I had a buddy from Derry explain to me “If you’re in the UK and you start having a conversation where you realize three minutes in you have no idea what language the other guy is speaking you’re likely talking with a Welshman”. I thought he was joking. I thought I spoke English then I too met a bunch of people from Wales. My English isn’t that good
I had a Welsh work colleague years ago. A few times he was on the phone and spoke Welsh. None of the mental markers on what language he was speaking seemed to change. It sounded like English, spoken with a Welsh accent. Until my brain tried to interpret it. It was like I had had a stroke. It parsed as English, but wouldn’t make sense. It took a conscious effort to remind myself that he wasn’t speaking English.
I had a buddy from Derry explain to me “If you’re in the UK and you start having a conversation where you realize three minutes in you have no idea what language the other guy is speaking you’re likely talking with a Welshman”. I thought he was joking. I thought I spoke English then I too met a bunch of people from Wales. My English isn’t that good
You can be forgiven for Welsh is a separate language
Yes but they were speaking English which was a language I thought I was fluent in given it is my first language.
I had a Welsh work colleague years ago. A few times he was on the phone and spoke Welsh. None of the mental markers on what language he was speaking seemed to change. It sounded like English, spoken with a Welsh accent. Until my brain tried to interpret it. It was like I had had a stroke. It parsed as English, but wouldn’t make sense. It took a conscious effort to remind myself that he wasn’t speaking English.