So, all those people who took WDA jobs & promised to speak Welsh - well, were contracted to learn Welsh......................what happened to them, then? Did they lie to get their jobs?
I've learnt welsh properly over the last year... not just because I like it but as you said it helps employment... and in a way that's good for Wales because welsh people are the most likely to learn it... so "local jobs for local people" kind of comes into play.
I was born in St Asaph in Wales but I don't consider myself a member of a Nation just like you don't feel English or Welsh.
@kindredravens well local jobs for local people onlyy really applies to people who ahve, like you, learned a language that you probably otherwise would have no cause to know. It also means natural born Welsh speakers will always be at an advantage so if a job relies on Welsh speaking then a West or North Wales native would have an advantage over most South wales people even if the job is in South Wales. Which seems a little skewed to me. Well done for learning it though.
This was an interesting video. I had no idea that Wales had their own language, I thought that they spoke English like most others in the U.K. I guess I should have paid more attention in geography!
It's fascinating that in 21st century Britain there are still native people who "don't speak English".
After all these centuries, and with all the technology, radio, tv, movies, internet, books and magazines, to be able to live one's whole life in Great Britain and to not know English is a bit amazing, when a billion people from all over the world know enough English to communicate regularly on the internet in English.
I am not sure there are Welsh people who don't speak any English at all any more (I think the last of those died out a few years ago) though there are certainly people to whom it is a second language!
els666again: "most older people at my end of wales dont speak english".
I guess my mind exaggerated the meaning of that sentence to believe they didn't speak any English, when it just meant that they don't usually speak English.
Still, it remains interesting even that there are people whose first language remains Welsh or Gaelic, in this modern age.
I agree, absolutely fascinating. It is sort of like those tribes in places all over the world who completely reject all forms of technological advances and choose to live as their people have for thousands of years. Sort of like a living museum.... if that makes any sense. I love it when old things are preserved.
Just looked over some of the comments on this page.... wow..... seriously.... didn't realize that people would be so up in arms about welshness. I'm part Welsh, among other things. I didn't realize there was a whole separate language. Once again, entertaining and educational Thanks.
@Eliseharris Depends where you go, maybe not in the south, but in the north, (north west especially), alot of people's first language is still welsh, and alot of people do actually speak welsh ! ;p
@droptheleash0 yes - I have met a few Welsh speakers who use it as their first language but even in North Wales I think they are in "pockets". Some areas have a high concentration of Welsh speakers, some have a few but very many more have none at all!
@Eliseharris yes that is true, definately concentrated in certain areas, with alot of areas having none, still.. about 94% of the children of school age on Ynys Mon (Angelsey) and Gwynedd speak welsh, with Ddinbych and Conwy also having a strong welsh speaking population...so a very significant proportion, but still, overall the majority is still english speaking only indeed. Sorry for the rant, diolch i wrando... hwyl fawr !
Hey all of you asswipes! Wales is MUCH OLDER than England and 1,000 years ago had THE most fair system of LAW especially concerning WOMEN in the history of Mankind!!! You English perverts have ALWAYS been jealous of WALES! And ALWAYS WILL BE!!!
I am Welsh - but I don't really have to justify myself to someone so insulting and disrespectful. If you want to be proud of your Welsh heritage then please realise you are not the only sort of Welsh person there is. I truly believe S4C is a good thing. The point is in most of Wales Welsh is not spoken - through many historical catastrophes - so it's a bit unfair to discriminate against people who have already been stripped of much of their heritage! If you speak Welsh you are blessed and lucky.
I can remember when Welsh language programmes where on HTV and BBC1 before 1982. I don't speak Welsh but my nain was a welsh speaker as where my cousins and other members of my family. I don't have a stereotypical "Welsh" language accent either, but then I'm from North East Wales.... where Rugby union is of little interest or relevance as well...BBC Wales!! wales is more than Rugby, coal,Cardiff/Swansea/Newport"the Valleys" and the Llyn peninsula. Wales is lots of things.Some good, some bad.
I dont get it whats the problem?? if s4c is so shit just dont watch it innit-havent you heard of digital and freeview and all that.There you can watch channel 4 and all the other English channels with their 'allowed' anti Welsh racism and wallow in the hate and blatant racism directed towards Wales and the Welsh....mmmmmm lovely
p.s -your not an alien-youve probably been made to feel weird by the English because of your non conformist mind and excellent Welsh imagination and open mindedness.
Yeah but Channel 4 was not available when I was growing up - you got S4C or nothing. There were only 4 channels back then and no alternative without satellite or cable - which were also not widely available.
I don't mind it existing but it should be as well as Channel 4. Suppose with Digital TV that should be less of a problem - I assume both are available now, anyway. And Channel 4 isn't what it was, unfortunately.
Oh this is tragic. Darling, if you're having an identity crisis read a self help book. And I realise Wales can be irritatingly provincial, but try to hold it in high regard.
i used to hate it in school when the teachers wouldnt let you speak english they were like SIARAD CYMRAEG! but i do like speaking welsh - lol - rydw i yn hoffi siarad cymraeg yn fawr iawn ond ddim just 24/7
joey, you are absolutely correct! Wales is HUNDREDS of years older than england!!!! If you want to get technical, We are THOUSANDS of years older than the english! We ARE the true Britons!
Well I worked in Ross on Wye for over a year up until April 2000 (and I lived about one street down from where Dennis Potter last lived - though he was gone by the time I moved there.)
