To think that Cardiff is essentially an English city?

[hirwaun]

Despite changes over recent years to "welshify" Cardiff... to me, it essentially feels like an English city. Barely any different to Bristol over the channel.

If you look at surnames of people living there, and exclude those who have moved more recently from other parts of Wales... the vast majority of families have roots in England.

Culturally Cardiff feels very different to other bits of Wales, even those 5 miles into the valleys feel so much more Welsh.

The Cardiff accent is mainly an english accent, especially in the nicer areas and the older generation sound almost RP.

What skin do you have in this game?

It might be mainly English-speaking, but it's most definitely Welsh...

I'm English, but I wouldn't question that!

I live in Cardiff now, and I'm married to an english man. My kids are therefore half welsh half english. They're in primary school, but have already experienced jibs from other kids about being English. At a sports day recently, I had a mum say something along the lines that my kids weren't really welsh like hers because their dad is english....

It just annoys me that often people pretend to be different when we are all really a lot more similar

You're wrong. Cardiff is Welsh. You're not wrong to be annoyed about the comments from other parents.

Cardiff is Welsh. It's the Capital of Wales, it's where the Senedd is, the people of Cardiff born and raised there are Welsh.

A Cardiff accent is a Welsh accent.

There are many Welsh speaking areas, schools, clubs and so on. It's just a very diverse city compared to others around it, that's all.

You are not however unreasonable to be upset over the anti-english remarks.

It’s Welsh. It’s like suggesting London isn’t English simply for the fact of how multicultural it is. Capitals (and cities in general) will always draw those from other places more, doesn’t make it any less part of the country and culture.

This.

YABU and talking nonsense. Having been born and lived in Cardiff for my 43 years I can happily say that Cardiff is most definitely and proudly Welsh.

Oooo. You're very brave. I'm English but my Welsh friend worked at the govt offices in Cardiff. She was very into independence. She spoke Welsh as her first language - obviously her English was fluent.

I really don't think she'd agree with you at all. I'm imagining her face now. 😆

Do you see London as not English, due to the many different languages/cultures/ethnic backgrounds there?

Cardiff is Welsh - the beautiful part about that is we largely welcome people from all over the world to live here and contribute to our quite diverse population.

Some communities 'feel' more Welsh than others because you'll hear Welsh being spoken routinely on the streets and there'll be quirky little Welshisms that you won't get anywhere in England. But equally there are strong communities for a fair number of nationalities. Polish, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, and West Indies for example. In that respect Cardiff resembles most cities in the UK, including I suspect those in Scotland and Northern Ireland. I bet you wouldn't dare tell a Glaswegian that Glasgow is basically an English city because some English folk live there!

Frankly wherever you go in Wales you'll experience some anti-English sentiment, it's very diluted in Cardiff in comparison to other areas. It's pretty hard wired into the Welsh, especially those who grew up away from the cities where some of Westminster's money has been spent. The parent at your child's school is an arse - but that doesn't make Cardiff an English city, that comment makes you ridiculous...especially if you're Welsh as your post suggests!

@hirwaun

Barely any different to Bristol over the channel.

I do not think you would have said that if you were in Cardiff on St David's day this year, as DH and I were. People in shops were saying 'Happy St David's day' to us. We have lived in Bristol for a long time (me 52 years, him 38 years) and we both love spending a day in Cardiff, both for its own sake, and because it feels so very very different from Bristol. We both think that Bristol's current reputation for being vibrant, exciting, etc, has gone to its head and made it a bit up itself.

Also people in Cardiff are generally so much more friendly than many Bristolians.

Perhaps your attitudes on Cardiff's status as a Welsh city might be informing the comments from the other parents? Mumsnet head tilt

YABU to say Cardiff is English.

YANBU to be annoyed about xenophobic comments. That happens in most parts of Wales, not just Cardiff.

@hirwaun

I had a mum say something along the lines that my kids weren't really welsh like hers because their dad is english....

I might have felt like giving her a slapping.

I feel like a better question would be - “shouldn’t people be a bit kinder and less xenophobic, and concentrate on what people have in common rather than differences”.

None of what you mention makes Cardiff English though!

I know England/ the English have behaved terribly throughout history but I wouldn’t take it out on a child - who is half Welsh and lives in Wales - so I’d think that Mum is a bit of a dick!

Well I’m English (Bristol born and raised) DH is Scottish and we live in Cardiff. We send our children to Welsh language schools. No one has ever told our fiercely Welsh children that they’re not Welsh. You just met an idiot.

Cardiff is Welsh and proud to be Welsh. It feels very different to Bristol, loads of things are bilingual for starters!

Do you mean it just feels like an English city to you? Just because it feels like it to you, doesn't essentially make it an English city. It's in Wales...therefore a Welsh city. However you feel about that is your opinion which you're allowed to have, but it doesn't make it 'essentially an English city'.

Cardiff is most definitely a Welsh city!

Possibly Bristol is too? You could just as easily look at it that way…

Cardiff and Bristol are very different. I've lived in both!

Yabu Cardiff is most very definitely Welsh. If you had said Chepstow, you might have a point.

I spend a lot of time in Cardiff and I do not hear welsh being spoken generally, nor do many people I interact with (hospitality , retail mostly) have Welsh accents (but nor do they have English accents). But it definitely feels different the minute I cross the bridge though as the signs are supposedly in most languages but the temporary ones sometimes are only in welsh!

I used to live in Cardiff and I really don't understand your point. It's similar to other cities in the fact that it's a city, but it's still definitely Welsh. I've also lived in other parts of Wales but am from England. It's just an odd statement to make.