Calling Pixiefish, Moondog and anyone else who speaks Welsh!!!!!!!!

[Yurtgirl]

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My SIL and BIL spoke no Welsh when they moved to a very rural part of West Wales (despite both being Welsh). Their childen both went to the local (Welsh) primary and SIL took evening classes. Their sons (now 18 and 16) are fluent and even took some of their GCSEs in Welsh! SIL learnt very quickly but is a bit of an evening class addict which no doubt helped.
The same thing with both other BILs but they were in Swansea. The parents didn't bother to learn though. My niece is actually doing it at A-level despite neither of her parents being able to speak the language.
Interested in the web site myself as I have often talked of learning my Mother Tongue. Do you know of any tapes/CDs that would help?
I suppose much depends on the age of DS.

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Thanks for those Yurtgirl. They bring back memories of Beginners' Welsh classes at school. I quite like the idea of working my way through the lessons then shocking Welsh-speaking relatives when we go back. I'll get my children involved too - Brownie points with grandparents.

I'm sure they would appreciate the effort you put in. Where (roughly) are you thinking of moving to?

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My neck of the woods! Know Carmarthen very well indeed and it is very Welsh. Despite living in England for years I still have a very strong accent but still get the look that says "English" in Carmarthen. It is a nice place though. There has been quite an influx of English people to the area because of the house prices no doubt. We were in Llandeilo once and there were cars pulling up outside houses with For Sale signs up - an Estate Agent told us it was quite a common sight! Don't know what the housing market is like at the moment.

Should add that it was like a farce because the groups of cars were chasing each other around the streets (it is, after all, quite usual to pull up outside houses you are considering buying).

Hia Yurtgirl. Da iawn am ddysgu Cymraeg.

Regarding the should your ds attend school in Welsh or English- if you're moving to Wales I don't think you'll have much choice as it's compulsory.

If he starts in a Welsh primary then he'll have no problems at all- will soon be yabbering away quite happily. Check whether they've got a language unit where you're moving to _LEA will advise on that - it gives them a jump start

Yurtgirl,with such an open attitude you will be most welcome. Gei di ymarfer yn Gymreag efo ni i gyd unrhyw bryd.
Yes,yes,yes to your children going to Welsh medium schools. You and they will fit in so much better,plus you will be giving them a priceless gift, which will be beneficial not just in Wales but all over the world (ie ability to pick up other languages.) This is the time to do it painlessly.
Furthermore,many 'good' jobs in Wales require you to understand and speak Welsh so get going!!
You will get a lot of support and help. Check out the website for 'Twf' an organisation devoted to helping families such as yours. 9Can't remember exact address-will be easy.)

Ignore the ignorant English who are puzzled by your interest and commitment. What IS it with these people??? Jeez, the English whinge about immigration and assimilation,yet they are the worst in the world!! Read in the 'Telegraph' that there have been demonstarations in Brittany as they are fed up with the English moving in,making bugger all effort with French and Breton and pushing up house prices.
Grrrrrrr!!! (I am half English myself BTW.)

Carmarthen is nice, my dh is from Aberteifi so am that way a lot. You will be welcome. Fire away with any questions. We will be glad to help.

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Have sent you a CAt Yurtgirl. Quite a bit of politics come into play here so have sent a CAt.

Your ds will soak the lingo like a sponge. He'll be fine in school and will soon be speaking it like a native.

Yurtgirl - I agree with pixiefish and moondog. I only speak a little bit of Welsh, despite having lived in Wales all my life. My ds and dd speak Welsh at home with dh and they go to a Welsh medium primary school. Ds is going to go to a Welsh medium secondary school in Sept. They are fluent in both languages. I do sometimes feel that I'm missing out, but not because all the other mums at the school are Welsh speakers. Very few of the children at the primary school and at the secondary school where ds is going, have both parents who are Welsh speakers and a fair percentage hear no Welsh spoken at home. One friend's daughter just got 2 x 'A*'s, 7 x 'A's and a couple of 'B's at GCSE and neither parent speaks Welsh and her schooling was all in Welsh. As you intend to learn Welsh and your children can see you trying, it will show them that it's not just them learning, but you, too. It won't be all plain sailing (IME), but any glitches are short-lived and the benefits are immense. I'm about an hour away from where you'll be. CAT me if you want any help on anything. I'll try to help if I can. Pob lwc! Btw, did you see the website that ks wrote about the other day? It was about house prices. I'll try to do a link on my next post.

website on house prices

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Yurtgirl - You're welcome!

i would just like to add a word of support - statistics show that Welsh-medium schools have better exam results than english-medium ones. I know that results aren't everything, but it's good to know! I attended a Welsh-medium school myself, and bilingualism probably gave me a boost in my subsequent language studies at uni.
Remember that children have an amazing ability to learn languages quickly, there is a well-established language-teaching structure in place in Welsh primary schools, plus your DS will have the added advantage of a committed and enthusiastic mother! Your attitude is brilliant, I only wish more incomers to Wales had the same positive view of the Welsh language. Please persevere,with this, you will be a credit to your son if you do!

I'm living abroad with a baby son and I intend to talk nothing but Welsh to him. It may be a lonely experience at times, but, as someone said above, it will hopefully present him with the 'priceless gift' that is another language from birth.
Plus, as everyone knows, Welsh IS the language of heaven..................

LVIW ble wyt ti!!???