Almost fifty years after the 'Tynged yr Iaith' (Fate of the Language) lecture by Saunders Lewis on the radio, that led to the estalishment of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the movement will share its vision of how to secure sustainable Welsh speaking communities - in a speech entitled 'Tynged yr Iaith 2'.

Members of the society will make the special address in Blaenau Ffestiniog ( 2pm, Dydd Sadwrn, Ionawr 15fed) and children from Ysgol y Parc, an under-threat school in a Welsh language community, will sing during the event.

In his 1962 speech, Saunders Lewis warned that the Welsh language would disappear as a living language by the start of the 21st century.In this new speech, 'Tynged yr Iaith 2', the main focus will be on Welsh as a living, community language:

"Persistent campaigning and taking a stand for the language led to a number of successes. Those victories mean Welsh will live on in some form. But what type of future will our language have? We are a long way from securing a future for the language as a full language of the community that can be used in every aspect of life. Will the language live on in symbolic form only? Will it be a culture for a minority of people? Will the language be a tokenistic decoration providing jobs for a small group of people? The language of the classroom ... instead of a language which is a part of community regeneration as a whole?"

One the ideas raised that will be discussed at the meeting is the need for a Sustainable Communities law to allow local young people to stay in their communities. Speaking ahead of the event, Bethan Williams, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg commented:

"It's time to look afresh at the vision set our in 'Tynged yr Iaith'. Saunders Lewis awoke people in Wales to the dangers that were facing the language; Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg's intention is to present a challenge to our members and the public and rouse our communities. We're holding the event in Blaenau Ffestiniog which has a very stong community group which provides a number of opportunities for people of every age through the medium of Welsh. Children from Ysgol Parc wil perform as well; that community is still strong, despite the threat to the local school."

For the first time, a Cymdeithas event will be broadcast world-wide live on the web. Menna Machreth, spokesperson for Cymdeithas's digital group, said:

"We decided to broadcast over the web to as many members as possible and hold a community event which is also relevant nationally. Since Saunders Lewis's lecture, Wales and its communities have changed, so we are announcing a new vision for our communities. This is only the start, we hope that our members will be inspired to protect our Welsh speaking communities."