Elise, you raise a very pertinent point that hadn't occured to me. The areas of Wales SUCCESSFULLY denuded of the native language are being made to suffer all over again by those who manage to retain the tongue!
There are various versions of being Welsh obviously, so let's not allow the lingui-fundamentalists to bulldoze the rest of us into the ditch of history.
"I can see why Welsh is a really good idea. At the moment you can't really get a job, in Media or Councils, unless you can speak Welsh".
Yes, that's a "really good idea" - excluding the majority of Welsh people from the important professions. I agree w/film-maker Karl Francis on this: a 2-tier society has been forged, where Welsh speakers form for themselves a version of the 'mafia of the mediocre'. Welsh language has become to be used as a kind of 'social fascism'. Painfully true!
Unfortunately true. I've had comments from Welsh speakers pointing out that "100 years ago people were prevented from learning Welsh... " etc, as though that justifies anything - if they are speaking Welsh in their every day lives clearly that didn't have an impact of them in the long term, whereas the people prevented from speaking Welsh and their decendants are still suffering from not having Welsh as language - so excluding them from vast swathes of Welsh society is a double whammy.
You will notice that in England people get very angry when immigrants fail to learn English. Similarly, people who live in Wales should have the common decency to learn Welsh.
How many of the important professions in England are open to people who speak no English?
Like it or not, Wales is a country and has its own language.
Ah yes, but most people in Wales don't speak Welsh. Hence most professional jobs are not even open to the majority of WELSH people, let alone English incomers. Imagine an English equivalent where, say, all top jobs in England were open only to those who knew Latin/Greek from their time at Boarding Shool.
I am Welsh, don't speak Welsh, and yet am barred from so many great jobs.
Actually, Welsh is the only Celtic language whose future seems secure, because Wales is prioritising it.
I am of Welsh ancestry and am learning Welsh because I consider it a disgrace not to speak the language of my ancestors. The English tried to kill the Welsh language and came dangerously close to succeeding. If you think of yourself as Welsh, learn the language. It's really a much more logical language than English.
"Of Welsh ancestry", eh? So are you living in Wales, or not? What I am referring to is life in Wales where the minority tongue is, as you so disarmingly state, 'prioritised'. The majority of us actually living in Wales do NOT speak Welsh. To bar the majority from so many important posts in the name of 'prioritising' the language is an outrage. I hope and believe my ancestral language flourishes, but using it as a means to forge a separate nation and culture is alienating and elitist.
I never said Welsh was "the equivalent of Latin"; didnt suggest it was a "dead language". I merely asked you to consider the Welsh situation replicated in England or elsewhere: people would not stand for it!
Also, the English made no concerted efforts to "kill Welsh"'. Historically incorrect!
I dont "think of" myself as, but I AM WELSH: never lived anywhere else, and have the ancestry too.
English is the more "logical language" as is more widely utilised.
They killed the last king of wales and took his baby daughter to a convent on the other side of London, she never got to hear her own native language.
Most jobs ARE open to Non-Welsh speakers. The majority may not speak Welsh, but seeing as our population is a third English, that's hardly surprising. If we removed the English Element, then more than a third of the country speaks Welsh.
Welsh IS an advantage in jobs, but it doesn't automatically qualify someone for a job (and neither does the lack of it bar you - unless it is ACTUALLY required).
If you feel discriminated against, you could always learn Welsh?
I really find people who hate the fact that welsh is mandatory very ignorant. I dunno why, but I always feel this rage inside of me. I find it a blessing that we get the chance. My mum or nan never had the chance.
Maybe it's because my great nan had to go through the 'Not' back in school. =/
This has to rank as THE most stupid and shallow video I've ever seen. Ever. 10 minutes of mindless dribble. Clearly you have lots of say but absolutely nothing of any substance. You might think that's harsh but it's a fair assessment.
You don't know anyone in south Wales who's 15th language is Welsh? Oh c'mon! Seriously, you should get out a bit more.
"I'm not very good at Welsh stuff..." yeah, you got that right.
I think being Welsh is more of if you consider yourself to be than just a place of birth. I was born in England and my parents are English/Irish, but i do feel Welsh.
I went on holiday there a lot as a child.
I think i have some Welsh ancestors somewhere. I'm teaching myself Welsh and i'm nearly fluent.
I know the Anthem off by heart, i speak with a bit of an accent, i wave the red dragon flag with my Welsh pride.
Am I Welsh, and if not, what can i do about it?!?
dreamybubble1, I guarantee that if you WISH to be Welsh, you have got to have the genes!!! Yes, dreamybubble1, YOU ARE WELSH!!!! If you werent, you would not have that fire!!! Thank you so much for that desire! You are PROOF that WE are a very special People!!! It is in your BLOOD! Look back into your family tree and I KNOW you wont be disappointed!
Beth ti'n sôn am gyda 15th language is welsh? Bollocks?.
I live in South Wales, in the Amman Valley (Carmarthenshire) 80% of the people round here speak welsh everyday??. It's not a north south thing. Its more of an East West thing. Carmarthenshire(South) Ceredigion(South.mid) Gwynedd(North) Anglesea(North) Northern Swansea nd northern pembroke (South) Southern powys, western glamorgan (South) Clwyd(North. Welsh is spoken in these places as the native language also western powys.
speaking welsh is the norm for the majority of welsh ppl. and as for the accent its the same as any other country its reginal. im also from the amman valley and all my friends speak welsh!
its the same where im from,Wrexham north of wales, allot of people dont sound welsh or speak much welsh here but you get the accent whith some words we say e.g. Here would sound like Year when we say it.i guess its south wales you would need to hear the propper welsh persons accent.
