The Welsh Government want your opinion

I think that’s an excellent idea, but I cannot imagine it ever happening! I have a bee in my bonnet about history teaching everywhere. If we don’t learn about past mistakes we’ll never learn from them and I don’t see much sign of kids learning history nowadays, their own, much less anyone else’s!

Almost certainly also needed and more practicable, as I think the curriculum is a matter for the Senedd!

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The Welsh people are so polite and very kind

As a Welshman, I appreciate your positive view of my compatriots and your own ancestors - diolch yn fawr. :smile: However, as a Welshman. I wish your generalisation were true. Having spent roughly equal periods of my life in Scotland, England and Wales, I have found that it is no more true for us than it is for our neighbours. Happily it is still possible to find polite and kind people throughout the UK/Europe/World.

I’m not sure I recognise your view of Welsh History. My own favourite source (written I believe without any particular agenda) is “History of Wales” by John Davies.

I share your pride in our Welsh heritage. :smile:

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It’s not just Welsh this happens in – maybe it’s a general thing with minority languages.

Me, in the tourist office in La Seu d’Urgell [in Catalan]: Excuse me, do you have a local map?
Tourist office employee [in Castilian/Spanish]: I’m sorry, sir, what was it you wanted?
Me [in Catalan]: I’m sorry, I don’t speak Castilian. (I genuinely didn’t, at the time.)
TOE [now in Catalan]: Oh, I’m sorry, what language do you speak?
Me [still in Catalan but a bit boggled]: Uh, Catalan…

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I’ve just finished reading “History of Wales” myself. A good factual and interesting book

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Actually I’ve decided to use this as a ploy in reverse now. When someone speaks English to me I just act as if I haven’t noticed and I carry on in Welsh. I did it today in a supermarket. It was obvious the other person understood what I was saying but they answered in English. We exchanged 4 or 5 sentences, me in Welsh and her in English, then I said “Ta ra” and off I went.

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I do that a lot! Especially with strangers.

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I’m currently in Swansea waiting for M’s car to be serviced. I haven’t visited much since the post war dereliction in the 50s with my Llangadog tadcu. I rememrber his speaking nothing but Welsh in the wholesaler (J T Morgan ??) and the market and all the shops we went to. Sadly, I’ve tried Welsh first today but with very little success. :disappointed:

We’ve got work to do, cyfeillion!

I had been trying to describe the loss. When I was on Gower, Welsh had pretty much gone from Swansea while still alive and well in Llanelli and Sir Gar generally, but, I gather, in the 17+ years since I moved up here, it is much less spoken even there!

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A Glimmer of hope

At the end of a dispiriting day in Abertawe, I struck up a conversation in English with the young service receptionist in the garage i was visiting about the current use of Welsh in Swansea. She told me that she had attended a Welsh school in Ystalyfera but that she had “lost” her Welsh completely. So in a friendly way (I hope) I said to her in Welsh “What if I spoke to you in Welsh now?” She replied without hesitation in what sounded to me to be perfect Welsh “I can speak Welsh and understand it”. We then had a very decent 5 minute Welsh conversation. It rounded off my day perfectly and softened the blow of the enormous bill. :smile:

It planted an idea which I’m going to copy to one of the “Million Speaker” ideas threads. Perhaps we should have an “Unlock your inner Welsh” badge or motto or T shirt or campaign. :smiley:

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I likethe “unlock your inner welsh” as a theme for gamifications / intrigue ideas which currently seem to be bubbling up on the Tricider

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