Do you wish that you could speak Welsh?

[Grandma Death]

...thats the problem with yer argument though innit. Your just generalising based upon your exeperiences, and it doesn`t work.

.

No im 'generalising' on the amount of fluent speakers & their geographical location which obviously leads me to the conclusion that its a minority language which, on a practical level, there isnt really a need to learn (for me that is).

 

[Gromit]

Im not telling anyone to not learn welsh. Try reading my posts.

No but you are saying there is little practical use if few people use a language. Wales, Iceland and Malta beg to disagree.

The fact few people use something doesn't make it worthless.

 

[Grandma Death]

No but you are saying there is little practical use if few people use a language. Wales, Iceland and Malta beg to disagree.

The fact few people use something doesn't make it worthless.

Again read my posts. Im not saying the welsh language is 'worthless' Im saying its not practical unless you are one of the minority of people who speak it.

Hence my reason to not learn it.

 

[Gromit]

Again read my posts. Im not saying the welsh language is 'worthless' Im saying its not practical unless you are one of the minority of people who speak it.

Hence my reason to not learn it.

I've scrolled back and i can't say that its obvious from your posts but you've spelt it out now so fine.

For me it is practical to learn it because I'm far more likely to come into contact with someone who speaks welsh then i am with someone who speaks french or german no matter how many people speak it world wide.

 

[ddraig]

decent discussion, esp chilango

no need for new buns

i'm lucky enough to have a mate at work i can and do speak Welsh to and when i answer the phone i say good morning bore da ... and afternoon pnawn da and would hopefully be able to hold a decent enough convo and help the person on the other end (not that i've been asked yet mind)

Cymraeg is v v important to me and as previously mentioned it's the main reason i decided to move back home to Cymru to sort out my fading Cymro-ness. i can't speak to my gran in engerlish for starters.
i would however like to speak it more and have been meaning to go to one of ben bore's shindigs in the mochyn ddu but am generally a bit slack mun

in answer to the thread title, i'm lucky enough to have been brought up bi-lingual and now wish i could use it more day to day and see and help the hen iaith parhau (the old language prolong/persist/persevere/be preserved?). eta actually help me out here please.... what is engerlish for 'parhau'?

 

[brianx]

I understand Grandma Death's argument that because it isn't spoken widely there is no practical value in learning the language, but if more people in south east Wales did learn the language there would be more chance to speak Welsh on a day to day basis and there would then be a practical benefit in speaking Welsh.
I travel to Holland a lot for work and they are surprised (and disappointed) that someone from Wales can't speak Welsh, that's why I used the Netherlands as my example as Marius has pointed out Iceland would be better.
I do envy people who can speak Welsh and repect to those that weren't born speaking the language but have made the effort to learn.

 

[brianx]

What? see my post above...

I use Welsh regularly here in Mexico, I used it France, Portugal, the USA etc.

I even delivered a sermon in Welsh at a catholic church in the barrios of Guatemala City a coupla years ago (that was pretty strange mind!)

Hello chilango,
Please don't think I'm being facetious but in the places that you've spoken Welsh and given sermons do the people understand a word that you're saying? 'kin 'ell you've got big balls mun!!

 

[chilango]

Hello chilango,
Please don't think I'm being facetious but in the places that you've spoken Welsh and given sermons do the people understand a word that you're saying? 'kin 'ell you've got big balls mun!!

depends.

in the usa on a coupla occasions people have come up to me and started the conversation in welsh. once in LA, once in the middle of the desert in arizona, odd but true. Most other places people want to learn a few phrases in welsh - which we then use, in guatemala nah! i then translated what i said into spanish, it was to underline the priests concern that they should keep using their indigenous langauges and not lose their heritage and all that....tbh, it was freaky enough giving a sermon in a catholic church in a guatemalan barrio full stop.

 

[brianx]

depends.

in the usa on a coupla occasions people have come up to me and started the conversation in welsh. once in LA, once in the middle of the desert in arizona, odd but true. Most other places people want to learn a few phrases in welsh - which we then use, in guatemala nah! i then translated what i said into spanish, it was to underline the priests concern that they should keep using their indigenous langauges and not lose their heritage and all that....tbh, it was freaky enough giving a sermon in a catholic church in a guatemalan barrio full stop.

Thanks chilango,
I think that what you say about not losing your heritage is important. If we're not careful the whole world will be speaking American and although it would be good to not have language as a barrier between people it would be sad if we don't have our own cultures.
I think that I will try to learn Welsh this autumn.
You're the John Cale of Urban A Welshman from India.

 

[Grandma Death]

I understand Grandma Death's argument that because it isn't spoken widely there is no practical value in learning the language, but if more people in south east Wales did learn the language there would be more chance to speak Welsh on a day to day basis and there would then be a practical benefit in speaking Welsh.
I travel to Holland a lot for work and they are surprised (and disappointed) that someone from Wales can't speak Welsh, that's why I used the Netherlands as my example as Marius has pointed out Iceland would be better.
I do envy people who can speak Welsh and repect to those that weren't born speaking the language but have made the effort to learn.

