Welsh Cycling no more….

From now on Welsh Cycling will be called “Beicio Cymru”

https://www.beiciocymru.org/2024/07/17/we-are-beicio-cymru/

“We are excited to announce that Welsh Cycling has rebranded to Beicio Cymru as part of our bold new strategy for 2024-2030”

It’s the same thing in a different language.

Its in their own language so good for them.

Yes – it means the same, but yn Gymraeg.  Interesting to see the drift in rebranding amongst organisations in Wales towards this though – 2 of the national parks, the museums and now what was Welsh Cycling, and I noticed when I rode past Sophia Gdns yesterday that the Hockey Wales logo is now just Hoci Cymru.

Also interesting is that this rebranding isn’t accompanied by bilingualism within the respective Hoci and Beicio organisations websites.

What’s the English for ‘bicycle’ :-)

Can the 70% of Welsh people who can’t speak Welsh stick with the old name?

Same goes for Snowdonia.

I’m cant see the point of this renaming. Not because I dont want Welsh speakers to talk in their language, but because I think it is devisive, and doesnt promote the future. Welsh is a dying language, even though more people speak it now than 20 years ago, it’s dead, apart from in a small Country (and a tiny village in South America). Why teach the children to learn a dying language, when it would be far better for their future to learn an upcoming language, maybe one of the Chinese dialects, or Spanish? That would do far more for their future than an insular language that can only be used locally.
As the post above alluded, the majority of Welsh do not want to learn or speak it, working in Ebbw Vale recently, the Locals were definitely against learning Welsh, and had quite a disdain for the people at the Senned, saying there are far more important things to be doing than teaching Welsh and changing road signs so that Welsh is at the top etc.
And the usual ’the language is our culture’, thats b****, language is constantly changing, the current English language wasnt as it is now 400 years ago,you dont hear the English saying ‘lets use our old language (French?)’ I’d presume Welsh is the same, like the majority of languages, lots of changes, trying to keep things in the past is not good, they should be looking forward, and use the most widely spoken language on the Planet, with a subtitle for the few who object to it not being in Welsh.

Cool. So how do you pronounce it?

I’m cant see the point of this renaming

*shouts to wife* “Bring us a brew and the biscuits, love.”

Cool. So how do you pronounce it?

Emphasis is on the last but one syllable in most Welsh words so bay-KEY-oh CUM-ree.

Welsh is a dying language, even though more people speak it now than 20 years ago, it’s dead

I mean the country is only so big, should all countries with populations of a similar size stop teaching their native language and just speak Chinese?

I suspect a lot of Welsh peoples future isn’t in international business (where Mandarin could be helpful). It’s probably working in Wales or England. I work in Wales and my inability to speak Welsh is a hindrance, because there are lots of people who speak Welsh as their first language and would like to continue to speak it. I’m fine with that and I’m learning Welsh.

Can the 70% of Welsh people who can’t speak Welsh stick with the old name?

“The figures are so unbelievably high that they are worthless in my view,” said Mr Jones, who has worked as a statistician for the Welsh Language Board and Welsh Language Commissioner.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65517558

My Welsh born MIL is the only person I know who could speak Welsh, my OH can’t beyond a hello/goodbye etc and her Dad never spoke the language (Welsh born and lived there most of his life.

My Welsh born MIL is the only person I know who could speak Welsh, my OH can’t beyond a hello/goodbye etc and her Dad never spoke the language (Welsh born and lived there most of his life.

It does depend massively on the area of Wales you are in, in my office it seems roughly 50/50 fluent Welsh speakers and non-fluent speakers.

The “Welsh county” in Wales – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_Fro_Gymraeg

I’m not sure whole Wales level thinking and policies are helpful. Neither is making generalisations about Welsh people as a whole.

In contrast to the title of the organisation, their website is almost exclusively written in English.  At least I couldn’t find a Welsh language option (only their strategy is available in Welsh).

Make of that what you will.

It does depend massively on the area of Wales you are in

Completely agree with this. I live near Oswestry (England) and you hear quite a lot of people speaking Welsh. Pop over Offa’s Dyke and the numbers increase even more so. I know people who specifically sent their kids to school in Wales so they would learn Welsh. Mid / North Wales is very Welsh.

Personally I think its a stupid marketing strategy. Welsh is very difficult to pronounce correctly so most people tend to be very wide of the mark.

Everything will end up having 2 names.

“Welsh is very difficult to pronounce correctly”

Its so easy to pronounce loads of pre school kids can do it easily every day!

“when it would be far better for their future to learn an upcoming language, maybe one of the Chinese dialects, or Spanish? That would do far more for their future than an insular language that can only be used locally”

Welsh kids already learn English at school – you want them to learn Spanish or Mandarin as well as Welsh and English?  – Trilingulism for the win!!

“The “Welsh county” in Wales – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_Fro_Gymraeg

I’m not sure whole Wales level thinking and policies are helpful. Neither is making generalisations about Welsh people as a whole.”

Y Fro Cymraeg as part of the 3 Wales Conceptual model  together with “Welsh Wales” and “British Wales” arguably still influence current day voting patterns.  That map is of proportions though – in terms of raw numbers there are probably nearly as many if not more *fluent welsh speakers in Cardiff as there are Carmarthenshire or Ceredigion.  Another aspect to this is popularity of Welsh medium education – with local authorities even in Monmouthshire opening Ysgols in response to parental.demand – for a “dying language” it seems to be an awfully popular thing for parents to demand.

*fluent is odd.  My south wales valleys mam was first language welsh, but she always claimed she wasn’t as she thought others would think less of her if she admitted it and I have spoken to others of my parents generation who say the same – the shame of the blue books still resonates down the generations

I mean the country is only so big, should all countries with populations of a similar size stop teaching their native language and just speak Chinese?

There was an Icelandic chap on the radio recently complaining that almost none of the mobile phone apps and hardly any websites are in Icelandic, they do almost everything in either English or Swedish. It’s not a uniquely Welsh problem.

My south wales valleys mam was first language welsh, but she always claimed she wasn’t as she thought others would think less of her if she admitted it and I have spoken to others of my parents generation who say the same – the shame of the blue books still resonates down the generations

My grandmother denied she could speak Welsh, though talked to herself in Welsh all day and the house bible was Welsh.

FunkyDunc
Free Member

Personally I think its a stupid marketing strategy. Welsh is very difficult to pronounce correctly

It’s not so much hard to pronounce, it’s more that everything’s mis-spelled. You want me to say Dalgethly? Cool, I’ll do that, but don’t write it Dolgellau then complain when I say Dolgellau. We’re not all elves.

it’s more that everything’s mis-spelled

Unlike English, every Welsh word is spelled exactly as pronounced.

Unlike English, every Welsh word is spelled exactly as pronounced.

I think you are confusing it with German which has phoenetic pronounciation.

I’m not. The phonetic sound (in Welsh) of each letter, one after another, produces the pronunciation of the word.

Welsh is very difficult to pronounce correctly

It’s not really, unlike English it’s a very consistent language so you don’t get confused learning how to pronounce cough, thought, though etc.. Using an app like duolingo can get you the basics of pronouncing words surprisingly quickly.

It’s not so much hard to pronounce, it’s more that everything’s mis-spelled.

It’s spelled correctly, just in a different language.