Cheer up, Bridget, your lucky day is nigh!

Allira

I can recite it all in Weldh now as long as it's Araf.

That’s all Greek to me Allira are you sure you aren’t reciting it in Klingon?🤭Which sounds like Hebrew and Welsh combined.

I can recite it all in Weldh now as long as it's Araf.

Quote Allira Thu 02-Jan-25 12:46:40
Your friend can move back to England
😯

Or she can press 2 for English.

Nooo, she couldn’t do that , she is English, it must be as she wants

Your friend can move back to England
😯

Or she can press 2 for English.

Anniebach

Your friend doesn’t think I should hear my language because she chooses not to speak it ? Still that sort still around sadly

People don't want the Welsh language to disappear, quite the contrary.

I know a couple of people who did not speak any English until they went to school, one became a teacher but even she found it difficult to teach Welsh to reception class children as well as teaching them English because their first language was neither.

However, when the majority in a country do not speak the language, should it be the first language of Government and public bodies, or should it be the second language on official documents, road signs?
In a country which relies on tourism for income, should Welsh be dominant on road signs?

I'm not asking to be contradictory, it's a genuine question.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Funnily enough Anniebach that’s her plan for 2025! She’s getting older (aren’t we all) and isn’t impressed with Welsh healthcare so it’s back to Yorkshire for her.

I know.
You won’t miss her. (I said it first 🤣).

If you phone the dwp you are directed to press a particular button if you would like to hear the messages in English.

Your friend doesn’t think I should hear my language because she chooses not to speak it ? Still that sort still around sadly

Funnily enough Anniebach that’s her plan for 2025! She’s getting older (aren’t we all) and isn’t impressed with Welsh healthcare so it’s back to Yorkshire for her.

I know.
You won’t miss her. (I said it first 🤣).

Quote FriedGreenTomatoes2 Thu 02-Jan-25 11:01:18
However, forcing it on people as a first language, which is what several public bodies in Wales do, is wrong

A friend retired to North Wales. Sold up from Yorkshire and bought a bungalow there. Says it drives her to distraction when she needs to phone any government department or 111 and has to listen to everything in Welsh first before English. Says it’s drives her nuts and to be honest most of her Welsh friends too, who are not fluent. I suspect only a very tiny minority are so the tail’s wagging the dog here.

Your friend can move back to England

True.
Only useful in Wales though.

More people will speak Welsh now as it has been a compulsory subject in state schools since 1990.

People also ask
What percentage of Wales speak Welsh?

(17.8%)
According to the 2021 census, the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of the population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024.

British Council
Language Trends Wales 2024

• Nearly 70 per cent of responding secondary
schools reported that none or less than 10 per cent
of Year 10 students were taking an International
Language for GCSE or other Level 2 qualification;
• Secondary school teachers report a lack of
funding in International Languages and a need
to revise harsh grading boundaries in public
examinations;
• All responding post-16 colleges use AI technology
in the teaching of International Languages.

A generation or more who have been subjected to political decisions which inhibited rather than enhanced their future opportunities.

However, forcing it on people as a first language, which is what several public bodies in Wales do, is wrong

A friend retired to North Wales. Sold up from Yorkshire and bought a bungalow there. Says it drives her to distraction when she needs to phone any government department or 111 and has to listen to everything in Welsh first before English. Says it’s drives her nuts and to be honest most of her Welsh friends too, who are not fluent. I suspect only a very tiny minority are so the tail’s wagging the dog here.

Casdon

Why is it a disadvantage? Every child in Wales studies a second language to GCSE level, which children don’t have to in England. Being able to speak two languages, whatever they are demonstrates an ability to learn languages. Both my children did Welsh GCSE, and did 8 other GCSEs, so neither they nor I feel they were disadvantaged. It’s very easy for English people to criticise from the outside.

Wales is not populated by just people of Welsh heritage.

It's good to be proud of culture and traditions and to encourage the learning of old languages before they are in danger of being lost. I have friends my sge who have started learning Welsh, one is now fluent.
However, forcing it on people as a first language, which is what several public bodies in Wales do, is wrong.

I don't agree with limiting children's choices either.

My two grandchildren are taking Welsh GCSE, and learning German and Spanish respectively to GCSE level at the local state school. My granddaughter has a school trip to Patagonia in 2026 , to the Welsh community, and attend their school for a couple of days as well as seeing the country.

I think it's up to people who live and work in Wales to decide.
A language is more than its usefulness, its also opening the door to that culture, music, literature, and so on.

This is not to exclude learning further languages, sadly not enough children in the UK take them to GCSE anymore.

If the expectation is that children will become fluent in spoken Welsh in a couple of years then this could easily be achieved using the direct method for language learning. If however the more intricate skills of reading and writing in the language are also being insisted upon, then I agree that learning a European language would actually be of more benefit.

If they want to learn it that’s fine, but surely not to the degree that it’s considered more important than learning useful languages spoken in many countries such as French, Spanish and German.Speaking Welsh isn’t useful anywhere.English is.
Welsh need not be compulsory up to GCSE level at all.
It’s good to be proud of your own culture and language but in proportion, knowing that it’s only useful within Wales and quite often it seems for the reason of ticking boxes with Welsh employers.

The whole point is Oreo that Welsh people do want to learn Welsh, and they want their children to learn it too. There’s a very high uptake of Welsh language adult courses.

I really don’t think that English people understand that the Welsh are proud of their unique language and culture, why do you feel you have to treat us like children and tell us what we should do?

Why is it a disadvantage? Every child in Wales studies a second language to GCSE level, which children don’t have to in England. Being able to speak two languages, whatever they are demonstrates an ability to learn languages. Both my children did Welsh GCSE, and did 8 other GCSEs, so neither they nor I feel they were disadvantaged. It’s very easy for English people to criticise from the outside.

Mollygo

It is what it is, is the worst excuse for doing something or allowing something that disadvantages some to continue.
I’m pro children being taught Welsh, but when it gets to an age where it stops them learning a language that will be more useful worldwide, is it right?

It is what it is from being pushed and pushed by those politicians in Wales who are ideologically obsessed about the Welsh language.There’s no massive need for anyone to speak it unless they want to learn it.

They already have procedures.

"So, coming from a non-Welsh speaking background is absolutely normal and the curriculum is designed with that in mind. Welsh-medium schools do not expect that children speak Welsh when they start but will help those children to become fluent in Welsh before the end of their first year."

www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/app/uploads/2024/03/Frequently-asked-Questions.pdf

It is what it is, is the worst excuse for doing something or allowing something that disadvantages some to continue.
I’m pro children being taught Welsh, but when it gets to an age where it stops them learning a language that will be more useful worldwide, is it right?

To bring us back to the point of the thread (or near it), Welsh is not a compulsory subject in private schools in Wales, of course, so those pupils who might have to transfer to state schools because of the added burden of VAT will be disadvantaged through no fault of their own.