Yes - "over by year" is something often heard in my part of Wales too! I don't know why but even as a small child I didn't have much of an accent, even though everyone else in my family does.
Well, as I am Welsh it is about being Welsh. Being Welsh means you are Welsh. Part of my point is I don't seem Welsh to many people - that doesn't mean I am not Welsh. By birth, heritage and upbringing I am.
Hi Elise! Being Welsh to me means more than just the fact you were born there. For example, Christian Bale was born in Wales and lived there until he was 2 but he's not Welsh. Lloyd George was born in Manchester but is not English. Of course I understand you must have a nationality, but 'Welsh' doesn't seem to have any particular meaning for you. Maybe 'British' would be better?
No - I think having Welsh ancestry and parents, being born there, educated there and living there until you were in your 20s definitely counts as beiong Welsh without any possibility of doubt.
We had Welsh tv till the early 90s when we got Utv and Bbc Northern Ireland. Some parts of Ireland would still have welsh tv, I miss the days of HTV news and all the Welsh programmes. Hence why I love the welsh and the welsh accent. In Wales briefly in 2006 at Cardiff train station on way to London. In Ireland now we have tg4 (Irish language station I want s4c back and the weird times for programmes like Brooky and comedy, still on Sky Digital. sister has it but shes 15 miles away.
Most Welsh Councils specify Welsh to be desirable, but not essential in their person specifications.
I speak (& I am) Welsh, but not fluently, though it is a goal of mine. I would recommend taking Welsh lessons to everyone who is thinking about it as it is great fun.
My great-great grandfather was from Somerset, I think - but I never met him as he died a very long time before I was born. Maybe before my mum was born!
i think it is fair you have to be able to speak welsh in council type rolls as most older people at my end of wales dont speak english, as you know elise, we had a long conversation about this, up here in north wales all lessons have to be done through the medium of welsh except for other languages of course. yeah max speaks welsh, and yeah wales is great i love it and am very proud, yeah TORCHWOOD
Yes it's very fair that you have to in North Wales - but the rule still applies all over, even though I have met fewer than half a dozen people in my area who have even the most rudimentary Welsh.
I agree - but it seems doubly galling that so many Welsh people have been deprived of the opportunities to learn Welsh properly and then deprived of the opportunities because they can't speak Welsh. I know it's a compulsory subject now, but I very much doubt it's helped most people speak the language (the way languages are taught is pretty ineffective!)
well i cant really comment on south wales, but up here no one complains as its how it has always been we all speak welsh, and its our first language, we feel that way about english lessons, do you see what i mean, but i agree maybe not in south wales, but i dont know that much about the south to be honest
Hello. I am sorry about that bad suggestion I sent in during your first day in the box. I didn't mean to cause you guys grief.
Anyway, this English-Welsh discussion reminds me of the English-French situation here in Canada. It is very difficult to reach the upper ranks of the government without knowing French (and vica versa). However, in English dominated areas it is very difficult to learn French. I took it through high school with no success.
I thought you guys were looking suggestions like you see on "Whose Line is it Anyway?".
I remember Myles was not happy. He looked right into the camera, right at me and said it was the worst idea ever. I laughed hysterically. I thought you guys were taking it too seriously, but I guess you guys were under a lot of stress. Elise later said it was the worst part of the day!
We had to pick up litter at our school too and the winner recieved a bar of chocolate, whos wrapper he threw on the playground when he was finished. Bit of a pointless exercise really!
I remember Caecilius from the Cambridge Latin books...Oh! the fun we had in Pompeii with that wacky banker. I think the books were orange and/or blue, very thin...more like a pamphlet. I actually liked Latin, I had a good teacher, he taught us how to curse.
I loved Latin, and would have taken it further, but it clashed with drama on the timetable. French, Physics and History also suffered as a consequence of my school's awful planning.
I used to be Welsh, but we came to America in the early days at Jamestown. Now my family's holy land is Oklahoma, but we haven't even been back there for generations.
I keep trying to convince people that sinking Wales into the sea would be best for everyone. Although I like you most Welsh people I've spoken to have had some kind of disorder, although that could be just people around Swansea.
I love it. I feel bad cus I had to hear someone saying bad things about your videos...but I like them. I love how personal they are, I feel like we're actually having a conversation.
Thanks. Not everyone can like me, I suppose. There was a lot of hatred in June when one of my videos got featured, but I have had to learn to get a thicker skin.
Your school sounds brilliant! Pity about the crazy teacher though... One of our music teachers once threw a music stand at the percussionist in the orchestra, and then he left... mysterious...
The lighting was awful today. This was my second try at getting something semi-visible out of the camera! I think my first version was funnier, but it looked appalling.
Wales is a country to the west of England, but the 'westcountry' is Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, generally. Maybe the edge of Gloucestershire and Bristol too. And the bottom of Herefordshire. I suppose it's debatable - but all of it in England.
Well, if Wikipedia can be believed some people think my bit of Wales (what was historically Monmouthshire, but has since been split into bits) is part of the west country.
So, all those people who took WDA jobs & promised to speak Welsh - well, were contracted to learn Welsh......................what happened to them, then? Did they lie to get their jobs?
