“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?

In (admittedly poor) defence of ignorant woman, they don't really speak Welsh in West Wales
West Wales? As in Caernarfon, for example? FFS

I'm another one with Welsh-speaking family in Ceredigion BTW.

As a fluent Welsh speaker myself I would have just replied "no, but you obviously use application of thought and manners as a weekend hobby.."

Zero fucks given to how awkward the remainder of the dinner would have been.

at the suggestion that Welsh isn’t spoken in West Wales! There are parts of south Pembrokeshire where Welsh isn’t as widely spoken (though ime thosd brought up and educated there inevitably understand far more Welsh than they will readily admit). Welsh is very widely spoken in North Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire and you will hear it in shops/offices/hospitals streets all day every day. To suggest otherwise is quite ridiculous

Okay, I admit I was wrong and I apologise. Not sure what else I can say really!

Actually I can ask MN to delete the post. Will do that now.

Contessa

Getting on for 30 years ago in my course of work I was asked to speak to someone in her 60s who could speak only Welsh. I speak only English, French, Spanish and Italian.

I wanted to to communicate with her but it didn't work so the opportunity was lost.

Thanks for that Contessa
It gets us West Walians proper riled up if people think there’s no welsh here! I’m a learner (v poor). It my dad was first language - died this year at 96 and had welsh beaten out of him in school as described by a PP. my daughter is totally bilingual and proud of it.

It doesn't sound as if this person even speaks English fluently. You can't speak ANY language as 'a hobby'. Languages are not covered by the term 'hobby'. It's not golf FFS!

Thing is I can understand that error upthread.

I just can't really comprehend what this woman in the op was trying to say.

Not surprised at this at all. The breathtaking levels of ignorance displayed by some English people about the Welsh language has to be seen to be believed. English tourists taking to social media complaining that bilingual road signs in Wales are dangerous and cause accidents. How do English people cope in other countries! In the area I live recently on overhearing two Welsh speakers in a shop in a very Welsh speaking part of Wales a lady who had just moved to the area from Oxford decided to give both ladies her opinion on what a waste it was to teach Welsh in schools. Welsh speakers are continually faced with a depressing drip drip drip of hostility, mockery and bigotry even in their own country. Where else in the world does this happen?!

Thanks, and sorry again.

I was asked to speak to someone in her 60s who could speak only Welsh. I speak only English, French, Spanish and Italian.

That's a rather specialised use of the word 'only' in your case, limited

I speak Castilian Spanish - I'm not great but can hold a conversation. I'm not very good at Catalan but get enough of it to get by.

I suppose that Welsh speakers consider their language akin to Catalan and the political struggles and I get that. It's a language that has been suppressed. But I hate the hostility towards well-meaning people who don't speak it or don't even understand it exists.

I worked with a woman once who told me she that Welsh people were exceptionally rude. Not letting on that most of my family is from a very Welsh speaking part of North Wales, I asked her how she came to that conclusion. She'd been on holiday once to Wales, walked into a pub and all the Welsh people were speaking English to each other, turned to look at her and then suddenly started speaking Welsh just to be awkward. She was totally convinced she was right. I felt embarrassed for her.

I'm very precise ContessaIsOnADietDammit

Getting on for 30 years ago in my course of work I was asked to speak to someone in her 60s who could speak only Welsh.

Two things:

1. Why were you asked to speak to this person when you two didn't have a language in common? Of course "it didn't work"

1. You are basically saying you found a Welsh monoglot in the late 80s. That is indeed remarkable, even extraordinary.

I suppose that Welsh speakers consider their language akin to Catalan and the political struggles and I get that.
No you don't get it. These people are speaking their language in their own country, basically minding their own business.

My English friend (a chartered accountant) once asked me if I had a Welsh passport. 🤨🙄

Slightly off topic, whilst I’d agree that it would be somewhat remarkable to find a Welsh monoglot in the late 80s. It is still very common for people, whilst of course being completely fluent in English, to be far more comfortable speaking Welsh and this allows them to engage far better with services provided in Welsh. Anything from medical/healthcare workers to accountant/solicitor and police officers/civil servants. This is true for people of all ages.

AndhowcouldIeverrefuse I'll give you more than two things.

1. I'm a journalist.

1. I have interviewed people many people whose languages I do not speak. The first one spoke Sylheti. We had an interpreter. It worked.

1. You might find it remarkable that I found a Welsh monoglot in the late 1980s but it's true. Are you calling me a liar?

1. I understand that people should be able to get along with their own business in their own country but this woman wanted to reach out to a wider audience. It wasn't a noble story. She wanted to slag someone off in a real life magazine for about £200. I'd have been happy to take it but she couldn't make herself understood to me and couldn't find anyone to help translate.

1. Does this answer your questions?

This may come under the category of stupid and ignorant questions, but only because I’m genuinely interested...

I was going to ask if there are areas where people speak Welsh only but further from above see that’s unlikely

However if you grow up in a Welsh speaking family/area do you learn English at primary school? Are there children who genuinely struggle to learn English due to lack of interest/learning difficulties etc?

I think it must be pretty cool to be bilingual

There are people who do only use Welsh for day to day living in Wales. They can go long time between needing to listen to or use English Why wouldn't they, their friends and family all speak it to. However they learn English and can use it if they need to (some struggle in English). I knew many children when I was younger who spoke no English. They only began to learn it when they went to school. Even then the schools were Welsh language first, so how good some of them ended up speaking English who knows. This was the 70's. Schools no longer used the Welsh not signs. My own Welsh is pretty bad, although a lot of the old ladies at work insist on using it and I'm improving even though I will answer in half and half.
I'm in the North, and the further into Gwynedd you go the less English you hear.

My DH is from the valleys. My nephew goes to a school where speaking English is not allowed, not even at break times, he's 10. My DSIL's Welsh is long forgotten and DH can just about get by.

There is no man more patriotic that a Welshman. And even those who cannot speak Welsh will defend and respect the language. After all it is a language not a dialect!

My DH is from the valleys. My nephew goes to a school where speaking English is not allowed, not even at break times, he's 10.

Not possible. Foundation phase and KS1 curriculum is welsh only but from year 3 (KS2) they also learn English.

@Mumoftwoyoungkids I’m so glad to read your post, I’ve got one English parent and one Scottish parent so consider myself British, not English and I’ve never met anyone who understood that! I always correct people when they say English when they mean British.

I'm in the heart of West Wales here. I've chosen to learn Welsh because it makes day to day life easier; the language is prevalent! In some towns you hear more English from seasonal visitors (holidaymakers, students, etc), but those who are settled are usually bilingual.

If I had a pound for every time I've been told the "they were all speaking English in the pub and when I walked in they started speaking Welsh" bollocks, I would be a very rich woman.

And every person who has said that to me thinks they are hilarious, and rightfully indignant. I tell them they're idiots.

Casual racism against Welsh people is alive and well.