Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere!



Go Back   Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere! > Research > Family History General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 23-10-21, 07:00
Kit's Avatar
Kit Kit is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,716
Default How common is it to speak Welsh?

If you were born and raised in Wales are you likely to be taught both English and Welsh?

I was just looking at a 1911 census and Mum, Dad and son were all born and lived in Wales but only Mum was able to speak both languages. I've not really bothered with that question before but it has me curious now.
__________________
Toni
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 23-10-21, 08:33
Phoenix's Avatar
Phoenix Phoenix is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,617
Default

I suspect it depends on where in Wales. Newport, Cardiff, Swansea etc would have a huge inward migration in search of jobs. Deep in the countryside you might have little contact with English speakers.

There is the old joke that if any Englishman entered a shop, the gossiping natives would instantly switch to Welsh, even if they were perfectly capable of understanding what he said.
__________________
The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 23-10-21, 08:47
Merry's Avatar
Merry Merry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Near Christchurch, Dorset
Posts: 21,264
Default

I'm not an expert, but I think you need to consider where in Wales the family were from.

I had a friend, b 1938, who was born in Denbighshire (right at the north of Wales) and she didn't speak a word of English until she was sent to a boarding school in England when she was aged 8. Speaking only Welsh was normal for v North Wales at the time. Interestingly, to my ear, people from N Wales have far less Welsh accent than those from the south, but I should probably say they have a different Welsh accent which is less obvious to people from outside Wales!

In general the further down the country you came the fewer Welsh speakers there were. These days Welsh is taught in Welsh schools which means more people have some degree of knowledge of the language than a generation or two ago. There's a campaign to reach 1m Welsh speakers and the population is 3.25m. Of course this is a completely different thing to having no English as was the case in some regions not that long ago.
__________________
Merry

"Something has been filled in that I didn't know was blank" Matthew Broderick WDYTYA? March 2010
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 23-10-21, 09:06
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is online now
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 9,275
Default

In the 1891 Census for Carew, Pembrokeshire, there are the ancestors of my son-in-law. Everyone on the page spoke English and only one person spoke both languages and she was the oldest, but under 60.


In the 1970s a married couple I knew went to Wales as the husband was offered a very good job near Cardiff. His wife was a Domestic Science teacher but she was unable to get a teaching job as they were prioritising Welsh speakers. Her maiden name was Jones and her father was Welsh.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 23-10-21, 10:03
maggie_4_7
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

It would make a difference which area of Wales they were born and lived in.

Welsh speaking until early 20th century was positively discouraged by the government and the teaching of it in schools not allowed until about mid 20th Century they went completely the other way which I think had something to do with the rise of the Welsh Independent groups. There was even some violence.

However I would expect that it was the first language in some areas and in homes and they would have learnt it from living with large family groups through generations which carried on through the 20th century.

My boss who was younger than me spoke fluent Welsh but its because that's all they spoke in their home. She didn't learn it at school. When I went on a conference road tour with her that included a lot of Wales it fascinated me how she just naturally switched to Welsh as we crossed the Severn Bridge when speaking to her family on the mobile, although when I went for dinner they all spoke English when I was there.

I may have got my timings above wrong but maybe Guinevere can advise on this.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 23-10-21, 14:20
Merry's Avatar
Merry Merry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Near Christchurch, Dorset
Posts: 21,264
Default

The Q about language was asked on the Welsh census 1891-1911. There's some stats and other info here:

https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/EW1911GEN/10
__________________
Merry

"Something has been filled in that I didn't know was blank" Matthew Broderick WDYTYA? March 2010
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 23-10-21, 15:25
vita vita is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,014
Default

I went to school in Wales in the late 1950s/early 6os & Welsh lessons were compulsory.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:32.


Hosted by Photon IT

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7 PL3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.