So much in these postings speaks to me and my experiences or those of friends. They are wonderful word pictures of terribly sad loss. Diolch yn fawr to SSiW and the Internet for the chance to undo the effects of generations of colonialism!
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I want to be a welsh speaker because l want understand and be understood by welsh speakers and that includes any chilren my daughter and her welsh partner (who wish to move back to wales) may have 
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I also would love to spend my retirement in wales (which I have enjoyed visiting so much through the years) , but really become a member of the community and share its heritage
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My partner is a farmer and all his friends and family speak Welsh as first language. Itāll be nice not to stand there gormlessly when the language automatically switches into Welsh from English (from doing the app and now starting the accelerated course my Welsh has improved massively- I now can often follow the gist of the conversation )
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Thatās so beautifully put. Thank you. I feel the same. Moira
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its my dream to say that I am fluent before I leave this planet. I want to go anywhere in Wales (and beyond) and speak in my mother language.
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My motherās family, although as Welsh as my fatherās, spoke English. I long wondered why so I did some research and think I have the answer. In the mid 19th Century one of my relatives decided to become a Baptist minister so he was sent for training to the Baptist College then in Pontypool. It had always been my understanding that the non-conformist chapels in Wales had been strongholds of the Welsh language but one of the principle aims of the college was to teach native Welsh speakers how to preach in English so that they could administer to the spiritual needs of the many immigrants who were moving into the industrial areas at that time. So, although they continued to worship at the Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church in Cardiff, the rest of the family began to speak English to keep him company.
It may be a small gesture as I live in England but I want to turn the clock back. I am Welsh but I donāt speak the language so I have to do something about that if I am to claim my full birthright.
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I was raised in Monmouthshire in the 60ās and was amazed at people who could speak Welsh. So when I retired I decide it was time to enjoy listening to radio cymru and S4C. I still struggle understanding listening much of the time but a get a real kick being able to hold a conversation in Welsh. I have learnt to stop trying to speak perfect Welsh and just enjoy the experience.
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Iām a little worried that my reasons will sound trivial compared with the heartfelt motivations that Iāve just read through! But I donāt want to get chucked off the course, so here goes!!
- I want to surprise my Welsh-speaking colleague whoās currently on a 3 month career break travelling round the world: I didnāt speak a word of Welsh when he went away!
- I want to prove to myself that my brain is still capable of learning as Iāve applied to do a Masters from September.
- I am nosy and Iād like to be able to join in the 50% of conversations I hear at work that I donāt understand.
- I feel that Cymraeg is not just the language of the Welsh but also one of the ancient languages of Britain: as I understand it, it was spoken widely across England too. My DNA analysis tells me that 31% of my DNA is from āIreland, Scotland or Walesā and another 45% from England - so thereās a good chance that many of my ancestors spoke Welsh. Learning the language feels like a wave across the centuries to them. This sense of a shared common language feels, for me personally, a more authentic narrative than blaming my mining, spinning, weaving English ancestors (or even myself!) for the previous persecution of the Welsh speakers of the more recent past, important as it is to recognise that this happened.
Sorry, rather more than a sentence!!
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Iām very very proud to be Welsh but not so proud that at 49 I canāt speak my own language. My goal is to rectify that somewhat before Iām 50 next year. I would like to be able to converse confidently with my welsh speaking partner and mother in law.
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I want to be able to speak Welsh because my mother and all her ancestors were Welsh. I suppose I want to reconnect with my roots. My mother could understand and speak simple conversational Welsh, but my grandmother had decided not to speak Welsh in the home. I suppose I am technically Welsh, since I was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, but we moved to Bristol when I was two and a half! But I do have a bilingual passport! We spent the war years in a small South Wales mining village, where at that time a lot of Welsh was spoken. So I picked up a Welsh accent and some bits and pieces of Welsh and sang hymns and folksongs in Welsh, but never learned to really speak Welsh. Later on, back in England, I became a French language teacher and have dabbled in several other languages. Over the years I have tried, more off than on, to learn Welsh, and have learned to read Welsh, though with a lot of help from the dictionary. Then I came across SSIW and I really love it. Itās great fun. I get a good laugh when I try to follow the double-speed listening practice! Itās great too to feel part of this Welsh-learning community. I live in France, but hope to go on holiday to Wales and make contact with people in Welsh.
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Because my forebears from Llanfachreth all spoke Welsh, and I am musical and a linguist so it should be easy, (even at my age of 82!) as long as I donāt get it muddled with German! I am proud of my heritage and want to add to the thousands who are taking it upon themselves to help increase the number of Welsh-speakers everywhere; its a matter of culture.
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I am proud to be welsh but feeI that I need to speak the old language.I want to speak welsh for a few reasons. My grand father was a welsh speaker and the language died out in the family. I want to be in touch with my welsh roots. I find learning welsh both a challenge and yet wonderful and interesting.It is a beautiful language a nd deserves to be known in legend the language of heaven ,
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Do i eisiau siarad Cymraeg achos maeān ddiddorol a dw i eisiau canu yn y Gymraeg.
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Well, the short version: I moved to North Wales in 2016 for my job and I believe that, if you move to a new place, you should do your best to learn the language.
But the reasons have become more complex: I want to speak Welsh because my partner and his family are Welsh speakers and very passionate about the language, because I believe I will do my job better if I understand and speak Welsh, and because thereās a whole culture (music, books, etc) that will open up the better my Welsh becomes. So far, SSiW has been doing wonders! 
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ā¦because Iām fairly certain my family spoke it before they left Sir Benfro almost three hundred years ago, and I wanted to revive the practice. My hope is that others will wish to learn as well, and Iām trying to teach my granddaughter. Sheās not quite three, and is very vocal.
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ā¦ because my wifeās first language is Welsh. My son aged 9 and daughter aged 5 first languages are Welsh.
Welsh is the first language on the in-laws farm in beautiful West Wales.
Welsh is even the first language of my house, of which I speak on a daily basis to my kids (but not my wife). Iāve pretty much learnt with them, but started falling behind to the point where my five year old says when I speak to my wife in English āpaid siarad Saesneg, Dadā.
So I need to buck up my ideas and start learning properly, because I have no excuse now.
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Loving Cannabis Cafe.
Reminds me of Ween when they do folk music.
Damn my leaky eyes!
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Diolch yn fawr, fy ffrind. Dw iān mwynhau canu hwnna hefyd.
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