TheCochyn 4 months ago
micheal jackson much
VenomousSnow 8 months ago
Mary Hopkins was the hottest Welsh babe singer from the sixties! "Those were the days"
Cromag99 11 months ago
hi there from the south Wales valleys
painsey 11 months ago
@painsey hello!
Eliseharris 11 months ago
you're from newport or magor...underwood?
delphi202002 1 year ago
@delphi202002 no, I'm from Pontypool (and Cwmbran).
Eliseharris 1 year ago
Cool... a British Michael Jackson!
Flayprime 1 year ago
@Flayprime
I thought the same thing!
DofS1 10 months ago
You do sound more west country than welsh.
I've learnt welsh properly over the last year... not just because I like it but as you said it helps employment... and in a way that's good for Wales because welsh people are the most likely to learn it... so "local jobs for local people" kind of comes into play.
I was born in St Asaph in Wales but I don't consider myself a member of a Nation just like you don't feel English or Welsh.
kindredravens 1 year ago
@kindredravens well local jobs for local people onlyy really applies to people who ahve, like you, learned a language that you probably otherwise would have no cause to know. It also means natural born Welsh speakers will always be at an advantage so if a job relies on Welsh speaking then a West or North Wales native would have an advantage over most South wales people even if the job is in South Wales. Which seems a little skewed to me. Well done for learning it though.
Eliseharris 1 year ago
Got to love you isn't it. Can't speak Whales - hahaha!! Love your nonsense chatter - bendigedig!
man2woman 1 year ago
No no no Quintus was filius and Clemens is SERVUS
caique114 1 year ago
i LIKE you, Welsh woman. Who cares about accent, or ability to speak Welsh? Your attitude to Gill and Auden places you on a pedestal.
brython2 1 year ago
@brython2 why, thank you.
Eliseharris 1 year ago
This was an interesting video. I had no idea that Wales had their own language, I thought that they spoke English like most others in the U.K. I guess I should have paid more attention in geography!
vgibson122389 2 years ago
Stealing Angel's material, are you? Shame!
xxxMrSuspendedxxx 2 years ago
I got there first!
Eliseharris 2 years ago
There ARE some good bits in this if stitched together properly mind. The timing/delivery with the "Carrie" denouement was nice!
I suppose they'd phased out milk maiden training by the time you were in Welsh elementary school?
Wow you're coming up on 4 years as a YTer in 4 months. Renetto's 4 years comes up in March, but he hasn't any of those old vids up anymore.
xxxMrSuspendedxxx 2 years ago
It's fascinating that in 21st century Britain there are still native people who "don't speak English".
After all these centuries, and with all the technology, radio, tv, movies, internet, books and magazines, to be able to live one's whole life in Great Britain and to not know English is a bit amazing, when a billion people from all over the world know enough English to communicate regularly on the internet in English.
It's like being a living relic from a lost world.
MagiMysteryTour 2 years ago
I am not sure there are Welsh people who don't speak any English at all any more (I think the last of those died out a few years ago) though there are certainly people to whom it is a second language!
Eliseharris 2 years ago
I got that notion from the comment by
els666again: "most older people at my end of wales dont speak english".
I guess my mind exaggerated the meaning of that sentence to believe they didn't speak any English, when it just meant that they don't usually speak English.
Still, it remains interesting even that there are people whose first language remains Welsh or Gaelic, in this modern age.
MagiMysteryTour 2 years ago
I think you can fake writing Welsh reasonably well with generous use of the letters L, W, Y, F, and D.
MagiMysteryTour 2 years ago
I agree, absolutely fascinating. It is sort of like those tribes in places all over the world who completely reject all forms of technological advances and choose to live as their people have for thousands of years. Sort of like a living museum.... if that makes any sense. I love it when old things are preserved.
JustusScottJr 2 years ago
Just looked over some of the comments on this page.... wow..... seriously.... didn't realize that people would be so up in arms about welshness. I'm part Welsh, among other things. I didn't realize there was a whole separate language. Once again, entertaining and educational Thanks.
JustusScottJr 2 years ago
There are a few Welsh language TV channels too! Though it's true to say most Welsh people don't speak much or any Welsh.
Eliseharris 2 years ago
@Eliseharris Depends where you go, maybe not in the south, but in the north, (north west especially), alot of people's first language is still welsh, and alot of people do actually speak welsh ! ;p
droptheleash0 1 year ago
@droptheleash0 yes - I have met a few Welsh speakers who use it as their first language but even in North Wales I think they are in "pockets". Some areas have a high concentration of Welsh speakers, some have a few but very many more have none at all!
Eliseharris 1 year ago
@Eliseharris yes that is true, definately concentrated in certain areas, with alot of areas having none, still.. about 94% of the children of school age on Ynys Mon (Angelsey) and Gwynedd speak welsh, with Ddinbych and Conwy also having a strong welsh speaking population...so a very significant proportion, but still, overall the majority is still english speaking only indeed. Sorry for the rant, diolch i wrando... hwyl fawr !
droptheleash0 1 year ago
Hey all of you asswipes! Wales is MUCH OLDER than England and 1,000 years ago had THE most fair system of LAW especially concerning WOMEN in the history of Mankind!!! You English perverts have ALWAYS been jealous of WALES! And ALWAYS WILL BE!!!
goyimking 2 years ago
WFT... fk of u stuiped spoty face slag! nd I dnt even believe 4 1 sec ur Welsh!
