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Is the Welsh language a help or hindrance to the nation?
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You can go to a Welsh medium school, come out of it and you cannot speak Welsh. What's the point in all of the money? It's nonsense.
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S4C is down, Radio Cymru is down, the Census of 2011 is down, all of them are down. All this money they're pumping into the language is not making more people speak Welsh.
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In an ideal world, everyone would just be left to their own devices and pick up Welsh naturally.
I would love to learn Welsh... it gives Wales and its people that special identity after all I believe it is one of the rare Celtic languages in existance. It is a shame the English Celtic language did not survive due to all the invasions in England's past history.
The Welsh language is part of a national identity. My mother's first language was Welsh, I'm the only English born and bred in the family. Been visiting Wales for years, the amount of people speaking Welsh keeps increasing.
It's arrogant of English tourists to be offended by Welsh people speaking Welsh in Wales - but they often whinge on. I think we English are jealous because we don't have much of a national identity any longer.
English is a beautifully expressive language and rightly deserves its international status. Welsh is the poetic language of the indigenous Britons. Both languages are part of our heritage and as such belong to us all.
We are to spend £m's preserving the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Castles, burial sites and monuments; they are important to our history.
We should preserve our languages too for the same reason.
The Welsh language is part of a national identity. My mother's first language was Welsh, I'm the only English born and bred in the family. Been visiting Wales for years, the amount of people speaking Welsh keeps increasing.
It's arrogant of English tourists to be offended by Welsh people speaking Welsh in Wales - but they often whinge on. I think we English are jealous because we don't have much of a national identity any longer.
Now now Mr K stop generalising me dear.
---------- Post added at 05:30 ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 ----------
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Originally Posted by Mr K
The Welsh language is part of a national identity. My mother's first language was Welsh, I'm the only English born and bred in the family. Been visiting Wales for years, the amount of people speaking Welsh keeps increasing.
It's arrogant of English tourists to be offended by Welsh people speaking Welsh in Wales - but they often whinge on. I think we English are jealous because we don't have much of a national identity any longer.
More rubbish invented claims yet again.
__________________ “The only lesson you can learn from history is that it repeats itself”
Just look at the national days Den; St George's Day -does it mean anything to the people of England ? it's barely mentioned. Where as St. Davids, Andrews and Patrick's Day are widely celebrated in their own countries and beyond.
---------- Post added at 09:14 ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 ----------
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Originally Posted by Paul M
Despite the fact that we now live in a country where everyone gets offended by everything, Ive never heard of this one.
In many cases, this perception stemmed from use of the Welsh language. Every English focus group which took part in the study had stories about visitors feeling deliberately excluded when locals started talking in Welsh.
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What the tourists don't understand is that people genuinely speak Welsh in Wales. It's been compulsory in Welsh schools for over 25 years now and use of the language has become more widespread.
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Re: The Welsh language
I learnt some of the language of heaven when I was at uni in Wales (Neuadd Pantycelyn, Aberystwyth) but that was many moons ago and since I've not used it, I've lost most of it. Some students there Welsh was definitely their first language and some struggled in English. Many went to Aber and stayed in Pantycelyn to keep their Welshness.
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Just look at the national days Den; St George's Day -does it mean anything to the people of England ? it's barely mentioned. Where as St. Davids, Andrews and Patrick's Day are widely celebrated in their own countries and beyond.
---------- Post added at 09:14 ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 ----------
What the tourists don't understand is that people genuinely speak Welsh in Wales. It's been compulsory in Welsh schools for over 25 years now and use of the language has become more widespread.
It's all just a load of tosh, in my view. Language divides us, leads to misunderstandings and isolates those who speak these minority languages (unless they are bi-lingual).
In a perfect world, we would all speak one language. I'm sure we would all get on better if we did and it would cease to be a trade barrier. I'm sure there must be many a small business who would trade abroad if only they could communicate with people in those countries.
As for all these saints days, they are only useful as excuses to have a Bank Holiday for most people. Sorry, generalising again!
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Re: The Welsh language
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History is much like an endless waltz: The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever.
However history will change with my coronation - Mariemaia Khushrenada