My wife has a pretty pukka English accent but happens to speak Welsh because she spent her early childhood years there and was taught in the language. Many years ago, on holiday in Snowdonia, and obviously English as we were speaking to one another, a teenage lad approached and asked us the time in Welsh (something she used to do to tourists as well). Mrs Cotto glanced at her watch and replied in French.
We nearly bought a house in Kilconquahar in the East Neuk of Fife. I had visions of having to spell it out every time I gave my address over the phone.
It is pronounced Kunh yuh kuh. Need a drink or 2 to get that right!
We also looked at one in Yetts o'Muckhart ... really wanted to buy that one.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I have absolutely no problem with Welsh place names being used, but it makes much more sense to have the English version (something most people can pronounce) as well. It's commonplace throughout large parts of Scotland and nobody has a problem with doing it there.
I had a Scottish mum and spent most holidays up there as a kid, and many since then. My wife is English and had to get me to translate what people were saying on her early visits. She was so chuffed when she finally managed to say Auchtermuchty without the 'uch' being pronounced as a 'k'.
Even something innocent looking, like Machynlleth, takes quite a lot of spit. Opposite problem in Cornwall - visitors always want to make Doublebois sound exotically French. The locals don't
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
We used to live near Theydon Bois in Essex, pronounced Boys, but used to confuse those who expected it to sound French. Very chuffed that a Scottish colleague taught me the correct pronunciation for Kirkcudbright. However, I do remember having a Swedish niece and nephew in tears of laughter by trying to read the local place names.
I have difficulty making the correct sound for ll in welsh words.
I think the proposal is to prioritise the Welsh versions of place names, not do away with the English versions altogether? I can't see a problem with that. They're both official languages in Wales.
A lot of Welsh place names are the same in English and Welsh anyway, but some are written differently (eg Biwmares/Beaumaris). Lots of places (particularly smaller ones) don't even have an English version of their names (eg Betws y Coed) so we have to get to grips with those if we're visiting, anyway. Some have English names that aren't even translations of the Welsh names though - Caergybi, Porthaethwy and so on. Google maps (for example) seems to have only the English versions, so they need to keep both on signs or it would cause a lot of confusion.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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We nearly bought a house in Kilconquahar in the East Neuk of Fife.
I had visions of having to spell it out every time I gave my address over the phone.
It is pronounced Kunh yuh kuh. Need a drink or 2 to get that right!
We also looked at one in Yetts o'Muckhart ... really wanted to buy that one.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/nhs-to-cure-blot-on-gloucesters-landscape-with-multi-million-pound-investment
I'm all for making things energy efficient etc (especially hospitals, the amount of energy they consume must be something else), but this ?
Opposite problem in Cornwall - visitors always want to make Doublebois sound exotically French. The locals don't
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
However, I do remember having a Swedish niece and nephew in tears of laughter by trying to read the local place names.