Aibu to feel sad that welsh is not compulsory in schools in Wales .

[Dowser]

Says it all really.

It's part of the heritage and it's a worry it will die out.

Don't understand it myself.

I think that there is a fear of languages other than English being spoken in the UK. I seem to remember Nigel Farage mentioning his discomfort recently.perhaps it has something to do with being an island.

A few years ago a (Welsh speaking) friend and I were speaking Spanish in a curry restaurant in Bradford. The couples at the next table called the waiter over. He rather sheepishly told us that the people had complained that we were talking about them. (We had not been but started to at that point).If we did not speak English we would have to leave.

We left.

Welsh should be compulsory in Welsh schools. In the same way that all minority languages should be compulsory in their own area.

All minority languages had a hard time of it in the first 50-100 years of compulsory education. English was forced upon Welsh school children causing major long term damage to the language. Some minority languages didn't survive this.

Welsh did survive and now deserves legal protection.

Whether 12 years of Welsh lessons make a child bilingual or not is irrelevant. That child lives in Wales and should be encouraged to understand the culture through the language.

It may not enhance job prospects or ability to learn other languages per se but that is so not the point.

If you'd read the thread Sunny I've quoted actual figures. It's 73% that don't speak Welsh so save you doing your own homework, i.e. "the vast majority".

Then obviously the parent chooses Disappointedone until they kid can decide . What's the problem with that? And if they're native Welsh speakers then of course it makes sense for the child to learn Welsh - but also give it up if she decides to later on. that's not unreasonable.

I disagree with you mama for all the reasons before. We don't want to address substandard Welsh. If we wanted our kids to learn Welsh we send them to a Welsh medium school! We want the choice. Why shouldn't we have it?

Again notsogolden - why can't we have the choice?

hesterton - it's on offer if you choose Welsh medium schools. Friends who don't speak Welsh have found regretted sending their kids to Welsh speaking schools as they can't help them. This is despite also doing Welsh themselves at nightschool for many years. It's not part of the majority's heritage. All we want is the choice. Wales isn't managing to do this going by the statistics. It's not working.

OK Annie but why don't you want them to learn Welsh?
I haven't seen any reasoning for this.

Rennie, it's nothing to do with a fear of other languages being spoken. My DC's dad is an immigrant and they're bilingual already. Actually in a pretty useless language in terms of portability but I value it and thinks it's great he only spoke is language to them.

Why don't I? Because it's of no use or value to me. Anyone I've come across speaks English. I speak some French as I holiday there and when younger thought it more useful than Welsh. We're English speaking Welsh people so don't have the heritage. My parents couldn't have helped me with it. When I was growing up you'd have been hard pressed to find anyone to converse with where I lived. It wasn't on the radar at all. There's your answer but couldn't you have worked that out?

Anyway I've answered your question. Now tell me why kids in school shouldn't have the choice? Kids in all schools in Wales, not Welsh speaking areas where perhaps it's more relevant.

annie That was not a comment to you, it was a general observation. I am delighted that your DC have been raised to be bilingual. It will be a great bonus for them. All the more surprising that you are so anti Welsh.

My friend whose DD has gone through a Welsh Medium primary education, and started WM secondary last September is certainly regretting sending her to a WM secondary.
She is in the process of applying for a place at her nearest comp.
I think it's really interesting that the number of Welsh speakers are falling.

This is despite all the money and resources ploughed in to forcing Welsh on a mainly unwilling population. Thers is a massive skills shortage in Wales. The pushing of the language to the detriment of the education of the many to pander to the few, are all reasons why I know three families have left Wales over the past two years.

perhaps if you did not sound so dismissive and arrogant annie, more people would listen to you.

But the reality in England is parents don't choose. The school chooses which language(s) they will teach. You might get a choice between a couple of languages at some stage in secondary, but certainly not at primary.

And again, if the majority don't want to speak welsh, (as opposed to don't speak welsh) what is to stop them voting for change?

Interesting that your response to the question 'why don't you want your children to learn Welsh' was 'because it's of no use or value to me' annielouise.

Annie when you are in France why do you bother speaking French? Everyone can understand English there. Why bother?

Yes I thought that Janine

'Speak French' do you Annie? Is that 'ou et la bog see voo play' or reading Moliere in the original? I know which I am putting my money on.

Perhaps Sunny I wouldn't be so dismissive as you say if others weren't as well .

Rennie, it hasn't been my observation that people fear hearing other languages in the UK. No, it's not proving to be that great a bonus really as apart from with their dad they don't use. At their level, of course, it's not a detriment. It might be of some help in the future if they end up with a job where they have to use it (very unlikely) or go and live in their dad's home country, but that won't happen. It might be a small positive on the CV in terms of novelty as apart from that country no one speaks it. Most won't be able to put they're Welsh bilingual on their CVs though despite 12 years of teaching it. Glad you're "delighted". I don't see the correlation between my DC being able to speak their dad's language and you being surprised I think there should be a choice in the Welsh language teaching.

I'm not sure of your point Janine in terms of saying why people should be able to choose whether to learn Welsh in school or not.

mama, no they don't all understand English in France - that's so funny! Everyone understands it in Wales though, don't they?

Oh wow Sunny who's the arrogant one now? No, I don't know Moliere (name dropping now, eh?). And yes it's conversational French. What's your point exactly?

"To me" Janine and to many others. Does that mean we shouldn't have the choice?

Perhaps you should re-read my post if you don't understand it annielouise.

And you haven't answered why there can't be a choice either mama.

'conversational French' - I bet you have never had a conversation in French in your life Annie. That is because your mind seems closed, from what you have said. Forgive me if I am wrong.

I know of two that regret choosing the Welsh language medium when they don't speak Welsh themselves, Celtic. They saw it through to GCSE but have moved for A level. One friend couldn't find a maths tutor that could teach in Welsh for outside help and her DS was really struggling. She couldn't help at all in the years before this.

'name dropping' = no I never met Moliere, silly!

Why isn't there a choice in studying mathematics?

I'm assuming because it's seen as being advantageous to the individual and society that everyone has basic mathematics ability.
I believe it is advantageous to the individual and to the society of Wales that it's citizens have Welsh ability.

I know all french people don't speak English. But I'm assuming when you are in France you don't check first but attempt to converse in french because of courtesy and respect. I think it's important to show that same courtesy and respect to native Welsh speakers in Wales

Sorry, I did read mama's post as why I didn't want to learn Welsh, not my kids - sorry trying to work at the same time. Insert my DC's names as they'd say the same thing though.

I actually moved back to Wales and wanted them to learn it. I agree any language skills are useful - but only to an extent depending on what the language is. I was very positive on it as I knew they had to learn it as it was compulsory - it was not in my interest to be dismissive of it. Initially they quite liked it but slowly formed their own opinions and ending up thinking it a waste of time. The oldest took French and Spanish to GCSE and is doing Spanish A level. There's still no reason being given why Welsh has to be compulsory. Janine, you could have just said I made a mistake and mama asked why I don't want my kids to learn it not me. Isn't it obvious I just read it wrong?

Sunny, you're being a bit strange. Why on earth would you say I've never had a French conversation in my life? You just sound a bit nasty saying that. Yes, my mind is closed to Welsh. Doesn't mean it's closed to everything. You can't extrapolate like that. And to say I'm making up my French skills is laughable. I'm not bilingual by any stretch of the imagination. I've never said I was but I do use it over there. I did it at A level but hated the literature so it was a struggle. Since as an adult I've done evening classes and once a home class but it's like anything - if you don't use it you lose it. I'll never be bilingual in it but would say I more than get by.

Showing off then Sunny