Welsh Bi-lingual road sign

[jimc]

Made me lol.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7702913.stm

[MEKer]

Hah! And I will say the Welsh have a fascinating history, especially with Llewelyn, Prince of Gwynedd, fighting King John, etc in late 12th /early 13th centuries. Gotta feel for the guy.

[Mark Wilson]

lmfao. wow.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

That's awesome!

[drteeth]

ROLF. unbelievable.

[Komakino]

Have a look at the "SEE ALSO" links on the right hand side - there are some more amusing translations amongst them. I particularly liked a quote from the article about a Welsh sign in a building site in Scotland:

"It doesn't matter how wonderful the Welsh language is, it's not appropriate for this part of Scotland." and
"We understand that local people would prefer Gaelic signs"

[i_got_a_mohawk]

There are quite a few places in scotland which have the Gaelic signs, why, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe incase the farmer and his dog from Orkney decide to travel to the mainland and don't want to get lost?

(it's a dead language, people need to let it go!)

[Komakino]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

There are quite a few places in scotland which have the Gaelic signs, why, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe incase the farmer and his dog from Orkney decide to travel to the mainland and don't want to get lost?

(it's a dead language, people need to let it go!)

As someone who used to live in Stornoway on the Isle Of Lewis (far north-west Scotland) I can tell you it's definitely not quite a dead language. On Lewis the road signs are in Gaelic first and English second and you still hear (mostly older) locals speaking it on the bus or about town.

Welsh is even more alive - I listen to Real Radio, an English language Welsh radio station (I'm only just over the Servern in Somerset), and you get ads in Welsh and there are campaigns to get children to learn it ("Cymraeg - Kids soak it up!"). I have a friend at university in Aberystwyth who's currently learning it. I even contemplating learning it myself, before deciding Spanish would be more useful.

I think it's sad that minority languages are dying out. It's one more step along the road to boring homogeny.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I was being a bit on the sarcastic side, but it is dying and is only really used on the isles and some remote parts around the north west, Ullapool, Gaerloch etc.

Welsh on the other hand is very much in common practice (well, not in scotland tho)

[Komakino]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

I was being a bit on the sarcastic side, but it is dying and is only really used on the isles and some remote parts around the north west, Ullapool, Gaerloch etc.

If you think Ullapool is remote you ain't seen nothing yet! I was on Lewis in about 2000 and there was "AC/DC Forever" grafitti on a bush shelter and chavs (or should I say "neds") wearing fashion a good decade out of date! They also still chained the swings in the parks up on a Sunday to stop anyone having fun on "the Lord's day" and not a single shop was open - apart from the pub (for some reason that's OK!).

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I've been about most of the isles. It is quite scarey at times. Father Ted always reminds me of what that level of remoteness is like

[sloasdaylight]

That's up on par with a Mark Wilson moment.

[Komakino]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

I've been about most of the isles. It is quite scarey at times. Father Ted always reminds me of what that level of remoteness is like

I agree. It's only when you've lived on a remote, craggy island (pun intended) that you can appreciate how true to life Father Ted actually is!

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

That's wonderful.