Welsh place names.

[Lady Whistledown]

Ah, I thought you meant the whole of Wales, last time I was in Swansea I never heard one word spoke in Welsh.
Or when we were in Cardiff for the play off final.
Do they not speak some Welsh up in the valleys, that's still South Wales isn't it?

Ah, well you see I was in Swansea & the Gower just before Christmas, and got dragged into the Liberty Stadium shop by my (Welsh ) other half.

Having been to Cardiff a fair few times & not once heard anybody speaking the native language, I'd assumed Swansea would be the same. In the twenty minutes or so I was in the shop, however, I heard three different people speaking in Welsh (and more in the Swansea branch of Tesco Extra. Yes. They actually have supermarkets there.). I was genuinely quite surprised.

The Welshman says it's a lot more common once you get out to the Gower and further west. But there were definitely a few in the city itself.

He doesn't speak the language. He was taught a bit of it in school and can read the Welsh road signs (Araf!), and make a broad attempt at pronouncing written words. He can also effortlessly reel off Llanfair PG (the railway station) and sing the the national anthem for the purposes of belting it out when playing England at rwgbi (the song about My Hen as I like to irritate him by suggesting). But even he recognises it's basically a useless language to learn, unless you're planning on emigrating to Anglesey or Blaenau Ffestiniog.

 

[glasfryn]

Ah, well you see I was in Swansea & the Gower just before Christmas, and got dragged into the Liberty Stadium shop by my (Welsh ) other half.

Having been to Cardiff a fair few times & not once heard anybody speaking the native language, I'd assumed Swansea would be the same. In the twenty minutes or so I was in the shop, however, I heard three different people speaking in Welsh (and more in the Swansea branch of Tesco Extra. Yes. They actually have supermarkets there.). I was genuinely quite surprised.

The Welshman says it's a lot more common once you get out to the Gower and further west. But there were definitely a few in the city itself.

He doesn't speak the language. He was taught a bit of it in school and can read the Welsh road signs (Araf!), and make a broad attempt at pronouncing written words. He can also effortlessly reel off Llanfair PG (the railway station) and sing the the national anthem for the purposes of belting it out when playing England at rwgbi (the song about My Hen as I like to irritate him by suggesting). But even he recognises it's basically a useless language to learn, unless you're planning on emigrating to Anglesey or Blaenau Ffestiniog.

you should remind him that their national sport is named after one of the towns in ENGLAND

 

[Lady Whistledown]

you should remind him that their national sport is named after one of the towns in ENGLAND

Oh dear God, there's just no telling him.

After England smashed Wales in the Six Nations, I was deeply sporting & gracious about it. I barely mentioned it when I got in from the pub (having deliberately gone out separately so as to avoid watching it with him in all his Wales gear).

Naturally, when Wales squeaked past England in the world cup, he failed to react with such grace. It was quite gratifying when they got knocked out by Argentina (?) in the next round. But of course, it didn't matter to him that Wales achieved a whole one more match. It was all about beating England, as it always is with them.

The worst thing is, of course, that any future offspring of ours are going to be half Welsh. That's a heck of a lot to burden a child with, isn't it?

 

[Grassman]

When we moved here it helped to have a father who is first-language Welsh............that they were already speaking in Welsh, it is their mother tongue after all.

Make your Welsh mind up, was it their mum's tongue or their dads?

 

[glasfryn]

Oh dear God, there's just no telling him.

After England smashed Wales in the Six Nations, I was deeply sporting & gracious about it. I barely mentioned it when I got in from the pub (having deliberately gone out separately so as to avoid watching it with him in all his Wales gear).

Naturally, when Wales squeaked past England in the world cup, he failed to react with such grace. It was quite gratifying when they got knocked out by Argentina (?) in the next round. But of course, it didn't matter to him that Wales achieved a whole one more match. It was all about beating England, as it always is with them.

The worst thing is, of course, that any future offspring of ours are going to be half Welsh. That's a heck of a lot to burden a child with, isn't it?

he should sit down with my other half and watch any match against Wales (football,rugby,tiddly-winks) she becomes uncontrolably angry, I on the other hand am getting over missing 9 years of my live (it was my fault we moved there) and we/I did meet some nice people there (we just had despicable neighbours and you find them everywhere) and it does always make me wonder if thats why the house was so cheap and the present owners who rent it out have only managed to do just that for 6months out of over 4 years and at this present time stands empty.
God whats going to happen when the next meeting of the football teams ............I think I need a drink.

 

[vegster]

Had a fishing holiday near Fishguard once, went to the local pub and you could hear a pin drop when we walked in....they looked at us and started babbling to each other in Welsh but from the crowd could be heard a very clear " F###ING English ".... Marvellous people,not their fault they were born I'm the wrong place.

 

[knocky1]

My mate from College is a Merthyr boy. When his brother died in a motor bike accident I went down to the funeral having known the family for 30 years. A cousin of theirs, I had never met, came up to me and said "Fair play to you. You may be an English C**t but you came all this way to Byron's funeral" shook my hand and bought me a pint......

 

[wellquickwoody]

I have lived in North Wales for 13 years and it's never happened to me.

Has happened to me in Haverfordwest.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

There's a road in Merthyr called "Rue de la Givenchy" obviously French but underneath is the English version "Rue de la Givenchy" mmmmm. Mainly Welsh spoken around here but oddly they use the English swear words, so in the pub it's Bla Bla Bla F*** Bla Bla Bla F******* C*** etc

 

[happypig]

But even he recognises it's basically a useless language to learn, unless you're planning on emigrating to Anglesey or Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Or, curiously, Patagonia.

 

[Driver8]

Has happened to me in Haverfordwest.

That's South Wales.