11 Plus Exams Forum

Have been looking at the curriculum for DS's school in Sept and see that he will have to choose between Welsh and Latin (as well as doing French) in year 7.

He has studied Welsh since the age of 4 and is not great at it / doesn't particularly like it, although I told him that if he wants to play rugby for Wales he'll have to speak in Welsh for S4C and Clwb Rygby! LOL

Opinions? Help?

mmmm, this may be a thread that causes offence

I would say Latin because it is more transferable and although he isn't strong with his welsh, if he does play for a welsh club he will pick up more of the language later on. I would say the same if we moved back to Scotland and they gave us the option of Gaelic, Scots Dialect or Latin.

ooo Latin any day

yn oes oesoedd
Amen

LOL

I don't know what DS's problem is? What with:

ironing = smoothio (pronounced not spelt)
parking = parcio
line-dancing = stompio (yes, really )
to like = licio

. . .should be a breeze!

Seriously, no offence meant here, I am English but spent a year learning WLPAN (GCSE equivalent) Welsh because I felt it was due respect if I was going to be making a life here.

It's all the mutations that make the language so difficult. For example. the word for darling is 'carriad' but if you wanted to form a sentence with the words 'my darling' in it you would have to say 'fngharriad'.

I would optio for Latinio. Apologisio if an offencio caused (My mother's side of the family are Welshio!!)

Latin, as already said, is more transferable and SO useful to know.

Noswaith dda,(good evening)I'll set the cat among the pidgeons & say Welsh. But only because what I learnt as a child I've since lost. Wish I'd stuck with it,I'm so envious when I go back & listen to even the tinniest tots flitting between Welsh & English effortlessly !

Don't know what I'd encourage my child to choose, but I know that as a child I think I would have been fascinated to learn another language that I could speak without having to travel. It really does seem like an opportunity to be a native speaker of two languages which not many get the opportunity to do. However, given the examples of the language above, in other ways Latin wins!

Actually unless your sejour in Wales is very temporary I would advise Welsh, look at job adverts. How many require Welsh? Not just rugby teams,probably most public sector and maybe many others.

P's Mum - very valid point! In most public sector jobs (in Wales) Welsh is 'desirable' and in some, particularly at the National Assembly it is 'essential'.

We do see ourselves here long-term and DS considers himself Welsh. Oh dear, bang goes DH's dreams of him playing for England! LOL

Perplexed - Hmmmm after 7 years of study he shows no particular aptitude for it although he can converse reasonably about the weather so after an embarrassing defeat for his team he could reply along the lines of "well, it is very cloudy today"

I don't know where you live in Wales, but perhaps the answer is to holiday in Anglesey.