The Weird & Wonderful Welsh Language

Some things in life you either love or hate. And then there are some things which just make you go ‘Eh?’ ‘Really?’ 

The Welsh language is one of those things. 

Sometimes I think that even the Welsh don't really love their own language; I’ve spoken to many people there who freely acknowledge it’s absolutely mental. Who on Earth creates a language that has words without a single vowel in them? Or names that are impossible to read aloud, like Dwygyfylchi, Penrhyndeudraeth, or of course - Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. 

Any readers who haven’t come across the Welsh language before, that is genuinely the name of a town in Anglesey, though you’ll be forgiven if you say Llanfair PG.

There are even places like Dolgarrog, which sound like they could be straight out of Lord Of The Rings.

The only words I really know are those you see when you drive into Wales:

• Cymru - Wales
• Heddlu - Police
• Araf - Slow
• Llath - Yards

 Try saying that last one. Go on, I dare you. 

How do you pronounce it?

 If you’ve haven’t sprayed spit everywhere, you’re probably nowhere near saying it correctly. 

I’m told the trick for those double L’s is to place your tongue behind your teeth. I was trying this in a pub in Llanbedrog, and it wasn’t going well. I was certain I was doing it right, but the sound coming out of my mouth most definitely wasn’t what it should be.  

Turns out my tongue was just under my front teeth, rather than behind it. 

Apparently, you should also note that a Y’s in Welsh are not pronounced as an ‘ee’ as you might expect (such as in Spanish). But rather, they’re more of an ‘ehye’. I think…

I half got it. I’ll probably just stick with something simple like Araf. Although I might just about be able to handle Diolch - thank you. 

Rude or welcoming?

My Grandad hates the Welsh. That’s primarily because he thinks they hate him too. There’s a certain stereotype that the Welsh don’t like the English, for a wide variety of reasons, many of which are historical. I’m sure there are some who don’t like that the English are still invading their country, albeit in the tourist sense.  

There’s a feeling that they think of us English as unwelcome foreigners, and purposefully talk in Welsh behind our backs. 

But we didn’t feel like that, not in the slightest. Yes, there were quite a few people speaking Welsh, and yes, they instantly knew we were tourists from England. But pretty much every one of them was friendly. 

As you read above, in one pub, the landlord was even trying to teach us to speak Welsh.  

I think if you respect their language, and show that you’re actually interested in learning about their heritage, then they will all be welcoming and accommodating.

Keeping it alive 

Because why shouldn’t they care about their own history and culture? The Welsh have thousands of years of experiences, trials and tribulations to celebrate and remember, so why shouldn’t they value their own heritage and their own language. 

I think it’s great that they keep Welsh alive by insisting on it being written everywhere in public, and by teaching it in schools. 

Any kid that learns two differently languages at school is always going to be at an advantage in my books, even if they don’t end up using that language afterwards. 

So they should keep it up. It’s definitely a strange and eclectic language, but it’s also fascinating. 

Without Welsh, how would you pass the time driving to the coast trying to say those crazy town names? 

Got a favourite Welsh word? Be sure to jot it in the comments below here!