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TommyT139

(2,517 posts)

27. Percentages are slightly down in recent years

Sat Jun 13, 2026, 08:01 PM

Jun 13

...but it's still a considerable portion of the populace. I believe there are laws mandating bilingual signs and such. Also, speaking Welsh is a sort of identity choice and perhaps for some, a political signifier -- Plaid Cymru, a left party, seeks local empowerment and independence from Britain.

That makes sense to me -- if I could speak a different language to distinguish myself from the trumpists, besides all the plotting and harmonized hymn-singing, I'd be alllll over that!

For the year ending 30 June 2025, the APS estimated that 27.2% of people aged three years or older were able to speak Welsh. This figure equates to around 836,800 people.

From https://www.gov.wales/welsh-language-data-annual-population-survey-july-2024-june-2025-html

As far as ease and frequency of usage:

Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20% are able to speak a fair amount. 56% of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19% speak the language weekly.

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language

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calimary mwooldri lildDemz

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Highlight:

Best Welsh joke I ever heard. [View all] DFW Jun 13 OP

Woo-hoo! DFW is back! WestMichRad Jun 13 #1

I do feel OK, thanks. But that is the dangerous part DFW Jun 13 #13

Love it SuzyandPuffpuff Jun 13 #2

Home of the Whopperllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoc twodogsbarking Jun 13 #3

Yeah, but keep in mind, there are tourists to respect, so............ DFW Jun 13 #7

I'd like to buy a vowel. twodogsbarking Jun 13 #8

As you may have surmised by the way their towns are spelled DFW Jun 13 #12

Part of the problem is that the puzzle board extends well into the neighboring buildings on each side! nt SeattleVet Jun 13 #31

Snort ❤️😺 littlemissmartypants Jun 13 #4

That's a good one Picaro Jun 13 #5

Hi there DFW! How are you feeling? Great joke! Diamond_Dog Jun 13 #6

I am in that most dangerous stage DFW Jun 13 #10

Haha those are hilarious! Diamond_Dog Jun 13 #15

So glad to see you back! Rhiannon12866 Jun 13 #28

GOOD one!!! calimary Jun 14 #36

I've been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Siwsan Jun 13 #9

Agree, Siwsan, being Welsh must be fun and tongue twisting. Polly Hennessey Jun 13 #16

I spent a year there druidity33 Jun 13 #21

Because of my surname, which is VERY common in Wales, everyone I met said I might be a cousin Siwsan Jun 13 #22

I did a lot of hitch-hiking around druidity33 Jun 13 #25

Percentages are slightly down in recent years TommyT139 Jun 13 #27

So have I! I remember taking a photo of my parents in front of that extremely long sign! Rhiannon12866 Jun 13 #29

I've heard lots of people pronounce it Siwsan Jun 14 #37

That's actually pretty easy to pronounce..... lastlib Jun 13 #34

I heard that as a Texas joke cab67 Jun 13 #11

That puts us all in a which came first dilemma DFW Jun 13 #14

The first Dairy Queen in Texas was 1947 IronLionZion Jun 13 #18

Knowing Wales DFW Jun 13 #24

1992 in Cardiff IronLionZion Jun 13 #26

I heard it as a Texas joke too... momta Jun 13 #17

Explore the Jaw-Dropping Charm of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch! IronLionZion Jun 13 #19

I heard this as a Wisconsin joke, Oconomowoc fargone Jun 13 #20

It's certainly the best Welsh joke I've ever heard, but also the worst, as it's the only one I've ever heard. NNadir Jun 13 #23

Not to be outdone by the Welsh, Massachusetts has its own entry: Totally Tunsie Jun 13 #30

If the native Americans had ever had phonetic written languages DFW Jun 14 #40

A version of the same joke in Texas for forty-plus years, I guess. Ilsa Jun 13 #32

Been around in Texas for a very long time. Name of the town differs. efhmc Jun 14 #38

How to celebrate St. David's Day cyclonefence Jun 13 #33

I thought Germans coined long words, Lionel Mandrake Jun 14 #35

Germans are amateurs compared to the Welsh and the Finns. DFW Jun 14 #39

I think I know where she got her language ability. Lionel Mandrake Jun 15 #42

We are fairly sure, anyway DFW Jun 15 #43

By a strange coincidence, that's where Lionel Mandrake Jun 16 #44

I was there in 1982 mcar Jun 14 #41