Diolch Tatjana! Henddraig, that is an interesting point, I had to describe what I was talking about in simple language and it’s something I do try to do as often as possible in English. Occasionally you slip - naturally - proprioception is a common one. I tend to use it and then explain what is meant by it, and actually I find the patient’s understanding is improved by the need to explain the term.
1 Like
Tatjana, ti’n mor caredig!! diolch!!
2 Likes
Mae’n ddrwg gen i, Anthony, curiosity is biting! What is proprioception? Anything I can think of seems impossible!!
It is you’re awareness of where your body is, so if you closed your eyes, I then moved your arm, you’d be able to mirror with the other arm. Does that make sense? It’s easier to explain face to face
1 Like
Chwarae teg! Ydw!
1 Like
Hmmm … this is interesting! I’m trying to picture (imagine) this. I somehow figured out what the word should mean when reading your response but I’m fully aware of the word reading it once again only now. 
My brains are strange thingy in deed.
My brain is strange too, but thanks @AnthonyCusack for the explanation! Do you work with people who cannot do it? Would a stroke have an effect on one’s awareness? I ask because a friend had one - years ago, this was, and I found her sitting on the steps between her kitchen and hall. She kept insisting she was fine, but couldn’t explain why she had had trouble standing. I called for medical assistance and said I thought she’d had a stroke, but it was based on a very slight speech effect, not her physical symptoms, which seemed negligible at the time. I often wished I’d been more insistent about the ambulance, because we compromised on her letting me call the doctor, and the ambulance would have been a lot quicker if I’d called 999 straight away! Her stroke ended up quite bad.
I’m so sorry to hear. Don’t beat yourself up, you got her help and the speed may not have prevented her symptoms. Proprioception can be affected by a stroke. Can be affected by any injury to a joint or your neurological system (brain, spinal cord, cords equine, or peripheral nerves (anything not in the brain or spine))
1 Like
I’ve been thinking about this for a while … As I said previously, I start EVERY conversation in Welsh but I very rarely get an apology in return, usually a statement ranging from “I don’t speak Welsh” to a rather curt “English mate”. As a result, a few years ago I stopped apologising. I stopped saying sorry for speaking what I now see as my language. I think it’s something we could all benefit from to be honest.
9 Likes
It is and, can you imagine a Frenchman in France, an Italian in Italy or anyone anywhere else apologising for speaking their own language in their own country?
I will stop before I break @aran 's guidelines!
2 Likes
Quick story to this effect … I was on the Maes in Pwllheli after paying for 2 hours parking and only using about 5 mins so I tried to give the ticket away for someone to make use of it. I approached a guy by the machine and holding the ticket out towards him said in Welsh something like “alright mate, I’ve only been here for 5 mins, do you want this ticket?” To which he replied (honestly quite aggressively) in English “English mate!” My arm was retracted at approaching the speed of light and that bloke had to pay for a ticket while the next lady in the queue received a free ticket uttering a rather subdued “diolch.”
2 Likes
I’ve tried hard to switch from a reflex “sorry” to an “never mind” or “that’s all right” when confronted with the “I don’t speak Welsh” or just change to English without comment.
Because really what in the world am I sorry for? Apologising for speaking Welsh in Wales is a reflex cringe that needs to be quietly taken out the back and made an end of!
8 Likes
Now I feel lucky I didn’t get a punch from someone the time being in Cardiff.
“Bore da … Ga i …?”
“Oh I don’t speak Welsh.”
“Dych chi ddim yn siarad Cymraeg? Umm you don’t speak Welsh?” and the very instinctivly, as if all should by default speak Camraeg? “Why not? Maybe you should learn some.”
Woopsy! According to your experiences it was rather “dangerous” deed - haha! … Hmmm … and I’m not even sorry I was doing that. The conversation usually ended with slight smile and many times with the “oh, yes I believe I maybe should learn the language.” and ithat’s practically how I’ve given the SSi Cards away.
4 Likes
Oh Tatjana, bless you. Yes, we should start conversations in Welsh, but not have a go at people for not being able to speak Welsh. As Welsh people we maybe wouldn’t get away with it!
Before I started learning, there were a few rare occasions when people who start speaking Welsh to me. I used to feel a little embarrassed and mumble 'Dim siarad Cymraeg, Sori). But not anymore :O)
3 Likes
I can see where you are coming from, but everyone should do what they want. What they think is appropriate. What they are comfortable with. I wouldn’t describe what Tatiana describes doing as having a go- simply asking questions and giving an opinion. No more having a go than having Welsh in public is " forcing Welsh down people’s throats". Good for Tatiana, I say!
I wouldn’t do it myself, or say that to people, but that is a lack of interest on my part rather than worrying about their feelings or thinking that I shouldn’t. But as I also say, I wouldn’t make sure of starting every conversation in Welsh myself. I’m bilingual, I’m now happy to use either. I’m not going to go out of my way to speak Welsh, I’m not going to make a point of speaking Welsh any more than I will go out of my way to speak English or make a point of speaking English- I just speak Welsh as and when. Start a conversation in Welsh when - well, when I start a conversation in Welsh. And I seem to speak a fair bit if it, with people I know and people I don’t, from what I can judge, knowing what I do about Wales.
But each to their own. What Tatiana is doing and saying sounds fine by me!
1 Like
I think you could get away with that because you were on holiday from Slovenia! I think most of us would try something like, “Oh, are you on holiday here then?” - with innocent smile. If the reply was along the lines of, “No, I’m Welsh. You don’t have to speak the *** language to be Welsh!” I’m not sure - if the person was very aggressive, I would probably depart. I might say, “Oh, I know it’s not your fault we were conquered and colonised and every effort made to kill our language, but it is still alive and some of use think it is worth learning it. Had you ever thought of doing that?”
The man who yelled “English mate!” at @gruntius, I would have been very tempted to say, "Never mind, Lovely, you can’t help it!
I’m not sure most would. That could come across as rather sarcastic, or manipulative, and could be likely to provoke a reaction itself. But not necessarily, each to their own, how they best say things. I tend to be straightforward in such cases. But I just switch to English without saying anything at all, normally. Not saying that is what people should do, just what I do.
I’ld certainly be more inclined to say something more similar to what Tatjana said than the above, for the reasons I gave. But would probably say nothing. But that is just me.
O_o … tempered as I am one would surely get very hard portion of examples of all kinds why Welsh should speak Welsh … Sorry, but I did it once (online writting though) and it was all peaceful and quiet after that as that person had nothing to say in response. I don’t want to go politics here (not propriate at all) but we were conolized for centuries too and not only beaten but shot for speaking Slovene also … so this in this era might be very weak excuse though. (fullstop here and no further comments though)
Starting a conversation, just to get back to the original topic for a second, in Welsh will get you into a lot more Welsh conversations, that’s for sure. What kind of response you get from the other person would dictate how the rest of that conversation panned out. A polite decline is always very nice but an aggressive response would, and does, understandably in my opinion, warrant a defensive reaction. To be fair, and to make it clear that it’s not all out war on the streets, the more aggressive type of responses are quite rare. I’ve found, through other situations and nothing to do with speaking Welsh (we all have a past, right?) that fighting aggression with aggression rarely works and someone ends up worse off.
1 Like