Yes thats right. But I think its minority status will mean unfortunately even in its main country of origin it will, even there, remain a minority language. The same can be said about scottish gaelic for example.

 

[samk]

3 million people would be speaking Welsh if it wasn't for the english.

Iceland has a population of 300,000.
You'll be telling them next not to bother speaking Icelandic as so few people use it. Stop wasting your time and get yourself a more popular language you silly ice people.

And don't even get me started on the Malteese!!!

But modern icelandic is apparently unchanged enough from old norse to still be able to read the viking sagas. Welsh poetry really doesn't have the same street cred, does it?

 

[Karac]

But modern icelandic is apparently unchanged enough from old norse to still be able to read the viking sagas. Welsh poetry really doesn't have the same street cred, does it?

Welsh speakers can still read the old poems of Aneirin and Taleisin from the 6th Century with little difficulty

 

[ddraig]

Welsh speakers can still read the old poems of Aneirin and Taleisin from the 6th Century with little difficulty

init! and some of the stuff in tolkein is a bit mad to read/hear for a Welsh speaker.

 

[Karac]

init! and some of the stuff in tolkein is a bit mad to read/hear for a Welsh speaker.

A lot of Tolkeins stuff was based on the Welsh-he was a real Cymrophile

 

[niclas]

A lot of Tolkeins stuff was based on the Welsh-he was a real Cymrophile

Smash his windows, the dirty bastard!

 

[chio]

One of the clearest radio stations I can hear is in Welsh; I wish I could understand what they were on about

(I'm near Manchester.)

 

[llantwit]

Smash his windows, the dirty bastard!

 

[samk]

One of the clearest radio stations I can hear is in Welsh; I wish I could understand what they were on about

(I'm near Manchester.)

I sometimes find it nice to listen to stations in a language i don't understand for some non-distracting background noise

 

[llantwit]

I sometimes find it nice to listen to stations in a language i don't understand for some non-distracting background noise

Me too, actually. I listen to Radio Cymru like that. I find it relaxing sometimes, not to understand everything.

 

[brianx]

Me too, actually. I listen to Radio Cymru like that. I find it relaxing sometimes, not to understand everything.

Hello Llantwit try the Bob Dylan themed music hour. Fantastic music but can't undersatnd a word that the great man's saying.

 

[llantwit]

Hello Llantwit try the Bob Dylan themed music hour. Fantastic music but can't undersatnd a word that the great man's saying.

 

[gwilyms son]

welsh speakers /writers helping welsh learners on this forum

hello
i,m from a welsh background and but for other reasons my family have come to live in stockport cheshire work etc. i think it would be good if people using this forum as a stepping stone to further progress in welsh by people writing welsh and the learners writing back in welsh and tell them where they have gone wrong,i am been learning welsh for a while now and as you can imagine living in stockport you cant really bounce off anyone.anybody want to pm me for a chat in welsh to bring me upto speed

 

[Brockway]

There are a few Welsh speakers on here mate but I don't think Welsh is allowed because it can't be properly monitored. Somebody was on here before talking about a forum, a bit like this, where Welsh was the main language. Can't remember what it was called though.

 

[gwilyms son]

not allowed

see history never goes away the welsh get shafted again whoever heard of a welsh forum where u cant,t speak or write welsh bet if muslims/polish were allowed on here i wonder if their first way of communication would be allowed
answers on a £20 pound note please

 

[brianx]

This is a Welsh forum Gwilym.The Editor is a Cardiff boy and it's originally a Cardiff City fanclub thing. Don't worry someone will let you know of Welsh language meetiings in your area. Please be patient.

 

[Brockway]

Poles and muslims ARE allowed on here. Moslem is a religion by the way. There are plenty of Welsh-speaking moslems.

It's not anti-welsh, the bloke who runs the website is Welsh - he just doesn't speak his native tongue, so can't monitor it, which is fair enough.

 

[gwilyms son]

waiting

ok watching and waiting no pun intended to religion by the way but you when apassions burning anyway where you lot from

 

[ddraig]

hey hey you can speaka da Cymraeg ere!! just have to provide a translation as in the sticky for this forum.
there are a couple of links at he start of this thread for others, if not do a search for Cymraeg
croeso mab gwilym

 

[ddraig]

ok watching and waiting no pun intended to religion by the way but you when apassions burning anyway where you lot from

dirty diff

 

[brianx]

ok watching and waiting no pun intended to religion by the way but you when apassions burning anyway where you lot from

Gwilym. the people on here are lovely. But it's not the Sun or Talksport, if you upset them they will kill you with words. Please try to understand where they're coming from and they will help you. You're obviously very young but think before you post please.