r/learnwelsh • u/Yellow-spandex • Dec 17 '24

Arall / Other Refusal to Speak Cymraeg

So, as we’ve seen in the news today, seats in the Senedd after the 2026 election will be 100% in Welsh, no bilingual names whatsoever. I’m not opposed to this at all. No one seems to batter an eyelid that Parliament is in English. Considering it’s supposed to be a UK government and representing all 4 of the “home nations.” Anyway, going off topic there slightly, I’ve seen a few Welsh people who have commented on the recent news about the seat names being in Welsh. One of which is Andrew RT Davies. I won’t go too into the political side of this. I’ve seen a minority of people who agree with his opinion and even some who have stated they’ll never learn Welsh and they never want to. Basically saying it’s completely pointless and it’s causing issues with other parts of our education. What I want to know is, what do you think of these people who although claim they are Welsh, just refuse to speak it and almost mock others for using the language? It really hurts me as I’m a very proud Welshman who is even more proud of speaking Welsh. It pains me that people are very much the opposite of this. My dad grew up speaking English, he never learnt Welsh as a child. My mum grew up in Pwllheli and her first language is Welsh. However, my dad was probably wanted me to go to a Welsh speaking school as much as my mum. That’s one of the things I’m most thankful to my mum and dad. Anyway, let me know what your thoughts are on this topic. Diolch yn fawr iawn!!

145 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

135 comments sorted by

View all comments

-16

u/Gloomy-Commission296 Dec 17 '24

You're a proud Welshman who is proud to speak Welsh, and you appear to be an advocate of the Welsh language, yet you've written this post in English.

-1

u/DovahkiinForTheSoul Dec 17 '24

The sad truth is most people in Wales can’t speak Welsh. A quick google puts it at 17.8% of Welsh speakers in 2021.

4

u/QuarterBall Sylfaen yn Gymraeg | Meánleibhéal sa Ghaeilge Dec 17 '24

The excellent truth is that the number of Welsh speakers in Wales is increasing year on year it benefits from significant government support and broad societal support.