Keeping The Welsh Language Alive

[sherrardk]

Watching Googlebox and the posh man said it cost £3 billion to keep the Welsh language alive. I have just googled this and it is actually £14 million annually (2012) what a waste of money. How on earth can this be justified? (Am from the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, so ginormously Welsh myself but still can't see how it can be justified.)

[whiskeryron]

// http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/4794753.stm//
// http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7702913.stm//

One would think that part of the cost would include Welsh speaking expert sign printers.

WR.

[horseshoes]

I'm Welsh too (North) as I'm sure some of you may have noticed when I give you birthday wishes; not REALLY a fluent speaker of the language. I'm TOTALLY opposed to the Welsh Assembly. I'm glad that there's a Welsh S4C channel as it used to be on the English channels. We used to get rugby instead of horse racing, Eisteddfod instead of athletics etc etc. Welsh schools are failing at present, in as much as they are lagging behind England. Just my opinion and I know I'll get shot down in flames, but hey-ho, perhaps they are suffering as a direct result of too much emphasis on Welsh! My granddaughter is not Welsh speaking (English mother) yet is spoken to in Welsh most of the time. Welsh was compulsory when I was in school, but for us non-speakers, it was a Welsh lesson the same as a French, Latin or German lesson. We have Welsh schools for Welsh speakers, but it seems it's not enough for the Welsh Language fanatics. Most jobs are now advertised with Welsh Speaking Essential, rather than Desirable as it was up to fairly recently. Our area, whilst very, very beautiful has very little employment. We need to encourage businesses here not frighten them off with the Welsh language policies. Oo-er brick through my window tonight!

[whiskeryron]

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/10554997.Council_blunder_puts_wrong_Welsh_on_Newport_roadsign/

[FredPuli43]

Brave, horseshoes! My first wife was a Welsh speaker. Her parents however used English when they moved to a more Anglophone area and her young brother didn't speak Welsh; there was a distinct perceived disadavantage in being primarily Welsh speaking, for some reason. The brother had to have tuition in Welsh, which he chose to have. His wife had no Welsh at all. She learned Welsh from scratch. Both are competely fluent in it and their children were brought up with Welsh at home and see it as their first language, though, in fact, home is in Herefordshire, where there are Welsh speaking schools.

I do wonder how many others are like them; people born in Wales who have English first but who learn Welsh and use it daily. If there are many, Welsh looks fit to survive (if only among the middle classes; he's a solicitor !)

[clivebeca]

Thanks / Diolch WhiskeyRon ... Yes just moved west after 23 years in Newport. We've had many similar mistakes. The 'funniest' one was a sign coming off the M4; directing heavy vehicles to turn left. The Welsh version directed 'Native Americans' to turn left. For a while with Welsh speakers, until it was changed, we referred to it as 'Apache' turning. Not very politically correct.

[RATTER15]

Scrivens "Ratter, they will instantly switch back to Welsh when they are talking about you amongst themselves. :-D"

Well yes of course, it is their native tongue!

[RATTER15]

Horseshoes, I say long live the Welsh language, however I they take it too far, I dont think it should be compulsory and I think that the companies that will only employ Welsh speakers are severely limiting their employee potential, they are possibly doing this to keep the English out maybe? I really don't know, as pretty much all Welsh people can speak perfectly good English.

I totally agree with all you say.

[FredPuli43]

As i understand it, every child in the Irish Republic has to learn Erse, Irish Gaelic. To get a job in their government , applicants must have passed an Irish language exam. This is all very noble and patriotic but the fact is only a tiny percentage of Irish people have Gaelic as even their second language for normal use, nowhere remotely near the 23 per cent of people in Wales who can speak Welsh.

Forcing anyone to learn a language will never work. What works is the idea being promulgated succesfully that speaking the language is either essential or very desirable (as in my brother-in-law's case, above). If the £14 million or a good part of it, for keeping Welsh alive, has success in that, the money is not really wasted. The Irish government has definitely failed in that regard.

[horseshoes]

The Welsh language WILL survive I'm sure, because of the efforts of the minority. However, I believe that a Welsh lesson is ample for those of us who are not so fluent. Welsh schools for the Welsh speakers, "but enough already" as our American friends would say. These are the same Welsh speakers who complain our youth are leaving the area because there is no work and they can't afford the houses. Well no, you can't afford a house on benefits. Lets get some work here, everything else will follow.

[THECORBYLOON]

Are folk not forgetting that in Wales, it is the English language that is foreign? How much money has been spent over the decades promoting the English language in Wales?

[woofgang]

probably little to nothing, anymore than is spent in other places where it is not the native tongue. people will choose to speak the language they choose to speak, often for historical and social reasons and promoting it isnt necessary. really not sure what the fuss is about, after all saxon is no longer spoken in sussex or essex. (ducks)

[clivebeca]

Hi Woofgang ... Take it that's a 'tongue in cheek' answer. This post has run its course. Diolch yn fawr iawn i bawb sy wedi cyfrannu, a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi gyd.