Social housing

[Fester]

I am unsure of the percentage (or absolute number) of Welsh people who speak both English and Welsh.

However, I believe that that the percentage of English people who speak a decent degree of another language will be a similar number.

[Yorkie]

Extract from an Observer article:

One thing is clear: the UK has a shameful record on foreign languages and there has been a dramatic fall in the numbers studying them. A report concluded that the subjects were fast becoming the preserve of the middle classes. Nearly a third of schools had less than 25 per cent of pupils studying a foreign language after 14, the study by the National Centre for Languages (CiLT) found. The poorest teenagers were least likely to be learning a language, it added. The figures raised fears that a generation of monolingual youngsters would struggle to compete in a global job market. Out of the 25 European Union countries the UK only beats Hungary in the proportion of its citizens able to have a conversation in a second language. A study by the European Commission showed that 30 per cent of people in the UK were able to do this, compared to 91 per cent in the Netherlands, 88 per cent in Denmark, 62 per cent in Germany and 45 per cent in France.

[Yorkie]

Official Statistics on the Welsh Language.

http://www.clickonwales.org/wp-content/uploads/5_Factfile_Language.pdf

[DaveR]

Some years ago I came down from Scotland to buy some equipment that had been in use on the construction of Dinorwig Power Station.  I had my engineer with me, who was a Welshman, but who had developed a slight Scottish accent.  We went out for a pub meal and in the bar as we walked in English was being spoken, that is until after we had started our conversation, when it immediately switched to Welsh.    The group spent the next half hour denigrating the British, or English.  How do I know? - My engineer spoke fluent Welsh - and as we left he gave a mouthful of advice to the group and even managed to elicit an apology from them on my behalf.   This is not the only experience of such bad manners that I, and no doubt others, have experienced.

I presume you are a Welsh speaker and such an action would probably go unnoticed.

And how many years ago was that?! 30 years ago, maybe?

I speak English and, as you'd know if you had ever met me, don't have an accent, so would easily pass for being English.  Anyone who looks at my photos will know I travel all over North Wales regularly, and visit shops, bars, cafes very frequently. Yet I've never encountered anything like you mention....

The analogy with France is perfectly valid - in many towns and villages in North Wales you will not hear English spoken in daily life. Just take a trip up to Llanrwst or along the coast to Caernarfon and have a walk around.

[Nemesis]

Going back more than 40 years when we first came to Wales as holiday makers we stayed on a farm above Llanrwst. The farmer, his wife and family, all Welsh speakers, went out of their way to make us welcome, we were accepted and encouraged to try a smattering of Welsh words. This carried on for many years, in fact we still have contact with them now, but one night we all went to the local pub together. Her Mum looked after her kiddies and ours, so we all went. Naturally it was full of Welshmen, but we were included in a very strange conversation which was conducted in Welsh and English. As we left they all stood up and sang " We'll keep a Welcome in the Hillsides". I'll never forget that. It still brings a lump to my throat.

[Yorkie]

I remember during the late 70's when we previously lived in Rhos-on-Sea we used to go to the Stag in Llangerniew with a group of friends for a meal, and on certain evenings there would be some excellent Welsh singing.   We all liked listening to it even though most of us didn't understand a word.  It may still happen - must make a note to visit again.