To want to learn Welsh?

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

When I am not Welsh, do not live in Wales, an such have no connection other than really liking going on holiday there? I like learning languages (though have a habit of getting to a basic conversational standard then losing interest) but haven’t tried a Celtic language yet. DH thinks I’m being silly and should either spend the time getting better at something I already speak or ‘learn something actually useful,’ and says if we ever do go to Wales and I try to speak Welsh people will think I’m being odd.

Verdict?

I live in mid Wales and use more Welsh than English on a day to day basis.

I've been in Cardiff today for a meeting - entirely conducted through Welsh.

I'm not sure why people think Welsh is used so infrequently!

Go for it OP. Plenty of resources online these days.

I fancied learning it after bingeing on Hinterland a while back. I also fancied moving to Aberystwyth. Neither thing happened.

It won't be easy but go for it!

I became a fluent Welsh speaker (as an adult) when living in North West Wales where the vast majority speak it as a first language, by doing night classes and, initially, making a right tit of myself with my patients and colleagues. It paid off, though, and I still speak it now, although I’m back in England, as I work in a hospital where many Welsh-speaking patients come for treatment. They’re so happy to hear their mother-tongue when they’re a long way from home that many of them cry. So for those of you insisting other languages are more ‘useful’, I couldn’t disagree more.

OP - you’ll never speak it fluently if you don’t live there, and I doubt you’d ever be able to chat randomly to the locals, but if you’re a frequent visitor, taking basic lessons to at least learn how to pronounce place names is very courteous and appreciated. I come close to homicide whenever I hear ‘Betsy Co-ed’, ‘Puth-elly’ or ‘Klan-dud-no’ (Bews-y-Coed, Pwllheli, Llandudno - none of which are pronounced that way, FYI), usually followed by laughter and comments about silly unpronounceable Welsh names. It’s bloody ignorant.

I second the poster who mentioned Un Bore Mercher currently showing on S4C and available online. I'm find it quite gripping. I believe there will be an English version on BBC Wales in January.

Go for it, it’ s the language of heaven so it’s best you learn now ;-)

I worked in East Wales for 15 years. All my colleagues spoke Welsh as a first language. I now understand quite a lot but can't speak much.

I must say the English seeming -inability to pronounce Welsh place names that are surely not that hard, really irritating. I am English too btw but cannot understand why someone who lives in Wales would pronounce 'Llangeitho'
Klan - gee ' O (the ' represents a glottal stop).
it's really not that hard, I really think this is an English thing.

Whereabouts Wanda? It's quite unusual to refer to East Wales. We usually say south east or north east or just mid for mid east.

cwtch, I hear ya from my £70k 4 bedroom house

wheres that then G., Klanekli?

sorry i meant WM not G

I've considered learning more Welsh. I know a few words, and bizarrely a folk song all the way through, because my family is from Wales and my granddad taught me when I was small. I like languages but think I'd struggle with pronunciation.

" think I'd struggle with pronunciation."

why? what is so difficult?

Please do it!

It’s a lovely language. I’m from north wales and my family are there. We talk English when an English person is with us because that is polite, but otherwise for my family living there and for us as a family together it is our first language.

If you want to learn and need to practice over the phone, I have a very obliging Nain in her ‘80’s who would listen and score you happily

why? what is so difficult?

It’s exceptionally hard if it’s not a language you heard whilst growing up.

not particularly harder than any other language tbh..
Polish? Mandarin? Hungarian?

dull Because I live nowhere near Wales, so I wouldn't have anyone to tell me if it's right or not - when learning languages in the past I've had someone to correct my pronunciation. Titty is right, it's difficult if it's unfamiliar. The folk song I know, I only know phonetically. I wouldn't recognise it written down, so couldn't work out how to pronounce the words on their own if that makes sense.

I have a static caravan in north wales, a lot of people speak Welsh around this area. I really do feel like I am in another country, even though I am. I don't understand a word. I would imagine it would be quite a hard language to learn.

" I don't understand a word "

well make some effort then, as you would if you had a holiday place in eg France..

i don't need to speak welsh and I have no inclination to do so, I go to my holiday home to relax with my family in beautiful surroundings. I don't want to go back to school thanks.

A hundred years ago the welsh speakers would have burned your holiday home down.

I'd honestly say most welsh people (particularly in the cities/towns) barely speak any welsh and that's only because you're forced to take it until GCSE level

Eh?

That's an incredibly sweeping statement. I'm from Cardiff and it's not as widely spoken there but go slightly west and everyone speaks Welsh. Same as North.

Add to that the fact that most schools in West Wales are Welsh medium and there is a huge and growing demand for Welsh medium schools in Cardiff and the Vale.

YABVU.

Op - do it! It's a bloody hard language to learn, especially if you aren't hearing it all around you daily, but it can be done. Some words are similar to French, if you speak any. I've noticed lots of similarities.

" A hundred years ago the welsh speakers would have burned your holiday home down. "

a hundred years ago? more like 30 years ago.

yes toosecat you DO need to learn, if only a few words for greetings and pleasantries. It's just rude and ignorant not to.

And there's an example of why the Welsh hate the English holiday home buyers.