I'm English but my ancestors are Welsh, and I think learning Welsh is a pretty cool idea Only that BBC's "The Big Welsh Challenge" doesn't really enter grammar and sentence structure as much as basic phrases. Can someone help?
P.S. I live in France...

Welsh in Wales is very much a minority language and is just about to become an official language, and I believe is also the language of Government. What status does/ will English hold, and will non-Welsh speakers continue to be able to hold public office? In addition, will all (even small) businesses have to be bilingual? I speak many languages and am very comfortable with using different languages, but, despite having pleasant experiences in social interaction with many mother tongue Welsh speakers, ordinary spoken Welsh is elusive to me as there are many cultural barriers between first language Welsh speakers and first language English speakers, which make to possibilities for fluency in Welsh very limited. Also speakers of Welsh often seem to have huge hang-ups about "getting it right", which leads to slowness in propagating their spoken language. How will this all work in practice? I have no fixed point of view and certainly no axe to grind, but am curious as to how this will work without acting unfavourably against those with no Welsh in the jobs and public office market. Can anyone give me an overview? Will English now become a second-class language, offering limited possibilities in decision-making positions? Clearly I need to know this, as our current business is in a growth phase (along with my family), and we need to plan ahead about whether we will be able to contribute adequately to the new Welsh nation....

Once again, Y!A have deleted my question "Does anyone here speak Welsh"....I asked the question in welsh this time, as they deleted it last time I asked in english. They took 20 points from me this time.......is it coz I is Welsh?!!

Why do the English make fun of Wales & the Welsh in particular?

Im speaking in films and on the tele. If "wales" is mentioned the actors say "oh is it as bad as that?" or "oh no, not wales". Or Welsh being used in the derogatory.

I hear it used about every other area like Ireland & the Irish and every other place, but why the direct special distaste for the Welsh & Wales?
So what I'm getting from the responses so far is that the Welsh are the least exposed to English domination throughout history? At least lingually and probably culturally? So that distinction has earned them exaggerated negative attributes according to the English?

So what is some typical negative stereotypes of the Welsh?
I mean what *are* ....
I'll give the best answer to "Cymro bach" although I think jealousy is not the term you're looking for, its more like "Resentment" for all the reasons you described.

Even though I was born in North America, I have some Scottish ancestry. I noticed that the majority of people I encounter who are of Irish, Scottish, or Welsh do not have that typical "Celtic" look (red hair, green eyes, freckles, etc.). As a matter of fact, many of them have very dark brown hair, brown eyes, and not-so ruddy skin. I went to England once, and many of the English there are also the same. They also do not resemble Nordic people (blonde hair, blue eyes, pale) in Scandinavia and Germany (even though English is a Nordic language).

Why is this so? Where did these darker types of people come from? Also, I'm not talking about recent Middle Eastern immigrants but British people whose ancestors have lived there for many centuries. Anyone have an idea?

I was wondering because I'm American and I really want to learn Welsh becuase I might study abroad there in Abertawe if I keep my grades in check. Also the Welsh pronunciation guide from Wiki is really lacking in examples.
Thanks in advance.
diolch yn fawr
examples of my dillema,
diolCH, wiki says its pronounced like the Scottish "Loch" but I dont know how to pronounce that either.
and well the "c" sounds like a "k", wiki said, like.. 'cat'.
website i keep refering to as "wiki" http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Welsh/Alphabet

My 2 friends Brandon and Iuen, who is welsh and african said they were playing a stereo type game, so the first thing that came to mind was "What like all black people love KFC", then they said "NO! like all Jamacians wear big hats for their dreads!" And thats not the worst thing. Later that week me and my friend were talking like Gangsters and he walked up to us just as i said "Shut the fuck up nigger!" And now i think Iuen hates me. Any help?

Yes, I'm aware that they are extremely rare. I suppose you could dig up the odd one or two in the remotest areas of Wales... But what about Patagonia? I guess they all speak Spanish there as well as Welsh.
In the 19th century a small group of Welsh people migrated to Patagonia because they were afraid that the Welsh language was dying and that they could save it if they moved far out of reach of the English.
Diolch i Graham a Chymro Bach!

Interesting contributions, thanks. Patagonia is on my list of places I have to go someday; I'd actually love it if someone refused to communicate with me in any language but Welsh (well, maybe when my grip on the language is a bit firmer)!
And it's good to hear that people can survive fine without having to speak English fluently.
I believe, Graham, that young people's interest in Welsh is slowly increasing. Although you still get people at my school who whinge about the compulsory Welsh GCSE. "What's the point?" they ask.
I'm dying to learn it, as are many of my friends here in the most anglicised part of Wales. And I'm the same age as you, Cymro.

I read this article

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-immig26mar26,0,7628611.story?coll=la-home-headlines

I thought about the Tom Jones,

I thought about that groovy song of his

"The Young New Mexican Puppeteer"

I thought about these lines's,

"The young New Mexican puppeteer
He saw the people all lived in fear
He thought that maybe they'd listen to
A puppet telling them what to do

You know he got some string and he got some wood
He did some carving and he was good
And folks came running so they could hear
The young New Mexican puppeteer

First he carved out young Abe Lincoln
Abe will teach 'em civil rights
Then a king named Martin Luther
So they'd recall his peacefull fight"

Personally I think this is way more prescient then anything the "Hillbilly antichrist's" ever wrote.

