Built in the 1880’s the detached double fronted stone faced house on the left was the house that was owned by my paternal grandfather and in which my late father was born in 1906. It is located in the village of Golberdon near Callington in Cornwall. My mother was born in Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire as was I in 1955.
Shortly after moving down to Cornwall in early 2014, I had occasion to visit Truro. Driving there by car I used the efficient and clean Park & Ride system leaving my car in the northern car park. I got on the single decker bus and it set off into the city centre. As the bus slowed down to a stop, a recorded announcement was piped over the loudspeakers announcing the stop – very much in the manner of the London tube, you know the sort of announcement, “next next stop is Green Park……” However, this time I could not understand the announcement! Not because I was struck with sudden deafness, but because the announcement was not in English, but in Cornish!
When I reached my destination (thankfully, I knew the stop from which I needed to alight) I commented to the bus driver. “Having the announcements in Cornish is surreal.” With the question, “How many understand them?” “Hardly anybody!” was his reply! BTW, there was NO English version.
À propos of this BBC’s report (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy852jq7v25o) entitled, “MoD spends millions on private schools to avoid Welsh language”, I can empathise with the service families faced with sending their children to a school that teaches in a language they have no knowledge of.
This because although childhood is the BEST time to learn another language, for children temporarily thrust into an environment that is only going to be temporary, such can only be prejudicial to their academic experience.
This is NOT to say that I oppose the teaching and common use of the Welsh language, or Scottish Gaelic or Irish Gaelic (or Manx Gaelic) – but Common Sense and reasonableness MUST be applied!
I therefore support the MoD’s policy and earnestly hope it survives!
PS: The translation of today’s title from the Welsh is, “This is an example of Welsh!” (Courtesy of Google Translate).