Page 13 of 19
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 05 Mar 2016, 17:35
by Rob Houghton
Very nationalistic!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 21 Jun 2016, 12:21
by Courtenay
I just encountered this story (originally posted on
Facebook) which is currently doing the rounds — it cracked me up:
The most perfect thing I have ever seen just happened on the replacement train bus service between Newport and Cwmbran:
White man sat in front of a mother and her son. Mother was wearing a niqab. After about 5 minutes of the mother talking to her son in another language the man, for whatever reason, feels the need to tell the woman "When you're in the UK you should really be speaking English."
At which point, an old woman in front of him turns around and says, "She's in Wales. And she's speaking Welsh."
Perfect.
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 21 Jun 2016, 12:28
by Rob Houghton
Love it!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 19 Aug 2016, 16:51
by Courtenay
Here's something else I ran across that may be of interest:
9 fascinating facts about the Welsh language
Re: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogog
Posted: 26 Aug 2016, 17:39
by Moonraker
The village was originally called Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll. The long name was invented to promote the village to tourists upon the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. A local cobbler came up with the name and didn't realise he had come up with one of the most successful tourist marketing plans of all time! It is known to locals as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair. P.G.
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 26 Aug 2016, 23:31
by Courtenay
I was aware of that too — its real name is technically still Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (or Llanfairpwllgwyngyll). But did you know the world's official longest place name is in New Zealand...
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
(And according to the Wikipedia link, there are even longer versions of it, too.
)
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 09:11
by Moonraker
Yes, I did!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 09:16
by Daisy
So did I... and I thought Watzisname's real name was hard enough to say!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 09:36
by Julie2owlsdene
How knowledgeable some of us are on here!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 10:21
by Courtenay
Daisy wrote:So did I... and I thought Watzisname's real name was hard enough to say!
Just as well Watzisname wasn't either Welsh or Maori!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 16:22
by Moonraker
Julie2owlsdene wrote:How knowledgeable some of us are on here!
Not really, I only saw it when I was researching Llanfair PG !
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 27 Aug 2016, 17:19
by Courtenay
As did I.
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 12 Sep 2016, 15:37
by Courtenay
Meanwhile, on a Channel 4 weather report last year...
Liam Dutton nails pronouncing Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
(Not with a very Welsh-sounding accent, but he certainly got it pretty well!)
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 14 Sep 2016, 21:37
by Anita Bensoussane
I just watched that clip with the subtitles on. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch came out as "plan by the cross-linking to go get cleaned Robert Francis to do go go go"!
Re: Learning Welsh (and Other Languages)
Posted: 14 Sep 2016, 21:43
by Courtenay
Oh dear, it does too... I wonder if the good residents of Llanfair PG are aware that that's what it
really means??