So the Welsh MP who refused to talk in English

[Beetroot]

On the BBC news?

WHY?

I was at Aberystwyth Uni and before I went had preconceptions about the Welsh which were then blown out of the water.
Wales has a rich cultural heritage and identity which it guards jealousy, so it should. It is right that the Welsh language should be kept alive.

I did find that a lot of snobbery and elitism existed, ie. first language Welsh speakers not keen on Welsh who had welsh language as second language.

I tried to learn Welsh at Uni and was laughed at by the Welsh teacher....so they only want "Welsh" Welsh speakers IYKWIM!

I frequently hear from people that say they went to wales, walked into a shop and everyone went quiet..thats not a language thing, its small town or village mentality where anyone new will be looked at as if they have 3 heads..it happens everywhere

Wish Irish was as widely spoken as Welsh. The Welsh speakers should be very proud.

Lizzielou - yes I have come across these types as well - the eliteist types ( a lot in my school which was Welsh medium). I hate that too. I have quite a few friends who are learning - my dad also learnt when I was born (mum from Welsh speaking family, dads mother spoke it but never taught it to her children), and I think that is great. It is probably quite a difficult language to learn due to mutations etc and I think I would have had problems had it not been my forst language!

Fourplusone, I must have sounded hilarious with my Midlands accent trying to pronounce those complicated welsh words!

Lizzylou, I was at university in Aberystwyth too and never encountered any snobbery or elitism. Amongst my friends were English speakers, Welsh speakers and a few who were learning Welsh. We never had any negative comments or laughter about trying to learn Welsh, Welsh-speakers seemed genuinely pleased that the English should try and learn their language.

The only place there was the remotest bit of elitism was the welsh-speaking hall of residence, but actually thinking back I reckon that was more just an 'us and them' sort of attitude which did exist between other groups too. It was usually more of a friendly rivalry sort of thing.

In defence of the Welsh people, some of my best nights out have been in Cardiff (admittedly it's the only place in wales I ahve been too) after the rugby at Cardiff Arms Park, or ,more likely, after watching it in a pub

i sat here with my 3 and 4 yr old playing school and speaking to each other in welsh. I just look at it as my children are priveledged to have this opportunity to speak another language. How many languages could your children speak cod at 3 and 4yrs?

Finding teachers to supply is a difficulty tbh my eldest dd goes to an english speaking school and are unlikely to pass their GCSE welsh as their teacher has been on long term sick and they haven't been able to get hold of a welsh speaking teacher to teach them.

"The Scots don't encourage people to speak Gealic"

Just not true, saltire. There are now two gaelic speaking primary schools, one in edinburgh one in glasgow. The Glasgow one was purpoes built

Ok pointydo9g, I stand corrected. However, my point was that Gaelic is not taught automatically in any school in Scotland, it's not part of the curriculum. When I did my O Grades (admittedly a few years ago) we got the option of O grade gaelic, but there was no one availiable to teach it, so we couldn't take it. i think it should be at least touched on in all Scottish primary schools.

Exbatt, perhaps it was just me, then [wink}

First Language Welsh friends of mine despaired of the parochial nature of the "Panty set" (Have forgotten how to spell whole name!) and a friend of mine from South East wales who wasn't first language Welsh but who became fluent encountered a lot of snobbery.

You obv had a different experience to me.

I loved Aber, best years of my life were spent there, so wasn't being overly negative, just making an observation.

But saltire, not enough people speak gaelic for it to be taught in all schools. That's the whole point. And I don't think govt education money should be pumped in to providing gaelic speaking teachers (similar to the media jobs) especially in large pasrt of Scotland where no one ever really spoke it anyway.

All the interested adults could just take an evening class.

Scots is done in the majority of primary schools now. It is seen as being much more relevant, which it is.

(However, Scots as a language is another thorny issue }

If Alex Salmond gets his way everyone in Scotland will speak no language but Gaelic and wear kilts and have the old clan system back

you don't vote snp then?

MB - meant also to reply to what you said earlier. It must have been a real comfort to your mum to have people caring for her who spoke the language she was most comfortable with. When I think of some of the older members of my and DHs family, I am sure that they would revert to having a stronger tendency to speak Welsh if they were to have an illness like this. My grandmother switches to Welsh accidentally even if we are speaking in Welsh - in fact we all just change mid sentence most of the time. It has only been awkward in the past when I or my sister took English boyfriends home and she would just forget which language she was speaking and switch to Welsh - the rest of us would just carry on in English and have a bilingual conversation!

Anyone who's seen coverage from the national assembly for Wales would know that bilingual politicians there alternate seamlessly between the two languages - just as Welsh-speakers do in everyday life.

It's really not that big a deal, and doesn't mean the politician (I presume it was Elfyn Llwyd, a Plaid Cymru MP) was trying to 'make a point' as he'd often speak in Welsh for interviews.

It is unusual to hear a Welsh language interview on an English-language channel though.

Anyone who's seen coverage from the national assembly for Wales would know that bilingual politicians there alternate seamlessly between the two languages - just as Welsh-speakers do in everyday life.

It's really not that big a deal, and doesn't mean the politician (I presume it was Elfyn Llwyd, a Plaid Cymru MP) was trying to 'make a point' as he'd often speak in Welsh for interviews.

It is unusual to hear a Welsh language interview on an English-language channel though.