This is the way to go. Everything should be Welsh only and people will naturally learn how to pronounce and read it.
Llanfairfechan, Eglwysbach etc don't have an English equivalent on the signs. Fflint and flint is just silly.
A soft approach to bringing everything Welsh it a better approach IMO for places.
by ajfromuk
17 comments
Love this. More please.
When I say Welsh only I’m referring to place names and streets. Signs for attention and instructions still bilingual before I get the haters.
Good idea. But the names are rubbish (as their direct English translations would be as well).
*Will no one think of the monoglots?!*
Less than half of voters vote in Senedd elections. There are real and serious question marks over the new voting system that has been brought in to protect and empower parties to the detriment of voters and individual candidates. The latest poll had Reform within the margin of error of being the biggest party.
The last 2022 census found the number of Welsh speakers in the country had decreased by 1.2% since the previous 2011 census, from 19% to 17.8%.
There is a fundamental break between the reality of the situation of Welsh politics and the mindset of the administrative elite.
Massive parts of South Wales remain overwhelmingly primarily English speaking. It makes far more sense to use the terminology they actually use rather than impose what you want them to use.
I get that people *want* for us to be in the situation that this is a good idea, but we aren’t at that stage yet.
Mostly in favour of this. Most of the constituencies are so huge that assigning any particular geographical name to them will probably involve some creativity. May as well make it Welsh language creativity whilst we’re at it!
I am a bit confused why the Cardiff and Swansea seats are staying bilingual but not the Newport or Monmouthshire seats. I’d imagine both Cardiff and Newport have a higher % of Welsh speakers than those places. I know that the official explanation is:
>if the name includes a geographic designation such as north, south, west or east, the commission would not find the Welsh version acceptable.
But that seems a little random as gogledd, de, gorllewin and dwyrain are words that a lot of people will be familiar with?
But on the whole, I approve.
What waste of time
>Andrew RT Davies, who resigned as Welsh Conservative leader two weeks ago, said: “This move is quite wrong. Wales is bilingual, and this move will disenfranchise English-only speakers.”
I can’t fucking bear this political climate anymore, where we keep going to the same old windbags to hear them trot out a generic opposition out of a sense of exhausted half-arsed obligation. You could just have a permanent line at the end of every news story about a political decision that says “We asked Andrew RT Davies if this is good and he said no, it’s bad.”
I don’t really care. It’s not counties, or road signs. It’s voter constituency. The names are stupid, but they are properly Welsh which is ace. I would prefer they stopped dicking about and prioritise things like education and NHS Dental availability, GP Appointments, elderly care etc. Put the same effort and focus into that complicated rat’s nest of a mess and not just how to stay in power or push an agenda.
I find it amusing when people get so irate about what Wales is doing to protect its heritage a nation. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc. are taking steps to no longer be part of the English Commonwealth. Good on Cymru for doing what is right for them.
I’m English by the way.
It’s really not hard to learn how to read and pronounce Welsh place names. Unlike English, pronunciation is very consistent so once you learn the basics you can read and say the names. Don’t people do this when they go on holiday to places that don’t provide foreign versions on signage?
The names of the constituencies aren’t the issue. The boundaries are fucking ridiculous. My old constituency now stretches from Llansamlet to Llanbister. It’s complete nonsense.
As a Yorkshireman, I think this a good move. I’d also support Welsh, Gaelic and Scots being taught at schools throughout England.
In general I favour retaining longstanding English place names within Wales alongside Welsh names, as they’re part of the toponymic history of the country. I also don’t have an issue with new names being Welsh-only.
These fall into that awkward middle ground where the constituencies are new, but their names are derived from existing place names. On that basis I think it would make sense to make the constituency names bilingual where the Welsh and English names of the places that make up the constituency name differ, but I suppose it’s not the end of the world.
As someone originally from Chepstow it feels like a loaded choice using us as the main photo/caption.
There seems to be this assumption that anyone on the border hates the Welsh language and somehow feels excluded by measures like this. We might not be able to speak a word of it beyond the odd “nos da” or “diolch” but I think most of us would be very happy to see the Welsh language thriving and I’m personally for any measures that take us closer to that
Be honest, how often do you mention your constituency? Village, town or city, or perhaps the county sure, but voter constituency? I’m not sure I even mention the actual name for the Senedd elections every 5 years, never mind more frequently than that. Which probably makes this yet another Senedd vanity project.
I honestly don’t see the point in this, yet more wasteful virtue signalling from the Senedd.
Couple that with the fact this is being done at the same time as changing to a voting system that no one asked for (but will royally bite Welsh Labour in the arse) and increasing the number of SMs to the tune of £18m per year, it’s all money that could be much better used to improve the lives of people within Wales.
They are so, so incredibly out of touch
Whenever we English either visit, or speak of these places, will there be an idiot’s guide as to how to pronounce them?
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