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Original poster

Brother texts greetings in Welsh

236 replies

MoHub · 22/04/2025 02:20

My brother lives in Wales but he is English. He doesn't want to be Welsh, but every time he texts me at Christmas, New Year, birthday, etc he will do it in Welsh. So this weekend it was
Me: Happy Easter DB
DB: Pasg Hapus to you too

Don't get me wrong I like Wales, it's a lovely country, I like the Welsh and if a Welsh person wished me Happy Easter in Welsh that'd be fine but my brother is English and so am I. Every bloody time he does it.
A greeting in Welsh means nothing to me and yes I can work it out, but it doesn't half irk me and I know it's annoying me far more than it should.
AIBU to just want greetings in the language we both speak?

OP posts:
IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 14:07

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IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 14:06

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menopausalfart · 22/04/2025 14:03

I'm Welsh and only know a handful of people who speak Welsh. Quite upsetting how we lost our language. I think it's lovely that he's using the language.

nomas · 22/04/2025 13:59

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:17

But it doesn't make any sense. You can't say - I like Wales, it's a lovely country, Welsh people are nice, they can have their language. Blah, blah, blah... But then infer that only Welsh people should speak Welsh?

She can support her brother's life or not and if she feels so strongly about him embracing another language then she needs to look at that. She is not supporting him and using language as a way to make an example of that. I think it's sad and unfair.

Maybe she might like to consider supporting him in helping restore a language that came near to being wiped out by disgusting attitudes towards the Welsh from the other side of the bridge? Wild idea huh?

And the bloody irony of English people finding Welsh somehow offensive. Ffycin idiots. Guess most people can understand that without the need for translation...

Edited

And the bloody irony of English people finding Welsh somehow offensive. Ffycin idiots.

Another one I wouldn’t want to talk to, let alone learn a language for.

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:58

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:55

I know and my point being how ridiculous this all is. I mean you have to call it out. It's so revolting.

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I agree.
Its very insulting to Welsh people

How difficult can it be to change the wording on the website. Especially As this has been challenged for 50 years and the UKGovn website hasn’t been up that long!

nomas · 22/04/2025 13:58

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I’m not the one calling anyone who disagrees with you a fucking idiot or a fucking moron. You sound rude and I wouldn’t want to talk to you at all.

If someone texted you ‘Happy Birthday’ in Mandarin you would not have a clue what it meant unless you knew the language.

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:57

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:53

Which means foreigner as your tag from wiki notes and as @TheWonderhorse stated too.

Well you learn something every day

of course I don’t think they should be regarded as such

And I imagine this is the excuse that people give every time people try and make Welsh a recognised language in the UK. A language that is older than English.

Gwenhwyfar · 22/04/2025 13:56

nomas · 22/04/2025 13:52

How would non-Mandarin speakers understand Happy Birthday in Mandarin?

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OMG. Because they're not complete idiots and they can guess what is being sent to them on their birthday.

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 13:55

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CalicoPusscat · 22/04/2025 13:55

I'm surprised that some people would mind - it would just make me smile and I'd say it back. It's not pretentious it's acknowledging other languages.

I love Wales.

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:55

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:47

Welsh people are British obviously. It’s the Welsh language which the UK Government website still classes as foreign.

This has been challenged by various Welsh MPs for over 5 decades but for some reason ?? it’s still written as a foreign language on the website.

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I know and my point being how ridiculous this all is. I mean you have to call it out. It's so revolting.

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:53

Which means foreigner as your tag from wiki notes and as @TheWonderhorse stated too.

Well you learn something every day

of course I don’t think they should be regarded as such

Brother texts greetings in Welsh
Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:53

Octopusespunchforfun · 22/04/2025 13:51

Also Welsh is one of the original languages of Britain, English is the foreign language if we are going down that route 😆

Fun fact: The Welsh for England is “Lloegr” = The Lost Lands. The lands that were lost to the invaders.

Quite - can you tell @TheWonderhorse!

nomas · 22/04/2025 13:52

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 13:49

You're really missing the point here. By miles
If I lived in China I would wish my family back home a Chinese language happy birthday. Its nice, friendly, different from the norm. They would understand it - because it's clearly a birthday text. Some people are really hard of thinking.

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How would non-Mandarin speakers understand Happy Birthday in Mandarin?

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:52

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Octopusespunchforfun · 22/04/2025 13:51

Also Welsh is one of the original languages of Britain, English is the foreign language if we are going down that route 😆

Fun fact: The Welsh for England is “Lloegr” = The Lost Lands. The lands that were lost to the invaders.

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 13:49

nomas · 22/04/2025 12:50

No, it’s nice to say to the someone LIVING in China. So if OP lived in Wales, it would be nice if he texted it to her.

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You're really missing the point here. By miles
If I lived in China I would wish my family back home a Chinese language happy birthday. Its nice, friendly, different from the norm. They would understand it - because it's clearly a birthday text. Some people are really hard of thinking.

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:49

PhilippaGeorgiou · 22/04/2025 13:46

I thought there actually might be an intelligent point. As opposed to being "irked" by something completely reasonable and a non-event.

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OP feels differently about it to you, that’s allowed. We all have different opinions about many things.
That’s why she started the thread.

Mumsnet is full of what some may deem as non events, we still post on them though 🥴

Justlovedogs · 22/04/2025 13:49

Mothership4two · 22/04/2025 03:26

If it is just the greeting and the rest of the message is in English, I don't see the problem. My (English) cousin who lives in Spain does the same (in Spanish obviously) and I have never thought about it.

My sister lives in France and occasionally does the same. Never given it a thought.

Gwenhwyfar · 22/04/2025 13:48

TheWonderhorse · 22/04/2025 13:43

Unfortunately as the term Welsh means 'foreign' there's no getting around it, whatever they put on the UK Gov website.

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It means Romanised people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*Walhaz

Octopusespunchforfun · 22/04/2025 13:48

I think it’s lovely that he’s leaning into the culture and language. I think it says a lot about him as a person that he’s so open to it.

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:47

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:38

By the 'British' - so Welsh people aren't British then..?

Government website - you mean UKG? There's a Welsh Government website too.

See all the comments I have made are at the root of this issue.

Edited
Show quote history

Welsh people are British obviously. It’s the Welsh language which the UK Government website still classes as foreign.

This has been challenged by various Welsh MPs for over 5 decades but for some reason ?? it’s still written as a foreign language on the website.

PhilippaGeorgiou · 22/04/2025 13:46

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 13:09

OP has made her point. It’s the whole point of the thread

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I thought there actually might be an intelligent point. As opposed to being "irked" by something completely reasonable and a non-event.

TheWonderhorse · 22/04/2025 13:43

Arlanymor · 22/04/2025 13:38

By the 'British' - so Welsh people aren't British then..?

Government website - you mean UKG? There's a Welsh Government website too.

See all the comments I have made are at the root of this issue.

Edited
Show quote history

Unfortunately as the term Welsh means 'foreign' there's no getting around it, whatever they put on the UK Gov website.

zingally · 22/04/2025 13:43

It's a bit pretentious isn't it?

It's the sort of thing my irritating BIL would do. I'd just ignore.