7charmaine 2 years ago
I am Welsh - but I don't really have to justify myself to someone so insulting and disrespectful. If you want to be proud of your Welsh heritage then please realise you are not the only sort of Welsh person there is. I truly believe S4C is a good thing. The point is in most of Wales Welsh is not spoken - through many historical catastrophes - so it's a bit unfair to discriminate against people who have already been stripped of much of their heritage! If you speak Welsh you are blessed and lucky.
Eliseharris 2 years ago
I can remember when Welsh language programmes where on HTV and BBC1 before 1982. I don't speak Welsh but my nain was a welsh speaker as where my cousins and other members of my family. I don't have a stereotypical "Welsh" language accent either, but then I'm from North East Wales.... where Rugby union is of little interest or relevance as well...BBC Wales!! wales is more than Rugby, coal,Cardiff/Swansea/Newport"the Valleys" and the Llyn peninsula. Wales is lots of things.Some good, some bad.
dolphin8b 2 years ago
Max Boyce rules
Punorss 2 years ago
Yachi da!
Eliseharris 2 years ago
I know a free welsh audio course. It's pretty fun to do. If you are interested i'll drop it in a private message to you.
You should try it! It's fun!
Valvallaria 2 years ago
hey i am... maybe u could help me? Regads Chaz
7charmaine 2 years ago
I dont get it whats the problem?? if s4c is so shit just dont watch it innit-havent you heard of digital and freeview and all that.There you can watch channel 4 and all the other English channels with their 'allowed' anti Welsh racism and wallow in the hate and blatant racism directed towards Wales and the Welsh....mmmmmm lovely
p.s -your not an alien-youve probably been made to feel weird by the English because of your non conformist mind and excellent Welsh imagination and open mindedness.
chrisjoneschrisjones 2 years ago
Yeah but Channel 4 was not available when I was growing up - you got S4C or nothing. There were only 4 channels back then and no alternative without satellite or cable - which were also not widely available.
Eliseharris 2 years ago
i remember that and i hated it, it was very annoying
dragonskankin 2 years ago
S4C is fucking shit, we are denied channel four we are denied culture s4c is shit fuck s4c
dragonskankin 2 years ago
I don't mind it existing but it should be as well as Channel 4. Suppose with Digital TV that should be less of a problem - I assume both are available now, anyway. And Channel 4 isn't what it was, unfortunately.
Eliseharris 2 years ago
Prynhawn da, lechyd da Dewi
Good afternoon cheers Dave
5 stars, keep learning.
davidnightingale 2 years ago
Good afternoon to you too - yes learning is always good!
Eliseharris 2 years ago
Oh this is tragic. Darling, if you're having an identity crisis read a self help book. And I realise Wales can be irritatingly provincial, but try to hold it in high regard.
ser2129 2 years ago
elien dy fam y gont hull
welshstomper 2 years ago
i used to hate it in school when the teachers wouldnt let you speak english they were like SIARAD CYMRAEG! but i do like speaking welsh - lol - rydw i yn hoffi siarad cymraeg yn fawr iawn ond ddim just 24/7
madhorse456 2 years ago
welsh isn't an "idea" it's a language. Older than English. S4C is not a welsh channel 4, It's owned by the bbc.
Ffernol Gwirion. Ti'n neud fi deimlo mor flin. Os nad wyt ti'n licio'r lle pam nei dim symud? Sa neb yng Nghymru yn methu chdi!!
Ill think you'll find it's actually illegal to discriminate people if they don't speak the language.
joeywicks1215 3 years ago 2
joey, you are absolutely correct! Wales is HUNDREDS of years older than england!!!! If you want to get technical, We are THOUSANDS of years older than the english! We ARE the true Britons!
goyimking 2 years ago
So true goyimking, Cymru am byth.
GAMEBOY379 2 years ago
Thank You Sweetheart! You little Welsh Beauty you! Your eyes have it! You look SO Welsh! God Bless You!
goyimking 2 years ago
Very succinct....
Phrenny 3 years ago
Well, that must make me a very bright button, indeed! I wonder if you knew my Mam?
rickbeecfc 3 years ago
Your accent always reminds me of that of Dennis Potter, so if I didn't know, I'd guess you were posh-ish Lydney, or somewhere.
rickbeecfc 3 years ago
Well I worked in Ross on Wye for over a year up until April 2000 (and I lived about one street down from where Dennis Potter last lived - though he was gone by the time I moved there.)
Eliseharris 3 years ago
Elise, you raise a very pertinent point that hadn't occured to me. The areas of Wales SUCCESSFULLY denuded of the native language are being made to suffer all over again by those who manage to retain the tongue!
There are various versions of being Welsh obviously, so let's not allow the lingui-fundamentalists to bulldoze the rest of us into the ditch of history.
0minousAnonymous 3 years ago
"I can see why Welsh is a really good idea. At the moment you can't really get a job, in Media or Councils, unless you can speak Welsh".
Yes, that's a "really good idea" - excluding the majority of Welsh people from the important professions. I agree w/film-maker Karl Francis on this: a 2-tier society has been forged, where Welsh speakers form for themselves a version of the 'mafia of the mediocre'. Welsh language has become to be used as a kind of 'social fascism'. Painfully true!
0minousAnonymous 3 years ago
Unfortunately true. I've had comments from Welsh speakers pointing out that "100 years ago people were prevented from learning Welsh... " etc, as though that justifies anything - if they are speaking Welsh in their every day lives clearly that didn't have an impact of them in the long term, whereas the people prevented from speaking Welsh and their decendants are still suffering from not having Welsh as language - so excluding them from vast swathes of Welsh society is a double whammy.
