One language for Wales? That'll get them going!
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| 14:44 UK time, Thursday, 25 October 2007
Listen again to BBC Radio 4's Analysis: One Wales?.
The programme blurb read: "The revival of the Welsh language has become central to Wales's resurgent national identity. But could the ambitious project to alter language use now be causing serious social fissures?"
The short answer is YES.
You have the Welsh speakers, the Welsh learners [myself included] and you have the 'no way am I learning Welsh' brigade. It's a proportion of those non Welsh speakers who become irate when others try to force this on them and it's not a new phenomenon.
PS. The friendly English-speaking Chinese woman running a herbalist shop in Mold said I was the first Welsh speaker she had had in the shop in a couple of months! Heaven help the language if it's relying on me!
Hwyl am y tro - Bye for now.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~08~RS~)
In what way do non-Welsh speakers feel they have the language forced on them I wonder. Do they count having a letter in BOTH languages, where they can CHOOSE between one and the other as 'ramming down their throats'?
Maybe Welsh speakers are far too clever to fall for that Chinese hockery pokery
-- dwi'n tynnu coes;-)
Yep, a good programme but it was more for those outside Wales who aren't aware of our dilemma.
1. Some people want to speak Welsh.
2. Some people don't want to learn Welsh.
3. Incomers want to live here but not necessarily learn Welsh.
4. How do you satisfy all of the people, all of the time?
1. Some people want to speak Welsh.
2. Some people don't want to learn Welsh.
3. Incomers want to live here but not necessarily learn Welsh.
I agree with all three.
4. How do you satisfy all of the people, all of the time?
No one is being forced to speak/learn Welsh as far as I know, and I don't think the programme uncovered any incident of this being the case.
It's a shame that the only time that the Welsh language (or anything about Wales for that matter) gets mentioned on the BBC on a UK wide basis it's always something negative and sensationalist which manages to portray all Welsh speakers as dark, violent extremists who hate their fellow non-welsh speaking countrymen (and women!)
Has this issue been put to a vote
Will Welsh be the language in the work place. If inability to speak Welsh is a disadvantage in the public sector how can the MOD training base in St Athan recruit its staff. How will the income tax offices communicate with their non welsh customers, some may be Scots who use Gaelic. Who should pay for all the duplication that will be necessary. However this is an act of faith and Welsh should be the only language within Wales just as Dutch is the language within Holland and Belgium manages with Flemish/French. Get to it and learn Welsh.
The writer is fibbibg. I know the shop in Yr Wyddgrug (Mold). I am often in it. Not only do I speak Welsh init, I have frequently been in a queue of people speaking Welsh in that shop.
Barry, I was only saying what the lady in the shop told me. Hwyl [Bye]