I think I've just experienced what it's like in England..

[Builtthiscityonsausagerolls]

To not be a native English speaker.

My natural first language is Welsh. I went to an English university and obviously have a native proficiency in English but when chatting im more comfortable in Welsh.

So... I'm on a train in the Midlands with a friend. Had a chatty conversation with the conducter in English, guy sitting across from us very friendly. The we switched to Welsh and the difference in attitude was immediate. Felt very hostile. Very hard to explain, but as soon as we switched languages it became almost threatening?

I'm used to speaking Welsh in maybe more border towns (mainly chester) where its quite common, but thinking about it not in 'deep' England :) 😀

We keep going over it, but the change in attitude was definitely when we changed language. Is this really the experienced of non-English speakers? The hostility really was quite overt

@Texasfucked it really isn’t bollocks about certain Welsh people turning from English to Welsh as soon as English tourists enter a pub or public space. I spent two weeks in Tenby and it happened every night without fail. We were also staying with a good friend that had lived there for 15 years and still had to deal with locals being hostile and changing language when he walked in

Now I find this odd. Pembrokeshire is not a very Welsh speaking part of Wales - at last census 73% had no knowledge of Welsh. In fact it used to be known as Little England Beyond Wales. Welsh speakers in Pembrokeshire tend to live in the rural areas not on the coast. I know Tenby very well and it really isn’t very Welsh speaking at all.

I also went to uni with a friend from Wales who even said herself, that a proportion of Welsh people do change to their mother tongue as soon as English tourists come along. She chose to get into debt to come to uni in England to get away from that “bollocks” as she described it.

She doesn’t sound very friendly towards the Welsh language at all.

@Builtthiscityonsausagerolls

You often hear people speak Welsh in Chester. It's the closest city to North Wales... parts of Chester City are literally in Wales (the football ground for example) Why would a complete stranger think we are excluding him? I turned to my friend and we talked in our native language. Although interesting as to why maybe there is xenophobia. Is it paranoia that they 'might be talking about me

I live in chester. No you don't often hear people speaking in welsh!

And you were rude to speak in welsh in England. I would 100% this you didn't want me to hear what you were saying. God I wish people wouldn't speak welsh.

I think you’ve got your answer, OP.

Are we English hostile to people speaking their own language in public?

Apparently so. We’re even hostile to people who post on a forum to say that they’ve done it.

@LittleDandelionClock

Since when did people speak Welsh in Chester?

Chester is right by the border with Wales and a very popular shopping option for people in North Wales were many are Welsh first language speakers. It really is not uncommon to hear Welsh spoken in Chester.

OP to answer your question since the Brexit referendum campaign and Brexit proper I stick to English only when out of the house.

God I wish people wouldn't speak welsh.

1000 years of language repression succinctly explained.

And you were rude to speak in welsh in England. I would 100% this you didn't want me to hear what you were saying. God I wish people wouldn't speak welsh.
Fascinating. I gather that when you travel abroad, you immediately switch to speaking in local language to your companions, not to offend people there?

Liverpool was mentioned upthread. There are historically strong ties between Liverpool and North Wales. It’s often called the capital of North Wales because it is so much closer than Cardiff. Here is an article about the Welsh streets of Liverpool.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Streets,_Liverpool

@MythicalBiologicalFennel why do you wish people wouldn't speak Welsh?

I can’t even read through all this. What a load of insulated Little Englanders there are on here.

No strangers on a train are obliged to converse with each other in a language you can understand.

Absolutely gobsmacking level of entitlement. Get over yourselves.

I'm sorry you're been given a hard time on this. Why wouldn't you speak Welsh with your friend?

Far too many English speakers seem to think that because you CAN speak English. you should if there is anyone English around you. This is how minority languages are lost!

@KikoLemons I hope that when you're abroad you never speak English in restaurants, transport or near anyone non- English.

‘And you were rude to speak in welsh in England. I would 100% this you didn't want me to hear what you were saying. God I wish people wouldn't speak welsh.’

Wow! I think OP has her answers now. As a migrant in Wales I am finding this thread a difficult read. Where I am is a bit more welsh than Tenby and I have not had a single incident of people switching to welsh to exclude me. Locals have been amazing switching to English when they see me, I am making an effort to learn the language though I am not getting far, it is difficult 😐. Just can’t believe the responses on this thread it’s embarrassing

@KiwiDramaQueen

I can’t even read through all this. What a load of insulated Little Englanders there are on here.

No strangers on a train are obliged to converse with each other in a language you can understand.

Absolutely gobsmacking level of entitlement. Get over yourselves.

Agreed!

i think you misunderstood the other passenger

perhaps he wanted to join in your conversation?

@Builtthiscityonsausagerolls don't be intimidated, just talk louder! I heard two guys speaking Welsh on the tube once in London when I lived there and I burst into tears, it made me feel so homesick 😂

And you were rude to speak in welsh in England. I would 100% this you didn't want me to hear what you were saying. God I wish people wouldn't speak welsh.

What about BSL, are we allowed to use that on trains in England?

The Midlands is a melting pot of languages spoken, it’s be really unusual on a train not to hear different languages spoken by passengers, especially if you’re around Coventry, Wolverhampton and brum

DH and were on holiday in Fort Augustus (Scotland) earlier this year. In a pub the people on the next table were speaking what we later learned was Portuguese, we thought at first it might be Gaelic because some of them were wearing kilts. They were from Brazil but all living and working in the UK. We had a nice chat in English following which they reverted to Portuguese. Did we think they were being rude or that they must have been talking about us? No of course not.

I really don't understand the replies OP is getting about being rude.

Why is it essential for strangers to listen in and understand conversations? Do people go round eavesdropping and listening in on every conversation they come across?

Being offended because people are talking in a language you don't understand is, well, weird. Why should people switch from their native language for your benefit?

You seem to be imagining it.
You didn’t talk to this guy at all - yet you noticed him enough to see ‘friendly smiles’ and then hostility? What a lot of observation!

I speak 4 languages never encountered any hostility. However I’ve mostly been in major cities. The majority of people don’t even notice what other people are doing enough to react =•=!

I’m just amazed at the number of people who think others shouldn’t talk in their first language because it makes them uncomfortable! Maybe he thought you were going to chat the whole journey-but can’t understand the hostility. Who would get offended because a couple of strangers said a couple of friendly words then settled down for a good chat amongst themselves? People are weird sometimes.

loved hearing the Welsh language when we went to north wales. ..so beautiful!

[quote Offmyfence]@MythicalBiologicalFennel why do you wish people wouldn't speak Welsh? [/quote]
I am quoting MrsArchchancellorRidcully. Perhaps I didn't make it clear.

I speak Welsh and campaign for the the language. I find MN posters are generally hostile to the Welsh language, in a way that you wouldn't find in a non-anonymous environment. That poster has been more outspoken than most. I find their comment pretty shocking and I wanted to draw attention to it.

I wonder if the poster is British? I feel that the Welsh language is an amazing part of British culture and heritage but obviously that poster doesn't value it and takes its existence as a personal affront

And I’m often in a Welsh speaking part of Wales and everyone I’ve ever come across switches to English for me quite happily. I’d never expect them to speak in English among themselves, though-same in any other country.