lol at voming together.
Hub,I meant it was the 'right move' not to speak Welsh to their children,as something vital is missing from the communication exchange when the language is not your native tongue.
I do know quite a few non native Welsh speakers who can and do speak Welsh with their children and God,I admire them tremendously but do feel it is a call above and beyond their duty.
It is sad however it happens.My sister is married to a French man and has lived in France for years.She knows an English woman there,who doesn't speak English to her children. So weird....
Unfortunately it is pretty easy for white middle class people (like me) to bang on about maintaining linguistic and cultural ties. I can well appreciate how hard it must be for example,if one is a poor and ill educated immigrant,desperate to 'get on'.In such circumstances,the last thing those people would do often is to pass on a native tongue like Punjabi or Urdi.
My parents live in Saudi and my father speaks pretty good Arabic,much to everyone's amazement,but as he says 'Noone oohs and ahs over the Bangladeshi labourer who learns Arabic.He learns because he has too.'
We admire our father tremendously.We grew up in Zambia and PNG in the 60s and 70s,and despite infrequent trips home,no other Welsh speakers for miles around,and a lack of trendy resources,he raised three girls with proficient Welsh.
Much to her chagrin,my sister who is married to a Korean,is finding it hard to encourage her dh (who,to be fair,is away an awful lot) to maintain a totally Korean dialogue with their sons. She is a specialist teacher for children with English as a second language and is of course passionate about such things as we all are in our family,so if it is hard for her and her family,one can imagine how extaordinarily difficult it is for others.
Bit of a diatribe here,but a subject I am so passionate about...