I want to learn Welsh (/am learning) because I’m aiming to collect all of the Celtic languages one day (got to love endangered languages, especially when they’re on your doorstep!)
One day, I would like to be able to use at least one of these languages (preferably more, but we’ll see what career options present themselves) to help keep them alive.
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Just across the Severn from where I live is this place that has kept its own language and culture, and I want a share of that. Besides, learning a language keeps my brain ticking over!
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because most of the Welsh side of my family speak Welsh. I hope to be able to understand what they’re talking about at family gatherings!
This was my original reply - I would add that I live in Carmarthen and know a lot of first-language Welsh speakers so it would be good to be able to talk to them in Welsh.
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because it has always been a regret that I could not speak my native language and I have felt that I have missed out on being able to fully experience our musical and oral culture.
When I am more fluent I plan to attend an eisteddfod on one of my visits to Wales.
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because of so many reasons…
To feel more Welsh.
To inspire my kids to have more of an interest in the language.
To be able to understand the songs I’ve been singing for so long.
To feel a sense of progress and accomplishment.
To be able to chat to my Welsh speaking friends and family in native tongue.
To be able to join in more at Eisteddfodau.
To be able to watch Wales play football on S4C, understand the Welsh commentary, and not have to pay for the Sky Sports coverage.
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because:
- I found a copy of Lady Charolette Guest’s translation when I was about 12 while helping my oldest brother pack, and have been fascinated with the stories ever since.
- it makes me feel closer to my Grandmother (who died around the same time) she was born in the States but was proudly Welsh. (It wasn’t until almost 30 years after she passed that I found out her father had immigrated from Scotland.)
- I want to keep my brain cells plastic by learning a new skill – I’ve never successfully learned a language before. (I had to take four years of French in high school but either I failed or my teachers failed, I’m honestly not sure which – although I think I already speak/understand more Welsh than I ever did when studying French.)
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…because I feel a mysterious connection to Wales and Welsh, and only God knows where this is coming from. But I’ll probably never be a Welsh speaker but just the worst and most untalented learner in the world 
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Claudia… don’t put yourself down like that… have you seen our video on higher repetition learners? It’s a normal thing:
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Oh, that’s very interesting, thank you for letting me know about his video, Aran! 
Do you know if having a weak short time memory could be partly connected to dyscalculia, too? I’m godawful in maths and geometry, and was diagnosed with dyscalculia by the school psychologist. To be honest, I very rarely try to actually speak Welsh, so I should at least try to make the 5 minutes test…
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@Claudia_Beryan, I look forward to hearing your efforts. And I bet they will be better than you think!
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Fantastic ambition! That and “Tomos a’i Ffrindiau” of course. (Though it’s not what it used to be)
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I’ve seen research that suggests there is a link between working memory and dyslexia, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it was a factor in dyscalculia as well (although I haven’t read any specific research on that).
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Because it is part of my culture and heritage, and links me to an identity and history that I am very proud to be part of. It is also a lot more common where I now live and I hope to speak them all as much as I can in the mother tongue! My main hope is to be able to speak to my few friends that are already fluent and to encourage my family and friends to learn so we can all speak together in welsh all the time.
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I’m Swansea born but have lived in North Wales for many years and worked in England for the best part of my working life and feel sometimes that i have lost part of my Welsh identity and would love to restore that by being able to speak Welsh even if its only occasionally when I 'm at the coast (Llyn Peninsular) visiting friends.
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Ooh, Tricia!
Give us a quote or two from your 1960s magic Welsh-in-a-week primer! Plîs!
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because I have lived in Wales since 1989, love languages, different cultures and being able to talk with people but never found the time to learn Welsh until now.
I hope that when I am able to speak Welsh more fluently it will allow me to meet and discover new friends and learn more about the culture of this wonderful country that I now live in and call home…
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I have many, many happy memories as a child of spending time with my grandfarther , grandmother uncles , aunts and cousins all Welsh speakers. My cousins tell me that i spoke Welsh then but as that was almost 60 years ago.I want my language back and thank you for giving me the chance to do it.
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I have lived in Wales all my life.My mum was a scouser and my dad a manx man, so no welsh in the family.I live close to the English border so no welsh in my village, though I did learn some welsh in school many years ago!
I have always enjoyed singing and so I joined a Welsh Male Voice Choir and have been a member for 34 years now. Unfortunately, with rather few welsh speakers now and so we learn all the welsh words to the songs parrot fashion.
There are still a couple of welsh speakers first language and now a half dozen learners. I have tried a couple of times in he past to learn welsh but failed and so this is my last throw of the dice!
I am about to start week 8 challenges, and yes I do find them a challenge, but I am determined to get to the end.
I have spoken to my friends in the choir in welsh, but only a little, and they are amazed at my progress.
And so I know lots of welsh words and finally I will be able to understand what I am singing about!
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@aran Welsh in a week examples as requested. (Published by Evans and Short, Tonypandy)
May I pluck a rose. - A gaf fi dorri rhosyn.
Wife, this is Mr Jones, you remember him. - Wraig, dyma Mr Jones. Yr ydych yn ei gofio ef.
How dusty the roads are - Mor llychlyd y mae’r ffyrdd
Will you take some beer - a gymerwch chi gwrw
He does not know how to speak English - Nid yw ef yn gwybod pa food I siarad Saesneg
And many more (useful)?!!? Phrases.
It makes me realise how much things have changed in my lifetime
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Well, at least having requested permission to pluck a rose, it might have kept the romantic traveller of dusty roads out of trouble!
Thank you for the moment of nostalgia, there, Tricia. Old language primers are wonderful.
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