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I’ve lived in Carmel for over 50 years, Cilgwyn is where I was raised
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Well done, and you’re in Plas Gwilym now.
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Yes, I’m in Plas Gwilym now.
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And I was at home in Cilgwyn and I'm at home here too remember.
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Yes
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Have you always spoken Welsh?
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Yes, Welsh.
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I'll tell you, my Mum was South Walian and dad from Penygroes, here
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I went to school at the age of four and got a slap on my hand for speaking Welsh.
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And speaking my mother’s Welsh, I was
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"tefe", "dan staer" for 'under the stairs’ but I didn’t know that I was wrong.
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And I went home and said, and my dad said, "Where did you get the slap?"
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"On my hand, here”
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And then he got angry.
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Then he turned to us, we were four children, and mum was there.
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"There is no word of Welsh in this house from now on.
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You all speak English”
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To tell the truth, at the age of four, I didn't really know what he was thinking
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I probably wasn't supposed to know.
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And he says "Out with the children you will be allowed to speak Welsh as you can and as
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you want, but Morfydd must learn correct Welsh
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she’s not getting a slap again”
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And I played with the kids and I picked it up just fine.
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And do you speak Welsh to everyone everyday here?
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Yes, yes
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But, if there's someone English there and wants me to reply, I do but
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I prefer Welsh
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I would speak English, I can, because Mum turned to English at that time of
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language of the ‘south’.
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Then English is at the top of the list in the way I can, but Welsh beats it.
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But I don't know, if I was here and everything was in English, I don't think I could
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stay long.
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No
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it would be good for nothing for me.
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You know when you're going to see Dr Britto now and you know
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that you have to speak English with him.
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How do you feel about that?
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Well, I have freedom, don’t I
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I could say in English to him "I'm sorry, I can't speak English, only that."
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And he would fetch one of the girls to talk to me and for her to tell him what I was
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saying.
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But I don’t need that, I can speak English for myself.
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But I don’t know, it doesn’t come naturally.
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To us Welsh, it doesn’t.
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Do you feel more confident in Welsh?
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Well, yes
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The thing is, when you're Welsh you feel, especially in central Wales,
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"Oh, I’m home.
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"I’ve got the right to speak how I want".
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You see, it brings back to me what that teacher did, give me a slap for
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not speaking correctly.
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In a way I've always been careful how I speak.
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The words have to be right.
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Do you speak Welsh everyday here, Will?
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Every day, nothing else but Welsh.
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How do you feel about Welsh, Will?
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Well, that's the language I was born with.
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My mum and dad and grandparents
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I am Welsh through and through
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I prefer to speak Welsh than English.
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Do you think it makes a difference, Will, to the way you live and your care
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if you can't speak Welsh every day to people?
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Yes, no doubt.
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I wouldn’t feel happy.
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I’m happy here, everyone here is Welsh.
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Everyone, staff and residents.
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It makes a lot of difference.
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A lot.
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In what way?
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Well, it’s my language - Welsh.
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I go to another language when I speak English.
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And I often don't know how to put things across from Welsh to English.
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Right
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Do you know what I mean?
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Yes
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If I want to say something in Welsh I can say it, but if I want to
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say the same thing in English, I have to think.
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Can you still speak English?
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Yes.
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Not good English, but I can communicate
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You know when you chose to come to live in Plas Gwilym, was it important to
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you that it’s a Welsh home?
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Yes, yes