Eliseharris 3 years ago
You will notice that in England people get very angry when immigrants fail to learn English. Similarly, people who live in Wales should have the common decency to learn Welsh.
How many of the important professions in England are open to people who speak no English?
Like it or not, Wales is a country and has its own language.
Steeleperfect 3 years ago 2
Ah yes, but most people in Wales don't speak Welsh. Hence most professional jobs are not even open to the majority of WELSH people, let alone English incomers. Imagine an English equivalent where, say, all top jobs in England were open only to those who knew Latin/Greek from their time at Boarding Shool.
I am Welsh, don't speak Welsh, and yet am barred from so many great jobs.
0minousAnonymous 3 years ago
Welsh is not the equivalent of Latin.
Actually, Welsh is the only Celtic language whose future seems secure, because Wales is prioritising it.
I am of Welsh ancestry and am learning Welsh because I consider it a disgrace not to speak the language of my ancestors. The English tried to kill the Welsh language and came dangerously close to succeeding. If you think of yourself as Welsh, learn the language. It's really a much more logical language than English.
Steeleperfect 3 years ago 2
"Of Welsh ancestry", eh? So are you living in Wales, or not? What I am referring to is life in Wales where the minority tongue is, as you so disarmingly state, 'prioritised'. The majority of us actually living in Wales do NOT speak Welsh. To bar the majority from so many important posts in the name of 'prioritising' the language is an outrage. I hope and believe my ancestral language flourishes, but using it as a means to forge a separate nation and culture is alienating and elitist.
TraumPolizei 3 years ago
To redress your ignorance:
I never said Welsh was "the equivalent of Latin"; didnt suggest it was a "dead language". I merely asked you to consider the Welsh situation replicated in England or elsewhere: people would not stand for it!
Also, the English made no concerted efforts to "kill Welsh"'. Historically incorrect!
I dont "think of" myself as, but I AM WELSH: never lived anywhere else, and have the ancestry too.
English is the more "logical language" as is more widely utilised.
TraumPolizei 3 years ago
yes they did! Historically correct.
They killed the last king of wales and took his baby daughter to a convent on the other side of London, she never got to hear her own native language.
joeywicks1215 3 years ago
Most jobs ARE open to Non-Welsh speakers. The majority may not speak Welsh, but seeing as our population is a third English, that's hardly surprising. If we removed the English Element, then more than a third of the country speaks Welsh.
Welsh IS an advantage in jobs, but it doesn't automatically qualify someone for a job (and neither does the lack of it bar you - unless it is ACTUALLY required).
If you feel discriminated against, you could always learn Welsh?
Meklo 3 years ago
good point (yeah i speak welsh :P)
madhorse456 2 years ago
I really find people who hate the fact that welsh is mandatory very ignorant. I dunno why, but I always feel this rage inside of me. I find it a blessing that we get the chance. My mum or nan never had the chance.
Maybe it's because my great nan had to go through the 'Not' back in school. =/
oOCaillechOo 3 years ago
This has to rank as THE most stupid and shallow video I've ever seen. Ever. 10 minutes of mindless dribble. Clearly you have lots of say but absolutely nothing of any substance. You might think that's harsh but it's a fair assessment.
You don't know anyone in south Wales who's 15th language is Welsh? Oh c'mon! Seriously, you should get out a bit more.
"I'm not very good at Welsh stuff..." yeah, you got that right.
I want those 10 minutes of my life back.
TomosWynne 3 years ago
HOW WELSH AM I?
I think being Welsh is more of if you consider yourself to be than just a place of birth. I was born in England and my parents are English/Irish, but i do feel Welsh.
I went on holiday there a lot as a child.
I think i have some Welsh ancestors somewhere. I'm teaching myself Welsh and i'm nearly fluent.
I know the Anthem off by heart, i speak with a bit of an accent, i wave the red dragon flag with my Welsh pride.
Am I Welsh, and if not, what can i do about it?!?
dreamybubble1 3 years ago
dreamybubble1, I guarantee that if you WISH to be Welsh, you have got to have the genes!!! Yes, dreamybubble1, YOU ARE WELSH!!!! If you werent, you would not have that fire!!! Thank you so much for that desire! You are PROOF that WE are a very special People!!! It is in your BLOOD! Look back into your family tree and I KNOW you wont be disappointed!
goyimking 2 years ago
i think she is welsh i cant hear a bit off the accident just like my mum
welshsoldier1 3 years ago
Beth ti'n sôn am gyda 15th language is welsh? Bollocks?.
I live in South Wales, in the Amman Valley (Carmarthenshire) 80% of the people round here speak welsh everyday??. It's not a north south thing. Its more of an East West thing. Carmarthenshire(South) Ceredigion(South.mid) Gwynedd(North) Anglesea(North) Northern Swansea nd northern pembroke (South) Southern powys, western glamorgan (South) Clwyd(North. Welsh is spoken in these places as the native language also western powys.
adamjones416 3 years ago
speaking welsh is the norm for the majority of welsh ppl. and as for the accent its the same as any other country its reginal. im also from the amman valley and all my friends speak welsh!
kyleos 3 years ago
its the same where im from,Wrexham north of wales, allot of people dont sound welsh or speak much welsh here but you get the accent whith some words we say e.g. Here would sound like Year when we say it.i guess its south wales you would need to hear the propper welsh persons accent.
