Lost in translation

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... there must be more pressing matters that sprucing up some road signs to cater for a language which is barely used. Therefore the words of someone more switched on with reality than you might think.

If you went to Wales, you could establish for yourself that this is just not true. Welsh is widely spoken and to such an extent that they have their own Welsh-speaking TV channel.

Switched on people establish their facts before posting...;)
 
If you went to Wales, you could establish for yourself that this is just not true. Welsh is widely spoken and to such an extent that they have their own Welsh-speaking TV channel.

Switched on people establish their facts before posting...;)

We have Gaelic on our TV up here, still haven't met anyone (or heard it spoken) other than on the TV. Still out train stations are littered with these silly signs. Even on a visit to the Isle of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh I never heard it spoken. Even in Ullapool and Loch Inver (v.far north) it wasn't spoken.

I believe MS500 is based in Swansea. May be wrong though but guess he probably hasn't heard much welsh being spoken - hence his reaction.

Anyway, what makes you think I haven't been to Wales. Do you know this for a fact ;)
 
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I am British, not Scottish.

How times have changed! Not intending to have a dig, but when I lived in Glasgow (95-97) most of my weejee jock mates never tired of abusing my insipid englishness - according to them you had to be a proper dark haired, pasty celt to have a handle on the world, a soul even! Apart from being scottish, these were perfectly normal people.. They would rather have been called an Edinburgh socialite than a British citizen.. :D

Funny old game. Did enjoy Burns night though and still celebrate it now (I met Mrs B in Glasgow and despite that have many happy memories of the place).;)

Ade
 
How times have changed! Not intending to have a dig, but when I lived in Glasgow (95-97) most of my weejee jock mates never tired of abusing my insipid englishness - according to them you had to be a proper dark haired, pasty celt to have a handle on the world, a soul even! Apart from being scottish, these were perfectly normal people.. They would rather have been called an Edinburgh socialite than a British citizen.. :D

Funny old game. Did enjoy Burns night though and still celebrate it now (I met Mrs B in Glasgow and despite that have many happy memories of the place).;)

Ade

I am in a minority and that mindset is still the norm. I still like Haggis and burns night is an excellent excuse to eat it.

I don't want to offend people, but to be a true "gers" fan you've actually got to be a unionist, hence the blue, white and red shirts. The rival team celtic play in green and white, Irish colours. Thats the sectarian divide.
 
A certain amount of money is allocated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the British government to whom all pay taxes. Every English county also receives a certain amount of money from the same source. This money is used to provide services they are obliged to provide for their residents as well as other services. For example, some areas may choose to provide better sports facilities than others.

The Welsh Assembly chose to spend a small percentage of their allocation in providing bilingual road signs. They could have chosen to spend this money on something else, but they had a duty and a wish to support and encourage the language of their country.

The point is that regardless of where their money was spent it makes no difference to the amount allocated. So if there were no bilingual signs everyones taxes would remain the same. So if anyone has a right to complain it is the people living in Wales and nobody else. So rest assured you English ( and Scots) moaners that you are not paying any more tax out of your hard earned income.

If a moan about taxes is what this is all about look at the £billions spent on supporting banks that gambled our money away while awarding themselves £millions for doing so. You accuse Wales of wasting pennies while England wastes £billions.
 
I am in a minority and that mindset is still the norm. I still like Haggis and burns night is an excellent excuse to eat it.

I don't want to offend people, but to be a true "gers" fan you've actually got to be a unionist, hence the blue, white and red shirts. The rival team celtic play in green and white, Irish colours. Thats the sectarian divide.

I think a lot of my friends were Celtic fans.. explains a few things.

We always have haggis on Burns night, despite being English and Indonesian. We've also got a West Highland White terrier - does this make me an honorary scot (although I'm 1/4 Welsh, 1/8 Lithuanian and mainly from Stoke..)


Ade
 
A certain amount of money is allocated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the British government to whom all pay taxes. Every English county also receives a certain amount of money from the same source. This money is used to provide services they are obliged to provide for their residents as well as other services. For example, some areas may choose to provide better sports facilities than others.

The Welsh Assembly chose to spend a small percentage of their allocation in providing bilingual road signs. They could have chosen to spend this money on something else, but they had a duty and a wish to support and encourage the language of their country.

Its not really a country, Britain is the country. I can't help but think the Welsh assembly could have spent the money in better ways. Are their roads completely without pot holes etc....

If a moan about taxes is what this is all about look at the £billions spent on supporting banks that gambled our money away while awarding themselves £millions for doing so. You accuse Wales of wasting pennies while England wastes £billions.

Wrong, Britain is wasting its money, not England. We're a United Kindgom. One country.

Anyway, much as I champion scotland (as a part of the Uk) aren't HBOS and RBS based in Edinburgh, i.e. using your logic Scottish institutions of a frankly dior financial dipsosition. Therefore "England" has come to the rescue of Scotland -going by the logic that the bulk of the British popluation is based in England (roughly >80% of it).
 
I think a lot of my friends were Celtic fans.. explains a few things.

