Reclaiming Welsh, un word at a time
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| 08:45 UK time, Monday, 23 October 2006
There was a repeat to the brilliant on S4C last night. For those who didn't watch it, it was a fascinating TV series in which poet Ifor ap Glyn toured Wales and, as the Welsh title of the programme says, he did 'everything in Welsh'.
It wasn't snooty, it wasn't negative towards the non-Welsh speaking members of the public - it was showing how people could communicate and explain themselves in Welsh and how they COULD be understood by those who, on the face of it, thought 'they' could not speak or understand Welsh.
Last night, he recruited Welsh-speaking volunteers to go out on the streets of Aberystwyth with one simple task in mind - to approach strangers and speak to them or communicate with them in Welsh only.
All the volunteers were surprised how well they got on and all said they would now start their conversations with strangers in Welsh rather than English.
For me as a Welsh learner who has made Wales his home, the most striking aspect in the programme was that some of the Welsh speaking volunteers felt uncomfortable speaking Welsh first with strangers in their own country. Why should they feel like that?
Ifor reckons the Welsh language can be reclaimed and used more in Wales - even if it is one word at a time. Here's three - wnai trio mwy [I will try more]!