TheLaughingGamer 3 years ago
Yes - "over by year" is something often heard in my part of Wales too! I don't know why but even as a small child I didn't have much of an accent, even though everyone else in my family does.
Eliseharris 3 years ago
I think you would be the most unWelsh person I have ever seen. On not being Welsh would have been a better title for your video.
mycal64 3 years ago 2
Well, as I am Welsh it is about being Welsh. Being Welsh means you are Welsh. Part of my point is I don't seem Welsh to many people - that doesn't mean I am not Welsh. By birth, heritage and upbringing I am.
Eliseharris 3 years ago
Hi Elise! Being Welsh to me means more than just the fact you were born there. For example, Christian Bale was born in Wales and lived there until he was 2 but he's not Welsh. Lloyd George was born in Manchester but is not English. Of course I understand you must have a nationality, but 'Welsh' doesn't seem to have any particular meaning for you. Maybe 'British' would be better?
mycal64 3 years ago
No - I think having Welsh ancestry and parents, being born there, educated there and living there until you were in your 20s definitely counts as beiong Welsh without any possibility of doubt.
Eliseharris 3 years ago
You look a bit like Greta Scacchi.. Thanks for the insight! Diolch, Meic
WelshMeic 3 years ago
Caecilius est in horto...........oh yeah!
oneglasstoomany 4 years ago
We had Welsh tv till the early 90s when we got Utv and Bbc Northern Ireland. Some parts of Ireland would still have welsh tv, I miss the days of HTV news and all the Welsh programmes. Hence why I love the welsh and the welsh accent. In Wales briefly in 2006 at Cardiff train station on way to London. In Ireland now we have tg4 (Irish language station I want s4c back and the weird times for programmes like Brooky and comedy, still on Sky Digital. sister has it but shes 15 miles away.
bedoboy 4 years ago
i watch s4c all the time. dont understand a word. but its still pretty entertaining.
heartragedy 4 years ago
Rob Brydon for prime minister.
bnprenaissance 4 years ago
Consider yourself indulged. :)
kenbank 4 years ago
Most Welsh Councils specify Welsh to be desirable, but not essential in their person specifications.
I speak (& I am) Welsh, but not fluently, though it is a goal of mine. I would recommend taking Welsh lessons to everyone who is thinking about it as it is great fun.
ceridwenfenella 4 years ago
Chard is a vegetable and a town and your accent ;)
lapislazuline 4 years ago
My great-great grandfather was from Somerset, I think - but I never met him as he died a very long time before I was born. Maybe before my mum was born!
Eliseharris 4 years ago
i think it is fair you have to be able to speak welsh in council type rolls as most older people at my end of wales dont speak english, as you know elise, we had a long conversation about this, up here in north wales all lessons have to be done through the medium of welsh except for other languages of course. yeah max speaks welsh, and yeah wales is great i love it and am very proud, yeah TORCHWOOD
els666again 4 years ago
Yes it's very fair that you have to in North Wales - but the rule still applies all over, even though I have met fewer than half a dozen people in my area who have even the most rudimentary Welsh.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
it's so sad that is in my opinion, its a shame that down in the south few people speak it
els666again 4 years ago
I agree - but it seems doubly galling that so many Welsh people have been deprived of the opportunities to learn Welsh properly and then deprived of the opportunities because they can't speak Welsh. I know it's a compulsory subject now, but I very much doubt it's helped most people speak the language (the way languages are taught is pretty ineffective!)
Eliseharris 4 years ago
well i cant really comment on south wales, but up here no one complains as its how it has always been we all speak welsh, and its our first language, we feel that way about english lessons, do you see what i mean, but i agree maybe not in south wales, but i dont know that much about the south to be honest
els666again 4 years ago
Hey you are Elise's friend from Upstaged!
Hello. I am sorry about that bad suggestion I sent in during your first day in the box. I didn't mean to cause you guys grief.
Anyway, this English-Welsh discussion reminds me of the English-French situation here in Canada. It is very difficult to reach the upper ranks of the government without knowing French (and vica versa). However, in English dominated areas it is very difficult to learn French. I took it through high school with no success.
Larkvall 4 years ago
what suggestion was that then.... remind me
els666again 4 years ago
It was the Viking ship rowing thing.
I thought you guys were looking suggestions like you see on "Whose Line is it Anyway?".
I remember Myles was not happy. He looked right into the camera, right at me and said it was the worst idea ever. I laughed hysterically. I thought you guys were taking it too seriously, but I guess you guys were under a lot of stress. Elise later said it was the worst part of the day!
I voted tons. I hope that makes up for it?!
Larkvall 4 years ago
i thought it was quite funny its just we didnt understand it i think
els666again 4 years ago
Well, I am just glad you guys pulled it off.
When you go back to Bristol please take care of Elise. She is so strong, but sometimes she needs reminding of how wonderful she is.
Larkvall 4 years ago
Maybe you 2 guys could do a Welsh song or something for Upstaged? Or did you already do that? I couldn't watch every minute
Larkvall 4 years ago
We had to pick up litter at our school too and the winner recieved a bar of chocolate, whos wrapper he threw on the playground when he was finished. Bit of a pointless exercise really!
