Cymuned's Simon Brooks

In response to Mr Brooks, Welsh Language Board Chairman Rhodri Williams, said the threats were a mistake and that people should make their feelings known through the ballot box.

Independent Tory AM Rod Richards also reacted furiously to the comments, which he labelled "extremely negative and disappointing".

Mr Richards also warned that such comments would turn people against the Welsh language.

Speaking to BBC Wales after the debate, Mr Brooks said his comments were not a threat, but a "political analysis".

"Cymuned is the first constitutional Welsh language movement in 40 years," said Mr Brooks.

Independent Tory AM Rod Richards

"If people try respectable lobbying, and nothing comes of it, I think it is inevitable people will go back to what has worked before."

Mr Brooks did not specify what measures of civil disobedience he was alluding to.

But Welsh language activism in the past has included the occupation of public buildings, the spraying of slogans, climbing television masts and refusal to pay TV licence fees.

Cymuned was set up in summer 2001 to lobby the assembly for measures to safeguard disintegrating Welsh-language village life.

The group includes disillusioned Plaid Cymru politicians as well as Welsh language academics and professionals.

Language survey

The passionate debate followed the results of a BBC Wales poll, in which it was revealed one third of Welsh-speaking parents never use the language when talking to their children.

The survey also revealed that just four in 10 mothers and fathers who speak Welsh routinely use the language within their family.

The survey, conducted by Beaufort research for BBC Wales, also found resistance to Welsh as a compulsory subject in secondary schools.

Use of Welsh

Always spoken with children - 40% Never spoken with children - 31% Resistance to Welsh at school: Compulsory lessons good - 64% Migrants should learn Welsh - 52% Poll note *

And 60% of the 1,004 people interviewed believe monoglot English-speaking incomers to Welsh heartlands make an economic contribution to their communities.

The BBC Wales survey offered evidence contrary to modern perceptions that the language has experienced a miniature renaissance in recent years.

Compared to similar BBC Wales data from 1986, the survey did find use of the language more widespread across Wales - and more people believe the language is gaining strength.

But only 65% of survey interviewees believed it would be a living language in just 40 years time.

Dyfodol yr Iaith - 2000 GMT, S4C and S4C2

* Beaufort Research conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,004 Welsh speakers across Wales between 1 and 25 November, 2001, and with 682 non-Welsh speakers between 23 and 30 November.