# The Welsh Language



## Meanderer (Jul 6, 2014)

_"Many people think The United Kingdom is the same thing as England and that we all speak English. Not so. Welsh is spoken as the first language in many parts of Wales, where we went on Holiday last week. Here is a brief flavour of the language for you".

_<em>


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## Justme (Jul 6, 2014)

I live in North Wales, although I am not Welsh. It is unusual to hear anyone speaking Welsh in our area. However, the Welsh language is taught in all Welsh schools and some schools teach only in Welsh, not the more usual English.

One thing which does irritate the Welsh, and rightly so, is if a letter from abroad is addressed Wales, England, instead of Wales, UK!


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## Capt Lightning (Jul 6, 2014)

Many people think that the United Kingdom is the same as Great Britain.  Again, Not so.

Gaelic is spoken in some parts of Scotland, mainly the North west and the western Isles.  There is a national Gaelic TV channel (BBC Alba) and various Gaelic radio stations.


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## romfty (Jul 6, 2014)

I used to live in North Wales, the money wasted on duplicating, road signs, literature, web sites etc etc, when only a minority speak Welsh is outrageous!.... is'n it!


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## JustBonee (Jul 6, 2014)

Tom Jones can talk (or sing) to me anytime!  ..:love_heart:


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## Falcon (Jul 6, 2014)

romfty said:


> I used to live in North Wales, the money wasted on duplicating, road signs, literature, web sites etc etc, when only a minority speak Welsh is outrageous!.... is'n it!



I fully agree with you romfty.  Kind of silly, isn't it ?


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## oakapple (Jan 17, 2015)

romfty said:


> I used to live in North Wales, the money wasted on duplicating, road signs, literature, web sites etc etc, when only a minority speak Welsh is outrageous!.... is'n it!



It is outrageous, I agree with that.30 years ago , not many people were speaking Welsh, but since they made it compulsary in schools, it escalated . Good to have a heritage, but not made compulsary.Why oh why on roadsigns? All people in Wales can read roadsigns in English!!


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## Furryanimal (Dec 13, 2018)

Croeso I gyd.Wi'n dod o de Cymru,hugain milltir o Gaerdydd.And if you don't know what that means use Google translate.This is an ancient thread but it will probably annoy those above who object to our wonderful language...


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## hollydolly (Dec 13, 2018)

Ha!!! it won't annoy me... I love the Welsh people.... we Celts have to stick together. I might annoy people more if I started writing in Scottish Gaelic 


Tha mi ag aontachadh gu bheil an snàithlean seo glè shean


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## RadishRose (Dec 13, 2018)

Welsh seems to me to have some root in Norse, but really can't fathom.


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## Furryanimal (Dec 13, 2018)

RadishRose said:


> Welsh seems to me to have some root in Norse, but really can't fathom.



For some reason a lot of Welsh people are hostile to the Welsh Language.In the nineteenth century the London government tried to kill it off.Look up The Treason of the Blue Books and the Welsh Not...  Shameful...


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## Tommy (Dec 14, 2018)

Thanks, Furry.  Very interesting.  I looked it up and it sounds to me like the Blue Books were the result of a well intentioned, but poorly conceived, study that was poorly carried out by prominent but unqualified researchers.  Such things never end well.  Sad.  I still don't understand why modern Welsh people would be hostile to the Welsh language though.

I've always admired anyone who has mastered more than one language ... I have trouble enough with one. 

I'm told by my reading-specialist wife that children who are exposed to a second language at a young age have a greater ability to master multiple languages later in life.  I would think this would be an advantage, especially in your part of the world.


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## Furryanimal (Dec 14, 2018)

Tommy said:


> Thanks, Furry.  Very interesting.  I looked it up and it sounds to me like the Blue Books were the result of a well intentioned, but poorly conceived, study that was poorly carried out by prominent but unqualified researchers.  Such things never end well.  Sad.  I still don't understand why modern Welsh people would be hostile to the Welsh language though.
> 
> I've always admired anyone who has mastered more than one language ... I have trouble enough with one.
> 
> I'm told by my reading-specialist wife that children who are exposed to a second language at a young age have a greater ability to master multiple languages later in life.  I would think this would be an advantage, especially in your part of the world.


It is-the demand for Welsh Language schools is growing.And Welsh is a compulsory subject in English Language schools.I do remember Bob Holness on Blockbusters being bemused that his contestants from a Welsh Language school learnt French through the medium of Welsh...


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