Talk:Welsh language

It is necessray to state that employment in parts of the public sector now requires applicants to be Welsh-speakers. I don't have the details on this, but it is controversial and many native Welsh speakers object to it on hte grounds that the use of the language is unnecessary for the jobs.--Martin Baldwin-Edwards 06:00, 7 November 2007 (CST)

Language groups

Welsh is closer to Breton than to the other Gaelic branches, which is not mentioned in the text. I think there is also some closeness with Basque,. but am less sure about that. --Martin Baldwin-Edwards 12:32, 8 November 2007 (CST)

You're absolutely right - I had forgotten about Breton! Thanks. But Basque is a 'language isolate', with no obvious connections to other European languages. I recall, however, some evidence that Welsh people of Celtic descent shared some common genetic heritage with ethnic Basque people. I think it was the biologist Steve Jones, himself a Welshman, who pointed this out. John Stephenson 19:24, 8 November 2007 (CST)

Welsh words in English

It is easy to find lots of potential candidates, but I have only included examples which can't really be disputed. Others are obsolete, such as 'cromlech', and still more have competing explanations, often pointing to other Celtic languages as their source. John Stephenson 01:01, 2 April 2008 (CDT)