I keep getting ideas for bad Welsh-related puns and slogans and thinking “I should get that put on a T-shirt” or something. In which spirit I was looking at a site that did print-your-own badges to order, when an actual serious idea occurred to me.
I’ve seen mention on a couple of old threads (Learner Badge and Welsh learner badge) of badges for Welsh learners, but all seeming to say that the things were available free, but only through Menter yr Iaith, or weren’t available outside Wales, or weren’t available any more; but also with some people saying that they had found them to work quite well.
What I was wondering about was the idea of having just a round metal pin of the cheap-as-chips-when-done-in-bulk kind that indy bands give out at gigs etc., with a red capital D on a white ground & probably nothing else at all – so it’s basically just an L-plate badge. (I’m thinking of how iconic and immediately recognisable the L-plate is in English, à la humorous hen parties etc.) Would people wear it? (I know that at some point people are going to want to describe themselves as speakers, rather than learners.) Would people recognise it? Would it work? Is it an idea worth trying, or just a bit silly? (Or should I just order myself a very small batch without the economies of scale and report back…?)
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I may not get out much and that in Yr Alban, but I’d wear it! I might need another with a dragon by way of explanation!
When I first started learning, I made myself a badge (a laminated paper circle with a safety pin stuck on the back!) of a dragon holding a ‘D’ sign. I’ve still got it somewhere (I was going to take a pic and post it) but have looked for it this morning and can’t remember which box/drawer/suitcase of ‘miscellaneous keepsakes’ I put it in 
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I still have one that I’ve posted here before - I got it years ago when they were available from some part of Welsh establishment. It is the orange speech bubble (or comma) with “Dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg” written around the outside edge.
i’d love something like that too. had a bizarre experience in my local library where i was speaking welsh to the librarian, and she kept speaking english back…so both of us were speaking to each other in our second languages! a badge might have helped…
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The only trouble for me, with that, is that it makes me think of a Dunce’s cap. Which, now I come to think of it, was a not entirely dissimilar form of humiliation to the Welsh not…
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Well, yes - that did cross my mind as a possible disadvantage. I had the thought of making it as simple & clean (& copyright -free) as possible, but perhaps some kind of square around the D might make it more clearly a D-plate & not a dunce-cap.
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Yeah, I’ve had that happen in other languages, too, but I think it kind of goes to the heart of something to do with learning, speaking, and promoting a minority language (taken at the level of the UK as a whole, although admittedly a majority language still in some areas).
If I’m speaking to someone in France in French, there’s a good chance my French is better than their English: sometimes they’ll persevere with trying to ‘help’ me in English, and if it’s clear to me that my French is better I’ll stick to French anyway, so we can wind up each speaking our second language.
But that’s just not going to be the case with Welsh, unless your Welsh is pretty bloomin’ awesome (in which case llongyfarchiadau!): speaking English is always an option, often the easier option – hence the need for bwtcamp – although persevering in Welsh with learners may yield longer-term benefits for everyone. And this is something that interests me, as a problem in trying to guarantee the future health of minority languages: speaking French in France is basically never a choice, whereas speaking Welsh in Wales essentially always is.
Unless – just possibly – the whole population of France does actually speak perfect English, and they just switch to French to be difficult whenever you go into the auberge. Maybe I’m onto something…
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So maybe something like this:
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Have you seen these ones about? Your local Menter Iaith should have a stock of them (if you’re in Wales).
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I’d certainly happily wear that @sarapeacock, and it has the advantage that non-Welsh speakers will at least not keep asking what ‘D’ means!! Mind, I am very unlkely to need one as my chances of coming back to Wales are very low! Just out of interest, it is possible for people outside Wales to order on line or by post?
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I don’t think so - there’s no online order form like there is for the orange speech bubbles.
I’m not in Wales, and haven’t seen any I can order, which is why I was thinking about some kind of easily-recognised home-brewed alternative. If there’s a way of obtaining an official one with existing brand-recognition, even in the wilds of Lloegr, I might just do that.
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I’ll see what I can do to find out and post back here.
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Online shop, The Welsh gift shop, has some on sale at £1 each, plus p&p.
They are red background with white writing and say “dysgu Cymraeg” on them.
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Thank you @Darthcider and @siaronjames, although if @Deborah-SSi can investigate that’ll be great. I think I now know how I’m dressing for the SSiW Party…
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Right, so that’s one person I’m going to recognise then 
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