Do you think that if we followed the word of "The Welsh Jesus" or "Tom Jones " the world would be a happier place.
I wish we could all be that puppeteer. amen
it is still April 1st where I live. It is a national holiday in my country.the fireworks are staring soon.

i have a friend who is welsh, but i also have a british friend, they sound EXACTLY the same, when i tell the welsh guy that they do, he gets pissed off at me, so i am asking "Is there really a difference, they both are part of the U.K and both speak british english"

I'm a book worm. Just recently, it was suggested that i read Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. I am now and i can't even understand the narrator's accent. Here's an excerpt: "That meant ah'd git hit fir f**kin back charges fi the shoap oan a video ah hudnae even goat a deek at." Honestly, i'm so frustrated. What does that even mean?
For those who have read it-is it worth the read? I may die.

I've noticed a lot of Welsh, Irish, Northern Irish and Scottish people always deny themselves as part of Britain, a lot of them hate and criticise England, are disgusted by being under the same category as it, and from what I've seen online, almost every Irish, Scottish and Welsh person brag about their culture, have usernames related to it and go on and on about themselves and their country.

Do you see me or any English people coming online, slagging off the Welsh, Irish or Scottish, writing stuff in Cornish, going on about English history and pride in our culture and giving ourselves usernames to do with England? NO, YOU DON'T.

It's OK to love your culture and take pride in your country, I do take pride in England and I also have admiration for the Scottish, Welsh and Irish and I do truly feel that we are all British united (Ireland needs to join Britain, they're just making excuses to not be involved with the English because its a self-obsessed nation). We're all part of the same thing and I don't know why non-English Brits or Irish hold things against us for events that happened centuries ago, or deny themselves to be connected to us and part of Britain and thinking of Britain as "England" simply. I find it unfair.

Now I imagine I'll be getting Scots, Welshmen and Irishmen on here having a go at me, going on about how great their culture is and how England is an atrocity.

I'm looking for the Welsh translation of "what does not destroy me, only makes me stronger" done by a native or fluent speaker if at all possible. I speak another language outside of English and I know how online translators are just gibberish for phrases

Arthur is a common male name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A frequently repeated Welsh language etymology suggests its original meaning is "bear" or "bear-like"

I'm translating a poem from English to Welsh. I'm fluent in Welsh but I'm only 11 so I am unfamiliar with some words. I want to write the line 'enlighten me when confused" but the word enlighten is something I've never heard in Welsh. Enlighten translates as 'goleuo' on all of the online dictionaries which makes no sense as it means the sort of light you get from lamps. If you have an alternative word that would be wonderful too.

I just finished reading Bernard Cornwell's "The Warlord Chronicles" and was wondering how to say the Welsh names. I found some on his website, but the two that I wondered about the most are "Seren" and "Gwydre".

Thanks for your help!

Do more speak welsh than speak Irish Gaelic?

Are there more second language welsh speakers than second language Irish Gaelic speakers?

Do more speak Irish as a native language than speak welsh as a native language ?

And so on .
The North isn't more welsh speaking than the south . Wales is more linguistically divided by west to east. The West is more welsh speaking than the east. But there is a welsh speaker in every village in Wales.

Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire are both in the south and so is northern Swansea, Northern Pembrokeshire, Western Neath and portal bot and Powys all these places are more welsh speaking than English.
You have to be fluent in welsh to teach and primary basis yes. And yes every university in wales has an "Adran Gymraeg" where all courses are through the medium of welsh, In ireland im rold it's only irish that can be studied not other subjects through that medium. Also how come the irish on Roadsigns is italica and seems assif it is not as important as english?

Also Ireland only has one county where over half the population speak's irish on a daily basis welsh has 4 . with larger populations in all.
No no, I am so sorry if it's coming across like that!

I have great respect for the Irish and their language. I am so sorry. I am doing Celtic Language studies and am just trying to compare. I am not trying in anyway to make Welsh superior. We welsh aren't like that and i certainly don't want you to think that. I am really sorry.

Nil moran Gaeilge agam, Ta cupla focail Gaeilge agam.
(Dydw i ddim yn siarad llawer o gwyddeleg ond wi'n gallu tymed bach)

Tá brón orm,
(Mae'n ddrwg gen i )

Neamhleor atá teanga amháin
(Dyw un iaith byth yn ddigon)

In mine it's Prydeineg and Prydain ,

My language is Welsh

how about yours?
No s. dat is waarom ik het die frage "asked" I speak afrikaans but i dnt think beantwoord would go there.

Why do you say Engels and Engeland when the Uk is made up of 3 seperate countries. Would you like to be called German? or French?
oxymandi what do you mean not Cymraeg?

My name really is Brynn, Pronounced Brin, and I always hated it. It sounded so plain, Its just 1 syllable. Its a welsh name and a Feminine form of Bryn. There are many different ways to spell it. It means "Hill" or "Mound." Its a 20th century name formed from a simple Welsh vocabulary word.

Considering the Welsh pronunciation of their "ll" sound that is.
Thank you.

Anyone speak or write Welsh?

Trying to teach myself Welsh, does anyone understand this?

"Fy enw oes Katherine. Myfi ante dysg Cymraeg.Hi oes gwir anodd."
I don't think my sentence structure is right