Newsgroups: soc.culture.welsh,sci.lang,alt.uu.lang.misc,swnet.svenska
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!oitnews.harvard.edu!purdue!lerc.nasa.gov!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!chi-news.cic.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!dispatch.news.demon.net!demon!sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk!warwick!bsmail!usenet
From: "D.E.Hockin" <Dave.Hockin@bris.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Mynydd Bach
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Message-ID: <DGDvvw.GDu@uns.bris.ac.uk>
Sender: usenet@uns.bris.ac.uk (Usenet news owner)
Nntp-Posting-Host: pc220.swd.bris.ac.uk
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Organization: Dept. of Social Work, University of Bristol
References: <DFxAv3.A27@uns.bris.ac.uk> <DFy0x6.2wu@cix.compulink.co.uk> <4505hi$ot7@news.ox.ac.uk> <812918610snz@phesk.demon.co.uk> <45j9ao$af0_002@rbk.sollentuna.se> <813521075snz@phesk.demon.co.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 1995 10:59:55 GMT
X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (Windows; I; 16bit)
Lines: 43

Peter Hesketh <pbh@phesk.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <45j9ao$af0_002@rbk.sollentuna.se>
>           rst_t@rbk.sollentuna.se "Ragnar Stahle" writes:
>
>>    Peter Hesketh <pbh@phesk.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>> 
>>  PH> Peter Hesketh from Mynyddbach, (Pronounced money 
>>  PH> back by all locals)
>> 
>> There seems to be some room for linguists here to investigate what 
>> happens to place names in a minority environment where most people 
>> stick to the majority language.
>> 
>> I guess this process has occurred in many places many times throughout 
>> the centuries.
>
>It has certainly happened a lot in east Gwent.  I think the Saxon hordes must 
>have spread quite a way over the Wye, but at a later date than the rest of the 
>UK as many of the placenames are still Welsh.
>
>For example, Mynydd Alltir Fach is pronounced Money Turvey.  The accent is more 
>West-country than Valleys as well.

Don't forget. that for a very long time, until quite recently, it was
 a punishable offence in school, for a welsh pupil to speak his or her
 native welsh tongue. The pupil was made to stand in a corner, in full
 view of the rest of the class, and to wear a board hung from the neck,
 stating "Welsh NOT". Also, it was a crime, contempt of court, for
 anyone to dare to speak their native welsh tongue in a court of law.
 This is how the english tried to kill off the language, and so many
 welsh people were cut off from and are unable to speak their own
 language, and only just now are some regaining it.

Dav.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave.Hockin@bris.ac.uk     | "my thoughts are mine alone, and not
			   |  those of the University"
G4UGT                      |
                           | But I wouldn't mind betting they've
                           | someone working on that already!
------------------------------------------------------------------


