[Closed] What the hell is it with The Welsh?

"But I think Wales is the best part of the UK... I live in Glasgow at the moment" Compared to bits of Glasgow anywhere is a better bit of the uk, although the house market turnover rate is very good in glasgow due to all the premature drinking/smoking related deaths

Cwmystwyth

I suppose you're not wrong tazzy... that might explain it eh!

Bwlch

[[i]cliche alert[/i]]

Some of my best friends are Welsh (well, one of them anyway), and although [i]dw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg[/i] myself, I do try to respect them and their heritage by pronouncing Welsh placenames and hillnames correctly.

But whenever I pass the takeaway in Bala advertising [i]Byrgyrs, Cebabau, Pitsas[/i], and the ATS in Mach offering [i]Teiars, Batris, Egsosts, Siocs[/i], I do wish they could come up with something completely different, rather than just changing a few letters so it sounds the same but is "spelt Welsh"!!! 😉

(And yes, I know they're all valid Welsh words, or at least [i]most[/i] of them appear in my Oxford Modern Welsh Dictionary).

that's interesting Tony, i've been wondering about this for a while now,

no language is imune from imported words (there are no english words for orange, bungalow, or pyjamas), and it seems that welsh is mainly importing 'english' words.

how long before welsh becomes more like an english dialect with phonetic spelling, than a distinct language?

nuthin personal, just askin,

anyway, noswaith da!

etc.

What's the English for kebab or pizza?

How can anyone who speak one of the most bastardised languages in the world criticise another nation for importing foreign words into their language?

Cae di geg!

😉

One of the best place names is Ffroncysyllte. Quite literally it could be translated as Bra.

😀

So what about the village on the borders - 'Pant'?

dim "Cae di geg" ond "cae dy geg" neu "cae di dy geg", rwyn meddwyl?

Cae di geg!

Had to email my wife from work to ask her to translate that!

😳

Welsh is great, everyone hates the

Byrgyrs, Cebabau, Pitsas

... Microwave oven, not easy in welsh, oven is popty, so microwave oven becomes [b][i]popty ping[/i][/b]

I think the Welsh flag is great.
The Union flag is mess of home nations flags all being overpowered by the St georges cross,(accidental symbolism, perhaps?)
Wales, not being considered important enough to be represented, outdo's all the other flags with the best design ever, and one that tells the story of its nations symbol, The red celtic dragon.
The only really bad thing about Wales is its idiot prince 🙄

How can anyone who speak one of the most bastardised languages in the world criticise another nation for importing foreign words into their language?

but some new welsh words are inspired...

... Microwave oven, not easy in welsh, oven is popty, so microwave oven becomes [b]popty ping[/b]

Crempog

No worries, tony.

I'm being a hypocrite anyway as I can barely speak a word of the language despite being born here and living here for 3/4s of my life.

My wife pretends to speak Welsh, but doesn't seem to understand when I speak to her in my pidgin Welsh.

a friend of mine moved to the Outer Hebrides a while back, so I've also got the delights of Scots Gaelic to enjoy.

I read somewhere that whisky and galore (from the book) were the only two words from Scots gaelic to make it into English. I've always wondered whether that is correct?

Hwlffordd is known as Haverfordwest in english, cos Hwlffordd and Hereford were both destinations for cattle traders and used to get mixed up,so the english added West to the end to differentiate them.

(It translates as river crossing of the goats)

One for hairychested "twll dyn bob sais" 😯

doctormickriviera.........I'm not an arsehole,i won't bugger off!

This Welsh...............its all Double Dutch to me......

Surely the English for pyjamas is jim-jams? And orange is Fanta.

FOCHRIW

I lived in Ynysybwl when I was a student.

Heol-y-Mynach in old Bwl.

Happy Days!

Dwim yn dallt be ddiawl syn bod ar y penna defaid yma.
Bechod ar y ffycars dwl.
Im byd gwell i neud man siwr felly ma nwn licio meddwl fod nwn ddiawl o fois.
Sw ni wth ym modd yn gwrando arno nwn siarad fel hyn mewn ty tafarn yng nghymru.
Sa nwn codi dannadd i fynnu ar y ffor allan.

