Don’t worry too much, Stella - if you look at absolute numbers, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more speakers in the south - it’s just that they’re a smaller percentage of the population, so there are more Welsh people without the language in the south.
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To @Mihil One thing occurs to me… I’m quite surprised attitudes in Cardiff haven’t changed since the Senedd arrived. I thought arrival of AMs who speak Cymraeg meant:
a. Value of language for job prospects in the Bay,
b. Equality of language means less dismissal of it,
c. More people wanting ysgol cymraeg for their children, so more teachers …
so just more use of the language everywhere!! Hasn’t that happened?
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I think there are areas of Cardiff that have embraced the language, and I personally think more people in Cardiff know Cymraeg than they care to admit. But as with most areas, they won’t use the language with anyone unless they know that person and feel comfortable using Cymraeg with that person. I think a lot of it could be fear that they feel their Cymraeg isn’t good enough and will be littered with mistakes! Irrational, but a fear nonetheless.
But of course, sadly, there are still people who feel there is no place in todays world for Cymraeg, and those who can speak Cymraeg confidently have no patience for learners or non-confident speakers. Also, those who grow up as 1st language welsh speakers or are educated in the medium of Welsh (particularly those from families who are not Welsh speakers themselves) see Cymraeg only as “school language”.
I do think attitudes are changing, but it’s a long, slow, dragged out process, not helped by those who are , shall we call them ‘Cymraegophobic’ (people who either hate the language or fear it for whatever reason - I think it was Aran who mentioned a Labour AM, who said “it was only dinosaurs and fear stopping Welsh/English bilingualism from happening”, which probably describes these people perfectly!).
Of course, all I’ve said here could be totally wrong and misconstrued from the real reasons, but only how I see the situation at the moment.
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So sad!
Hi again Mihil,
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but there are two people you could try contacting through Facebook - Joella Price and Deiniol Carter. Joella was Dysgwr y Flwyddyn 2014 and she works as a nurse in Cardiff, at the Heath I think. Deiniol was one of the finalists in this year’s Dysgwr y Flwyddyn and also lives in Cardiff.
I know them both and they are young, keen, active Welsh learners and very involved in the Welsh language social life of Cardiff. If you try contacting them through Facebook (you can say I mentioned them if you like) and say that you are keen to meet with others and use your Welsh, I’m sure they’ll have ideas for you.
Pob lwc, Dee
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I second this - both really keen to get Welsh learners together. Joella has also set up a social group (called Cwmdogion) for fluent speakers, so you could soon join that, I’m sure! 
Ffrindiau–I can’t help jumping in here because ironically it was actually my visit to Cardiff in July that inspired me to follow my dream to learn Welsh.
Having enjoyed a marvellous one-day reunion with a few old classmates from Cardiff High School for Girls (who I had not seen in almost 50 years), I was intrigued by their ability to speak or understand Welsh. How had I missed out? Then it dawned on me that because I had majored in Maths and Science, my lessons had all been in English, but those in the Arts stream had enjoyed the chance to both study Welsh and study in Welsh.
After our get-together one of them gave me a lift to my brother’s cottage in St. Nicholas, stopping at her home first. There I met her Welsh-speaking daughter and grandchildren and was told the demand for places in ‘Welsh Schools’ is ever increasing. I can believe it–witness the obvious interest and involvement of all you good folk trying to SSiW. My sense is that Welsh, (and all things Welsh, plus all things Celtic) is enjoying a renaissance and interest in places far beyond its borders.
Perhaps ‘big cities’ by their sheer numbers seem to dilute this trend, but more and more people I meet are curious, even envious when I say I am trying to learn Welsh. Why? A desire to have some roots or association with a culture that has an ancient, almost mysterious heritage? I don’t know, but my hunch is that folk want a sense of belonging–one that the Welsh language and this forum offers, precisely because it is not ‘dominant’. Thoughts?
Lucky us 
Marilyn
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What a lovely and encouraging story Marilyn.
What you describe above is exactly what I experienced talking at random to people in Cardiff.
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Dw i’n hapus iawn, diolch yn fawr iawn Louis,
Marilyn
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Somewhere on this thread there was mention of a lapel pin for Welsh learners. Where would I find one please? I hope they take mail orders to Canada 
May I agree with that!! And sympathise… I got shunted down the same academic path!! (Not helped by family whose parents had raised them to see Welsh as useless, old fashioned and generally a dead end!!).
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Hi Marilyn, yes, I’m sure I’ve still got some in a box somewhere. If you PM me your postal address I could send you one.
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