King George and Queen Mary:

[Richard Tarleton]

You can find yourself in odd situations in Wales. I have to go to quite a few meetings: one a couple of years ago was chaired by a Welsh Government civil servant who was English but a Welsh learner. He/she insisted on conducting the proceedings in Welsh even though 27 out of 30 people present were non-Welsh speakers, requiring the use of the simultaneous translation equipment and translator which had been laid on. Translation is a major employer, largely funded by the taxpayer.

Driving back along the M4 near Newport in driving rain recently I passed an illuminated sign in Welsh. 10 minutes later I passed what was evidently the English version - danger surface water or words to that effect. At a guess, 0% of the lorries heading for Ireland along the M4 would have been able to read the Welsh version.

[amateur51]

Maybe so and i'm not doubting you at all

this is a story that I have heard many times
it's always a shop
etc etc

the same thing happens to me in France

Sometimes the reverse process works well. For some reason I've recently encountered several families on the London Underground or in one of the museums chattering away in Welsh, looking for help and I've weighed in with my very creaky convo Welsh & they've been delighted to speak to me in English Lots of laughter and smiles

My old dad could understand Welsh but wasn't sufficientlty adept at conversation so you'd often discover a conversation going on, patient's side in Welsh, my dad's side in English, both sides happy.

My old dad was an optician - have I mentioned this before?

[Pianorak]

Don't quite follow that Pianorak, do you mean some Welsh people object to non-Welsh people learning Welsh? . . .

Yes, but it's a tiny, tiny minority.

[marthe]

This Welsh/English stuff is rather like the language wars in Belgium. You're better off speaking English if you're not sure about the local language (Dutch or French.) My cousins in Belgium are all tri-lingual (French, Dutch/Flemish, English), but primarily French-speaking. My uncle, who lived in Leuven/Louvain at the time, liked to tell the story of the American Mormon missionaries who came to visit the family. The visiting missionaries were ushered into the salon and began giving their presentation in rather stilted Flemish. To put them at their ease, my uncle suggested that they speak English as every one in the family knew English. The missionaries looked aghast and replied that they had to do their presentation in Flemish because they had memorized it in that language and didn't know the English version. Basically, they didn't really know what they were saying!

[salymap]

This Welsh/English stuff is rather like the language wars in Belgium. You're better off speaking English if you're not sure about the local language (Dutch or French.) My cousins in Belgium are all tri-lingual (French, Dutch/Flemish, English), but primarily French-speaking. My uncle, who lived in Leuven/Louvain at the time, liked to tell the story of the American Mormon missionaries who came to visit the family. The visiting missionaries were ushered into the salon and began giving their presentation in rather stilted Flemish. To put them at their ease, my uncle suggested that they speak English as every one in the family knew English. The missionaries looked aghast and replied that they had to do their presentation in Flemish because they had memorized it in that lan guage and didn't know the English version. Basically, they didn't really know what they were saying!

I met quite a lot of Belgians in Kent during the war when they were rescued from the Ostende area by the 'little ships'. After the war I stayed with my childhood friends back in Ostende and was amazed at their knowledge of French,Flemish and English. I was amused by their attitude to the French speakers on the beach, who, for some reason, they disliked. Their English was perfect too.

[Richard Tarleton]

marthe it was extremely polite of your cousins to let them in

[marthe]

Richard, I expect the maid let them in because the family were t'huis.

[Flosshilde]

[QUOTE=MrGongGong;118899]Maybe so and i'm not doubting you at all

QUOTE]

If you don't doubt me, why respond to my post with

"aaha its the Urban myth department again !!!! do you really think that people who are native Welsh speakers (and I know several ) would choose to speak in English and ONLY speak Welsh to conspire against the English person who has suddenly appeared in their shop ? " ? It sounds very much that you didn't believe me.