I believe that Welsh is the only language to have their own spelling for taxi, I have certainly seen cabs in places where Chinese, Arabic, Greek, Finnish are the main language with TAXI on the roof.

Just because we have far superior riding to you, and you don't even get to ride the good stuff cause we chose not to show it to you lot... 🙂

Don't go taking the mick out the language, mind you been living here all my life cant speak a word of it 🙂

rhys - Member

dim "Cae di geg" ond "cae dy geg" neu "cae di dy geg", rwyn meddwyl?

To be perfectly honest, that's the first time I've ever had to write it out - it usually gets understood when hurled at chavs in Bangor, followed by that famous Caernarfon greeting 'cont' for good measure if required!

And sadly my welsh is nowhere near good enough to understand what Iolo's on about, but I do note with interest that it has something to do with sheep! 😉

(dafaid = sheep)

http://www.rhegiadur.com/dangos_rheg.php?id=94

Well, being in Bangor-aye, and said with meaning, they definitely understand my intended definition of the word 'cont'

I like it [url= http://www.rhegiadur.com/dangos_rheg.php?id=1061 ]this...[/url]

my apologies idlejon, it seems you missed my point entirely and went straight to offended and or angry.

you are right of course, english is a total mongrel of a language - perhaps more so than any other. it has absorbed words from languages from all over the world.

english is absorbing french words, french is absorbing english words. the process is slow, but it is happening, how long before they meet somewhere in the middle?

(or dutch, or spanish, or etc.)

why is is so offensive to suggest that a similar process is happening with english / welsh?

(i've 1 welsh granny - does that count?)

Wenglish is spoken a lot in the valleys, "da iawn tidy" being a great example.

To tony_m,

I think part of the reason for the welshicised spellings is the simple fact that some of the letters in the English or international spelling of the words just don't exist in the Welsh alphabet, for example kebab, pizza, exhausts and shocks.

I believe that Welsh is the only language to have their own spelling for taxi

Nah, a lot of places spell it TAKSI. Well, Macedonia does at least....

Up in the north it's scwelsh - Scouse Welsh...

Lots of flem involved, with a bit of 'ai' thrown in somewhere, and usually a 'yeah' to end the sentence, no matter what the context of the sentence, cf:

"No, don't do that, yeah!"

http://www.taffwars.com/videos_taffwars.php#episode3

ahwiles - Member
my apologies idlejon, it seems you missed my point entirely and went straight to offended and or angry.

I wasn't replying to your post ahwiles, so no need for apology.

(i've 1 welsh granny - does that count?)

No it doesn't. 😆

whisky and galore (from the book) were the only two words from Scots gaelic to make it into English

What about "Brogue" (shoe) and "Is ma sin" (smashing)?

TheChunk - Member
To tony_m,

I think part of the reason for the welshicised spellings is the simple fact that some of the letters in the English or international spelling of the words just don't exist in the Welsh alphabet, for example kebab, pizza, exhausts and shocks.

Darn good point, I suppose the lack of k, x and z amongst others would be a bit of a hindrance. Thanks for reminding me, TheChunk - just goes to show, you can learn something new every day. 🙂

Hey Zokes, dwi'n gofi fy hyn cont. (usually followed by a three. Second gurgling sniff and a wipe of the nose with my sleeve! )Quality

Ynysybwl

Easy to pronounce once you know a couple of simple sounds.

On the other hand, I give you:

Worcester
Gloucester
(compared with say, Cirencester)
Leominster
Oswaldtwistle
Mousehole

And to be honest, about 70% of the place names in England. Just ask an American (preferably a clever one; if you ask a stupid one you'll get ridicule similar to that handed out by the English to the Welsh).

English place name pronunciation is WAY WAY more stupid than Welsh - FACT.

I moved out here a year ago and I love it.
Great riding and scenery,cheap beer and friendly people.

English place names....
Back in Milton Keynes 3 parts of town
Woughton
Loughton
Broughton

All pronounced differently with an "oof" an "ow" and an "or"

Easier down here I think

Heh Molgrips Ynysybwl is my hometown...riding better than any of the English towns listed too!

What about all the annoying english people at afan, who pronounce it "A-fan" rather than the correct "a-van"