“Do you speak Welsh as a hobby?”

[syme]

I think this is a ridiculous question, bordering offensive. I was at a smart dinner with a friend who was brought up speaking Welsh as his first language in a very Welsh speaking area.

We got put to sit near a friend of his and her acquaintance. For background, this girl openly admitted that the only time she had left London for Wales was to visit her friend’s holiday cottage in West Wales. She is very bright too, and studied... languages.

Anyhow conversation is moving on, and she turns to him and asks him about his upbringing etc, and after him explaining the above, she asked

“So, you speak Welsh as a hobby?”

Do French people speak French as a hobby? Is your hobby to speak the language you think in?

English attitudes to Welsh both appall and fascinate me, OP. I’m not in the least surprised.
Don’t know what the answer to the ignorance is though...

What a twat.

As the comment was part of a conversation with your friend and this 'girl' , was he offended, borderline or otherwise?

Some people are incredibly ignorant. I used to know a man who was very proud of the fact that he had never left London. He was very surprised that the city I live in has several museums, and that there are black people outside of London (he was of Nigerian descent).

Yes he was offended, possibly more perplexed and amused at her stupidity. I think the words of the above were used later on, to me.

Argh these sort of passive comments really irritate me. I love the Welsh language but no I don't speak it as a hobby. I speak it (second language) because I grew up surrounded in it because I grew up IN WALES. Why would someone speak their countries own language in their own country just as a hobby. Sad really.

I could be learning it as a hobby I guess... I doubt someone with Welsh as their first language would be very impressed by that comment. Quite rude really.
There is a consultation out now on how Welsh (and English) are taught in schools in Wales. Going to be controversial I think.

I told an English friend of my parents (who I had loved and really respected growing up) that my children were bilingual and she said 'well, if that really counts?'. Lost every shred of respect for her on the spot.

My children live their lives, school, sport, uni, through the medium of Welsh. People can just be so ignorant.

English attitudes to Welsh both appall and fascinate me, OP. I’m not in the least surprised.
Don’t know what the answer to the ignorance is though...

This. And I'm English, married to a valleys Welshman. Some people are just fucking stupid.

Oooh - weird.

I guess the only explanation is that maybe to her learning new languages is her hobby so she thought it might be his too. Although that would be “learn” rather than “speak”.

Nope - back to weird again.

My dh is Welsh and my (very intelligent and in my dad’s case half Welsh) parents drive us up the wall by calling the kids English. “Mum - for the millionth time - the kids are not English. They are British. It says British on their passports. They have a Welsh father and an English mother. One day they may decide they want to define themselves as English or Welsh but until that day they are British!”

(Incidentally the last time we had a conversation about nationality with the kids and the fact that they can choose what they want to see themselves as when they grow up ds (5) announced “I want to be Russian!”)

She sounds uninformed, naive, dopey..
I would pass it off by thinking that many people don't really think about language that much however if she's a language grad..

I speak Welsh not as hobby but out of respect for the circles I move in and the fact that most people have it as their first language. I'm a bit rubbish but I don't expect people to change how they speak to each other to accommodate me.

Oh and she's not bright.

That word is overused.

South Pembrokeshire is a small part of West Wales. Half a county. I should have added that her friends holiday home was near Cardigan...

I'd have been tempted to reply 'No. But I see you're fluent in twat'.

they don't really speak Welsh in West Wales Contessa from your later comment about ‘little England beyond Wales’ I assume you thin Pembrokeshire makes up the whole of West Wales. It doesn’t, I can assure you. And as the OP says the location was near Cardigan, you are quite wrong. The majority first language in Ceredigion is Welsh. My daughter grew up there and was in Welsh medium education until 13, bilingual from then on. There are no English medium primary schools. It is very, very Welsh. Thankfully.

That type of attitude is very common, and born out of complete ignorance, most of us who live in Wales are used to it. I was born and brought up in Wales, I'm not a Welsh speaker although I do understand Welsh. The one phrase I hate about the Welsh language is when people say, as soon as I went into the shop they started speaking Welsh. Ok knobhead they are in their own country speaking their own language, how do you know what language they were speaking in before you entered the shop. We Welsh people live with prejudice and racist attitudes every day. My Nan was forbidden to speak Welsh in school as a child, she would have a wooden sign hung around her neck. It said No Welsh. She died in 1976 and she was 99 so not that many generations ago. My first husband's Nan had a budgie that only spoke Welsh. The Welsh language is one that many think in and dream in and it pisses me off when others think it's a hobby.

It's amazing really. I think in Welsh and English. My brain will weirdly think of a sentence and it will change between Welsh and English within the same sentence. I think it's quite impressive to be able to think in 2 languages at the same time.
I hate casual racism.

Well said Cardibach
Yes there is an area that is referred to as Little England, in the south of West Wales if you go to Lampeter, Newcastle Emlyn, Abersoch, Aberaeron, you'll find plenty of native Welsh speakers and they'd be well pissed off to be described as little england

I think Welsh is a magical language. I'm learning it as many friends I mix with are Welsh and I feel it is polite. So Nos da cariad

Poodloo
Casual racism is not seen as that if it's directed to us Welsh people

😳😳😳
Mae isio 'mynedd!
Give me patience...

cardibach you're right, of course - my apologies if I've caused offence. I have tried to learn Welsh myself a few times without much luck but I do like the sound of the language and the feeling of poetry to it - I'm glad it is a first language for many, as historically I know the number of speakers dipped (my FIL is also Welsh and remembers being discouraged from speaking it at his school in North Wales in the 50s). It should be spoken and given its due.

they don't really speak Welsh in West Wales

Eh?!?!

They absolutely do!