TamHickey67 4 years ago
I remember Caecilius from the Cambridge Latin books...Oh! the fun we had in Pompeii with that wacky banker. I think the books were orange and/or blue, very thin...more like a pamphlet. I actually liked Latin, I had a good teacher, he taught us how to curse.
jwca 4 years ago
I loved Latin, and would have taken it further, but it clashed with drama on the timetable. French, Physics and History also suffered as a consequence of my school's awful planning.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
My sister asked me to suggest a name for her new cat. I suggested "Mrs. Button". Thanks for that.
DarkDennis1961 4 years ago
It is a good cat name, isn't it!
Eliseharris 4 years ago
I am from Wales but I don't speak Welsh... :P
Well, I say that.. but I do spout a few words like "ENFYS" and "YMOLCHI" when the mood takes me..
Our school was rubbish too.
Cymru am byth.. like.. innit..
phantomtikiskulls 4 years ago
I used to be Welsh, but we came to America in the early days at Jamestown. Now my family's holy land is Oklahoma, but we haven't even been back there for generations.
Clause02 4 years ago
So both girls in YouStage are Welsh. How about the guys?
pwarkentin2pc 4 years ago
All English, I think.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
Welsh is manatory in school.
I hate it with a passion. -_-
Hagridsheep 4 years ago
I've lived in Wales for 12 years but I don't feel Welsh or speak the language.
Steve7508 4 years ago
Do try the "Wales", that will be fun.
I think sound travels faster underwater, than through air. Kind of like through the internet.
Swords.
4ofSwords 4 years ago
and Dorset!
portland182 4 years ago
Oh yes. And perhaps Wiltshire.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
If I were Welsh I would broadcast it about as the drunken Yankees do in announcing "I'm American" in the UK pubs.
I'd like to hear some Welsh tongue.
Is it anything like that obscure, dead Scottish tongue that Rodger Walters shouts on the "Umma Gumma" Pink Floyd album on one song?
I shall defer to user delboyl if you don't know.
Yes, make an "Angel" play list here, please.
That precious, dear girl has suffered your fame/shadow long enough, mind.
quantumdriven 4 years ago
I really liked watching this. ox
ohhsokimberley 4 years ago
You are very sexy
MaNarchicDRAKE 4 years ago
if you speak wales I speak shark!
ogier1 4 years ago
What do sharks say?
Larkvall 4 years ago
Caecilius is dead!
Quintus est in atrio?
LoveCraken 4 years ago
He might be. And Cerberus est in via and Grumio culina. Didn't Quintus he go to Britain after the Pompeii incident?
Eliseharris 4 years ago
He did, the deserter.
You know who I love? Cogidubnus.
LoveCraken 4 years ago
You are so fun to listen to. Very entertaining. I've been working my way through your vid's (no life you see) and all of them are great!!!
ikazuchisamurai 4 years ago
I keep trying to convince people that sinking Wales into the sea would be best for everyone. Although I like you most Welsh people I've spoken to have had some kind of disorder, although that could be just people around Swansea.
Priestofbabalon 4 years ago
"I'm an alien in an alien land of aliens."
I love it. I feel bad cus I had to hear someone saying bad things about your videos...but I like them. I love how personal they are, I feel like we're actually having a conversation.
Love this video :)
KattyTee 4 years ago
Thanks. Not everyone can like me, I suppose. There was a lot of hatred in June when one of my videos got featured, but I have had to learn to get a thicker skin.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
Well I like you for sure. Maybe you 2 guys could do a Welsh song or something for Upstaged? Or did you already do that? I couldn't watch every minute
Larkvall 4 years ago
Me and Els666? I think this comment got added to the wrong thread!
Eliseharris 4 years ago
Sorry!
Larkvall 4 years ago
Interesting video!
5/5
MadBadVoodo 4 years ago
Your school sounds brilliant! Pity about the crazy teacher though... One of our music teachers once threw a music stand at the percussionist in the orchestra, and then he left... mysterious...
GrannyGoatsEars 4 years ago
What happened with the color on your Camera? You are so attractive in color or B and W. Just wondering.
I know color equals colour and so many American words are spelled differently
bvb720 4 years ago
The lighting was awful today. This was my second try at getting something semi-visible out of the camera! I think my first version was funnier, but it looked appalling.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
Not sure if it was on purpose but welsh is speld wrong in the tags.
TNTv 4 years ago
No, not on purpose! just being careless.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
I <3 Wales
and the Welsh accent. it's so cute, but I just cant take it seriously lol.
SouthCoastBoy 4 years ago
Needlework? Has anybody else noticed that needles tend to be really, really pointy?
Ouch.
Larkvall 4 years ago
'Needlework', it is a bit pointy, yes.
4ofSwords 4 years ago
Welsh? But you sound so West Country! Perhaps you're a secret love-child of Pam Ayres. :oD
delbhoye 4 years ago
West Country? Isn't Wales in the west? I don't know!
Larkvall 4 years ago
Wales is a country to the west of England, but the 'westcountry' is Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, generally. Maybe the edge of Gloucestershire and Bristol too. And the bottom of Herefordshire. I suppose it's debatable - but all of it in England.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
I'm thinkin' Cornwall, Devon, Somerset direction.
delbhoye 4 years ago
Okay, so it is the South West bit...
Larkvall 4 years ago
Well, if Wikipedia can be believed some people think my bit of Wales (what was historically Monmouthshire, but has since been split into bits) is part of the west country.
Eliseharris 4 years ago
First?
Larkvall 4 years ago
I believe so.
Eliseharris 4 years ago