‘Mae hergwd cyn bwysiced â hawl’: newid ymddygiad a pholisi’r iaith Gymraeg (‘Nudging is as important as the right to use the language’: behaviour change and Welsh language policy)

A behavioural approach to policy has already been applied to a range of public policy challenges. This article explores and develops the relationship between a behavioural approach to policy and the field of language policy and planning. The Welsh Government’s recent language strategies offer some evidence of an embryonic relationship between the two fields, with the ambitious target of a million Welsh speakers offering policy imperative to the application of behavioural insights in support of revitalization efforts. This article explains that efforts to revitalize the Welsh language have depended on an understanding of behaviour that emphasizes the rational characteristics of behaviour. It is argued that this dependence neglects alternative understandings of behaviour and associated nudge policies.