Salesbury used his Oxford education and his skill as an author to wake up readers and make them aware of the need: they had to ensure that Welsh would be a language of learning, a language which could discuss any aspect of society and thought, a medium capable of transmitting any kind of knowledge.