I want to be a Welsh speaker so I can attend Eisteddfoddau and festivals without feeling like an intruder.
Well, that is the ‘one sentence’ answer which I wrote down several weeks ago and have just been asked to post. The other answer would be ’ you don’t miss it until it is gone’ - having moved to Barry, where the language is seldom heard, I found myself feeling very excited when I did catch a few words of Cymraeg (mostly young mums talking to their children on the way home at 3:30 ish) and I think that was the final spur to sign up to SSIW.
(edit, in response to Challenge 15) What response do I hope for? - the answer is ‘none’ basically - I’d love it if people just accepted me as “someone who has learnt some Cymraeg”, and go ahead and speak to me .
I want to be a Welsh speaker because I’ve lived here for 33years wishing I could speak the language, having promised myself before moving that I would learn, but only recently found this way to do it. I will feel even more a part of Wales when I have the language.
I want to be a Welsh speaker because it’s the language of Wales, where I was born and lived 'til I was 18, and I would love to be able to understand Welsh programmes when I watch them. It would be a sense of pride to be able to speak Welsh.
I want to be a Welsh speaker because I have three children growing up in Wales; and I want to model the global norm of being multilingual; I also need an intellectual challenge while I stay at home with children for a few years
Because I recently moved to Wales, my mothers side of the family is Welsh, and I now work across Welsh speaking schools so wanted a few key phrases to use at my meetings…But I am on Challenge 10 now and I am discovering that not only can I learn a new language (like others I thought I didn’t have any talent for it) but that I also really love the musicality and richness of the words and phrases. Listening to Welsh and attempting to speak it (mostly in the car whilst listening to the challenges at the moment) makes me smile!
My children are in Welsh medium primary education and I want to be able to speak Welsh with them as well as understand the teachers when they speak in Welsh. Welsh language is important to the people I care about, so it is important to me. Also, I love it!
I’m learning welsh because all of my family are welsh but most the kids have little to no understanding of welsh. Me and my brother want to revive its use in the family and hopefully be able to talk to one another in welsh which is so exciting!!!
P.S. I live in Australia now and am sick of people asking whether I speak Welsh and having to respond no :’(
Thanks CaroleB - I like keeping promises - it would have made more sense if I’d learnt when I first moved, it was a Welsh-speaking area, now here in the middle of Wales I, sadly, hardly ever hear the language - I need to find someone to talk with
Brilliant - so difficult for a child to be learning Welsh when no parent speaks the language - there was no way I could help my son years ago unfortunately.
I want to learn Welsh because that’s the language my ancestors spoke. Also I want to be able to read (and understand!) the letters I’ve inherited that were written to family members who moved to the US in mid 19th c.
I appreciate and enjoy reading posts on this forum.
Diolch yn fawr.
- it would have made more sense if I’d learnt when I first moved, it was a Welsh-speaking area, now here in the middle of Wales I, sadly, hardly ever hear the language 
- I need to find someone to talk with 
