HERE

by **Elinnia** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:14 pm

Last week I went along to a Male voice choir concert. It was brilliant, they sang three of the hymns I have planned for my funeral !!! ( On my last (nasty )birthday, my husband arranged for a choir to come and sing these hymns for me. (do you think he is trying to tell me something!!)
Anyway, after the concert last week, the choir gathered in a nearby pub and I persuaded the friends who were with me to join them.
As you can imagine, it didn't take long for the men to start singing. I asked one of the members of the choir if they could sing something in Welsh. He then asked me " Can you speak Welsh?" I replied "Dwi ddim yn gallu siarad Cymraeg yn iawn ond dwi'n dysgu siarad Cymraeg"

He then spoke to me in English.

After a few songs (and a few glasses of wine!) I ended up talking to another choir member. After a while, the first choir member I had spoken to joined us and said "I thought you said you that you could not speak Welsh yet, but for the last 10 minutes I have been listening to you speaking Welsh with my friend!"

So, what I want to know is; if someone tells you that you have been speaking Welsh, even if you are not aware of it, does this count as a " First Welsh encounter of the nervous kind"? :-?

by **cat** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:44 pm

Absolutely!

:llongyf:

Regardless of what was said, and for how long, you had the guts to speak Welsh to a stranger - well done!

Now that the first encounter is out of the way, what's your next challenge?!

by **Cer** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:24 am

Yeah, I'd say that counts. Especially if it came so naturally that you weren't aware of it. :party:

by **Elinnia** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:15 am

Cer wrote:Yeah, I'd say that counts. Especially if it came so naturally that you weren't aware of it.

I think my lack of awareness that I was speaking Welsh with a stranger had a lot to do with the amount of wine I had consumed :oops:

by **Aran** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:53 am

Elinnia wrote:After a while, the first choir member I had spoken to joined us and said "I thought you said you that you could not speak Welsh yet, but for the last 10 minutes I have been listening to you speaking Welsh with my friend!"

Wine can be brilliant for triggering these breakthrough moments. Congratulations, you are now a Welsh speaker...

From now on, it's just a matter of how often you do it...

by **Cer** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:01 pm

Sounds like the wine just allowed you to approach a stranger and use what you knew how to do.

by **Soap Distant** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:18 pm

Other people have said the same, but it's a complete and utter mystery to me how a learner could possibly speak Welsh and not even realise. :-|

That simply doesn't compute in my brain.

by **Elinnia** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:25 pm

Soap Distant wrote:Other people have said the same, but it's a complete and utter mystery to me how a learner could possibly speak Welsh and not even realise. That simply doesn't compute in my brain.

I agree with you totally! I can't imagine me ever having the courage to do it again, at least not when I am sober!!
It reminded me of some of the conversations I had with very quiet patients as they were going under or coming out of Anesthesia!! If I referred to these conversations later on they would have no recollection of saying anything !
I have read some of your comments on the forum and it is obvious that your command of the Welsh language is excellent, but I agree with you speaking it is a different thing altogether. I think I have a choice between being able to speak Welsh and having an " Alcohol problem" or staying sober and dumb. :sad:

by **roselander** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:39 pm

Brilliant - now I know that I need at least 2 bottles of wine in order to be understood - that's where I was going wrong

Well done. Which lesson are you on?
Rose

by **Elinnia** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:47 pm

roselander wrote:Brilliant - now I know that I need at least 2 bottles of wine in order to be understood - that's where I was going wrong Well done. Which lesson are you on?
Rose

Hi Rose
In one way it is good to find someone with the same problem as me, but in reality,(and speaking as a counsellor now!) I know that all of us who are afraid to try and speak Welsh, and not worry about making mistakes all have a bit of a confidence and self- esteem problem. I am sure that I would be able to help anyone else with this problem, but as for myself........!!!!
Anyway, how did you know I had drunk the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine! Were you there? :wink:

Let me know if ever you are ever brave enough to face up to bootcamp, perhaps we could try it together? ( with lots of wine, of course!)
I am on the intermediate course gwers 8 :smile:

Click HERE to find out for yourself what our Bootcampers thought of the experience...

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