It does ;) Be careful with that pepsi bezel rolex, rangers colours :D;)

We always have haggis on Burns night, despite being English and Indonesian. We've also got a West Highland White terrier - does this make me an honorary scot (although I'm 1/4 Welsh, 1/8 Lithuanian and mainly from Stoke..)


Ade

If you like your drink and like having a good time then you probably are.
 
Hurry up and get better Glojo and bring a sense of reason and common sense to this thread. Too many bigoted and uninformed posts are making it a more and more unpleasant read, which add nothing constructive to the subject under discussion.
 
Hurry up and get better Glojo and bring a sense of reason and common sense to this thread. Too many bigoted and uninformed posts are making it a more and more unpleasant read, which add nothing constructive to the subject under discussion.

How is it unpleasant and bigoted. ? I do wish John well though.

Can you not bring anything constructive to the points I raised in my last post?

Actually I resent being called bigoted, unpleasent etc by Oldcro. I find it bordering on offensive considering I raised a point to his post that "England Wastes billions" when I mentioned that a lot of this is spent bailing out "Scottish Institutions". Does the truth hurt?
 
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To Glojo

Hurry up and get better Glojo and bring a sense of reason and common sense to this thread. Too many bigoted and uninformed posts are making it a more and more unpleasant read, and add nothing constructive to the subject under discussion.

Hope you're feeling better and not suffering too much.

Kindest regards.

oldcro (John)
 
I believe MS500 is based in Swansea. May be wrong though but guess he probably hasn't heard much welsh being spoken - hence his reaction.

Cardiff actually, at the moment, but your point still applies though. Anyone who thinks because it's the 'capital' it's going to be full of Welsh speakers are plainly wrong.

Some people, like oldcro, seem to think that Welsh is the everyday language within Wales, when actually Welsh speakers are the exception rather than the rule for the majority.
 
We have Gaelic on our TV up here, still haven't met anyone (or heard it spoken) other than on the TV. Still out train stations are littered with these silly signs. Even on a visit to the Isle of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh I never heard it spoken. Even in Ullapool and Loch Inver (v.far north) it wasn't spoken.

I think you'll find that Welsh *is* better used than Gaelic.

But i would guess that even with Welsh the effort made to provide Welsh language materials for Government is misplaced.

One noticeable difference between Scotland, Ireland, and Wales is that the national parties in the latter two use non-English names. In Scotland the SNP are named in English. That I think tells its own story.
 
Some people, like oldcro, seem to think that Welsh is the everyday language within Wales, when actually Welsh speakers are the exception rather than the rule for the majority.

Thanks for telling everyone what I seem to think. I thought everyone in Wales spoke Welsh all the time, silly me. Must try and visit Wales and see for myself one day.

Your knowledge of my life is truly frightening.
 
Cardiff actually, at the moment, but your point still applies though. Anyone who thinks because it's the 'capital' it's going to be full of Welsh speakers are plainly wrong.

Some people, like oldcro, seem to think that Welsh is the everyday language within Wales, when actually Welsh speakers are the exception rather than the rule for the majority.

MS500, Your knowledge of the extent of Welsh as an everyday language is obviously very extensive. From this I assume you have either lived in Wales all your life, or travelled extensively throughout Wales.

Could you recommend some areas or villages where Welsh is frequently heard as I would like to visit and hear the language spoken. I plan to drive from North to South Wales so your local knowledge will assist my route planning. Do you speak any Welsh yourself by the way?
 
MS500, Your knowledge of the extent of Welsh as an everyday language is obviously very extensive. From this I assume you have either lived in Wales all your life, or travelled extensively throughout Wales.

Could you recommend some areas or villages where Welsh is frequently heard as I would like to visit and hear the language spoken. I plan to drive from North to South Wales so your local knowledge will assist my route planning. Do you speak any Welsh yourself by the way?

No, why would I speak Welsh? I thought I'd made my disdain for it quite clear.

My knowledge is mainly confined to Cardiff and Newport, I've never been to North Wales.
 
No, why would I speak Welsh? I thought I'd made my disdain for it quite clear.

My knowledge is mainly confined to Cardiff and Newport, I've never been to North Wales.

So you've been to Cardiff and Newport, hardly enough to make you an expert on the subject. Welsh is spoken by almost 600,00 people in Wales, which is about 20% of the population for whom it is their first and everyday language and the number is increasing yearly. Now 20% is a minority figure but does that mean they have no rights?

You commented on what I seemed to think about Welsh being spoken in Wales without a clue regarding my knowledge on the subject. I was born in Wales and lived there for twice as long as you've lived on this earth. I've also been to all areas from North to South Wales so do not tell me what I seem to think because I don't think it I know it, which is more than you can say.

I'll stop now before I breach forum rules.
 
We're all in Europe now. How would we feel if we were all told to speak French because it's the most spoken language in Europe, and that we should do away with this minority language called English?
 
We're all in Europe now. How would we feel if we were all told to speak French because it's the most spoken language in Europe, and that we should do away with this minority language called English?

C'est une suggestion magnifique! Pah! a les roastes beefes avec la language Anglais est les idees increable de l'importance de Grande Bretagne. Vive la France!

Phillippe.
 

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