Rhys Evans BBC Wales political reporter

You'd be forgiven for not having witnessed it, but in an unremarkable Welsh Assembly committee room, AMs have been engaged on an historic exercise.

Every Wednesday morning for the last year or so, they have been rummaging around in our nation's Pandora's box - all in aid of yr Iaith, or the Welsh Language.

It's a brave undertaking.

The committee's remit being to foster a bilingual Wales and boost the language in its heartlands.

The assembly culture committee will sign off the report

In the face of a century of linguistic decline, it requires to quote Rhodri Morgan, "intestinal fortitude".

The second elephant trap is the politics of it all. If anything is guaranteed to sow discord between the tribes of Wales, then it's the Welsh language.

The eternal optimist who's tried to steer a steady course between these various tribes, has been the Committee Chair, Plaid Cymru's Rhodri Glyn Thomas.

The first bit was the easy one.

The AMs courteously took evidence from all manner of interested parties - from the Welsh Language Board to the Welsh Language Society, they've all had their say.

Then a month or so came the tricky bit. AMs had to actually decide.

Initially, it seemed as though the previous politeness was nothing but a mirage.

A baffling dispute on what exactly were recommendations ensued. Here we go again, we all chorused.

To cap it all, Plaid Cymru's Dafydd Wigley started to host his political version of the Late, Late Show.

Controversial changes were conjured out of the ether. At the time, it all seemed a bit of a mess.

Then with the clock showing five to eleven, something odd happened - the members started agreeing among themselves.

Not publicly though - this was old style politics. Deals were cut in private with the lynchpin being the Labour Deputy Minister Delyth Evans.

Incomer welcome packs

Which brings us to where we are now. The language review published this week rests on two pillars.

The first is that there should be a huge expansion in provision given to under-fives education.

The second is that the Welsh Language should be an integral part of assembly government.

There are other recommendations: planning permission required before one can own a holiday home in certain areas; welcome packs for incomers.

But compared to the importance of education and integrating the language into assembly government, AM's see the headline grabbing proposals as rather peripheral.

Publication of the recommendations is but the start though.

Over the summer, the assembly government will say in detail how it'll turn the proposals into policy.

Daubing offices

The other unanswered question is how much it'll cost but the general feeling is that no good scheme for want of money.

There's also the issue of how the Welsh language pressure groups will respond.

In the last month or so of the review, the Welsh Language Society has been daubing assembly government offices claiming that the report offers nothing.

The newer kids on the block, Cymuned share that sentiment but are content to rattle a long sabre - for the moment. They're due to decide whether they'll start breaking the law in a month or so.

That though won't bother AMs too much and a widening gulf is appearing between protestors and politicians.

And from whatever party, they believe that they've given this Review their best shot.

Which brings me back to why this review merits the description historic.

When people stop speaking a Language, experts call it "language death".

This review is therefore the blueprint which aims to check a century of linguistic decline.

The stakes are high and for better or worse, it'll leave its mark on every part of Wales - Welsh speaking or not.