American professor falls in love with Wales and learns to speak Welsh

  • ITV Cymru Wales reporter Kate Lewis has the story.

An American professor who fell in love with Wales and learned to speak Welsh has created a programme for State-side students to study and work in Cardiff.

Matthew Jones, a professor with the University of Florida, first fell in love with the history of Wales during his studies in 2015 and committed to learn a few words.

But now he has gone much further than that and Matthew is now bringing groups of students to Cardiff University throughout the summer.

Mr Jones says he was unaware of the Welsh language until he "stumbled across it" while studying British Literature.

"I was studying British Literature, and I came across the work of Iolo Morganwg," he said. "I had never seen the Welsh language before, and I felt that I had to learn more about the language in order to understand the early literature better.

"After I’d done a bit of research, I realised that Welsh is a living language, still spoken in Wales today, and I decided I needed to learn some Welsh."

That led to Mr Jones coming to Cardiff University to study a master's degree for a year in 2015, and he also had Welsh lessons.

He says he immersed himself in the Welsh culture of the capital city, and by the time he left he could speak Welsh.

"I still tell people that the Welsh language saved my life in some way. I found direction in my life for the first time at the age of 28."

Matthew Jones chatting with Kate Lewis about his love for Wales, the culture and the language

Now, he's working to spread the love of Wales to others.

The aim of his summer course is to give the students an opportunity to come to Wales to get work experience, learn about the country, its history, culture and also the language.

Mr Jones has been working with Cardiff University’s Law School, some of the city's law firms and the Welsh Government, to shape the programme, which is now in its second year.

He said: "The programme gives students enough time to enjoy the hustle and bustle of Cardiff and get a taste of the workplace.

"I also try to introduce the Welsh language and the history of Wales to them, so that they have an understanding of the culture and heritage of Wales by the time they leave.

"I'm working on a number of projects in addition to this programme, ones that work more directly with the Welsh language and young people.

"I'm proud of the work I'm doing with the Welsh Government on the Seren programme, and I've also started working with the Urdd on their international work."

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