Wales

scarletkettle · Apr 1, 2009

I can read everything there is about current Wales, but what I need is first hand feeling. Is there anyone out there who can help me? I need to know the 'feeling' in Wales. What the people are like. Just the overall impression. Since I will never get to go. LOL

Thanks in advance!

waylander · Apr 1, 2009

Which part of Wales?
South Wales (formerly heavily industrialised) is very different from rural mid-Wales (all sheep and mountains)

scarletkettle · Apr 1, 2009

I was looking at Cardiff. Because the castle looks livable. But I need a place that isn't extremely populated. I guess the sheep and mountains is what I'm looking for. Thanks!

girlyswot · Apr 1, 2009

scarletkettle said:
I can read everything there is about current Wales, but what I need is first hand feeling. Is there anyone out there who can help me? I need to know the 'feeling' in Wales. What the people are like. Just the overall impression. Since I will never get to go. LOL

Thanks in advance!

The people are like... people. That is to say, the same and also different.

Seriously, you need to get more specific in your questions.

scarletkettle · Apr 1, 2009

Ok girlyswot...here's what I mean. People from NY are thought of as being rude and pushy. California, blonde surfer dudes. KY, ignorant hilljacks. FL, old people trying to get away from the cold. How do the Welsh come across? What is the feeling there? Welcoming, gloomy, are people rude to tourists?

firedrake · Apr 1, 2009

It depends where in Wales you go.

In certain parts there is a very strong Nationialist element and they would rather die than speak English to an English-person, allegedly. I never found any problem when I was there.

It also depends if you're talking present day or in the past because, clearly, there's a lot of 'history' between the welsh and the english and attitudes change over time.

It's a beautiful country, the Welsh people I know are brilliant, I could listen to them talk forever.

But, it's kind of hard to answer your question.

girlyswot · Apr 1, 2009

scarletkettle said:
Ok girlyswot...here's what I mean. People from NY are thought of as being rude and pushy. California, blonde surfer dudes. KY, ignorant hilljacks. FL, old people trying to get away from the cold. How do the Welsh come across? What is the feeling there? Welcoming, gloomy, are people rude to tourists?

Do you want to know what Welsh people are actually like or are you asking what are the commonly perceived stereotypes? Also, are you asking about the contemporary situation (in which case why are you on the historical board) or some other era (in which case you need to specify - the history between the Welsh and the English, for example, is long and complicated - sometimes enemies, sometimes vassal, sometimes tentative allies).

Perhaps we could help you better if we also knew why you are asking. Are you trying to write a Welsh character or to write someone visiting Wales, for instance?

girlyswot · Apr 1, 2009

firedrake said:
In certain parts there is a very strong Nationialist element and they would rather die than speak English to an English-person, allegedly. I never found any problem when I was there.

I've been to places with my Welsh-speaking friend where the shop assistants and so on would effectively exclude me from the conversation by only speaking Welsh with her. On my own, I've never had any trouble - everyone I've met speaks English perfectly well and happily.

scarletkettle · Apr 1, 2009

Thank you all. Great help!

Carmy · Apr 1, 2009

It doesn't look like a Welsh person answered this thread, so here goes.

The Welsh are no different from any other nation, we have our polite and rude people, but we are very aware of our cultural heritage and proud history. Don't forget that many of the people now living in Wales are from England.

Once you move away from the industrialized area along the south east coast, and a place or two on the Pembroke and Anglesey coasts, most of Wales is rural.

Because you posted on the Historical forum, is there a particular time period you are interested in checking out?

scarletkettle · Apr 1, 2009

Thanks Carmy! I couldn't find a forum to ask questions like this. I'm doing present day in Wales, but my character is from the twelfth century.

Sirius · Apr 2, 2009

Specifically with regard to Cardiff Castle, it looks liveable because it was extensively remodelled and rebuilt in the mid-19th century so it has all mod cons, and is not something which your 12th century person is likely to recognise at all. With specific reference to castles in Wales, incidentally, the long chain of castles such as Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernavon and so forth were explicitly built by Edward I and successors as a visible symbol of the iron boot of England keeping the Welsh in check so a) weren't built until the 13th/early 14th century and b) tend to be regarded with considerable ambivalence (to put it mildly) by those Welsh people who regard Edward I as rather like Hitler but without the endearing traits (which is most of the Welsh people I know).

waylander · Apr 2, 2009

Wales in the 12th century was an independent state - or collection of small warlords - nominally ruled over by a high king such as Owain ap Gwynedd. For most of the 12th century there was strife with Norman England and internal conflict.
Your 12th century character would almost certainly speak Welsh as first language, maybe some Latin if educated. Not sure how well they would understand modern Welsh, but modern English would be a completely alien tongue to them

Suse · Apr 2, 2009

Sirius said:
With specific reference to castles in Wales, incidentally, the long chain of castles such as Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernavon and so forth were explicitly built by Edward I and successors as a visible symbol of the iron boot of England keeping the Welsh in check so a) weren't built until the 13th/early 14th century and b) tend to be regarded with considerable ambivalence (to put it mildly) by those Welsh people who regard Edward I as rather like Hitler but without the endearing traits (which is most of the Welsh people I know).

We Scots don't recall him with much love either!

Scarletkettle, your character is a time traveller, have I got that right?? I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't imagine the language barrier between Medieval and modern Welsh would be impossible to overcome. Maybe the equivalent of Chaucer to modern English. So you're looking for modern Welsh attitudes/stereotypes?

waylander · Apr 2, 2009

Suse said:
Scarletkettle, your character is a time traveller, have I got that right?? I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't imagine the language barrier between Medieval and modern Welsh would be impossible to overcome. Maybe the equivalent of Chaucer to modern English.

I suspect it may be closer between medieval and modern Welsh than modern English and Chaucer

Suse · Apr 2, 2009

Probably, and certainly no more difficult than that is what I mean.

scarletkettle · Apr 2, 2009

Thank you very much guys. That gives me a lot to think of. I appreciate it.

Carmy · Apr 3, 2009

Waylander and Suse have it right. However . . .

Welsh (Brythonic or P-Celtic) is -- how can I put this -- weird? The Cornish and Breton languages are also P-Celtic. If I take my time, I can decipher Breton writing but, if you saw the three languages written down side by side, you wouldn't think there was much of a connection. When spoken, we can make ourselves understood and carry on a conversation. I think the same thing would come into play between the Welsh your 12th century character speaks and the way modern Welsh is spoken. What your 12th century character may not understand is the many English words that have crept into and been adopted by modern Welsh.

Willowmound · Apr 3, 2009

scarletkettle said:
Thanks Carmy! I couldn't find a forum to ask questions like this.

The forum you're looking for is here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=66

You'll get a lot more answers there as well. Only history types come here.

Wales

scarletkettle

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

scarletkettle

girlyswot

scarletkettle

firedrake

practical experience, FTW

girlyswot

girlyswot

scarletkettle

Carmy

scarletkettle

Sirius

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Suse

wants mutant powers

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Suse

wants mutant powers

scarletkettle

Carmy

Willowmound

Lightly salted