
Originally Posted by
manker
We are talking about different things here...
I have no qualms about a language 'borrowing' a word from another language and putting a more phonetically agreeable version in its own dictionary to fill in any logic gaps therein. As you say, that happens in all languages, and has happened in every language ever. For example, if English people wanted to use the phrase Pen y Cwm in theit dictionary, and spell it Pennycome, then fine, go ahead, because I know that the Oxford dictionary (which happens to be a very good one) would give an accurate account of the word's origin.
My 'beef' is with English people crossing the border and expecting here to be an extension of England. Take for example place names. I can carry on calling England 'Lloegr', or calling Scotland 'Yr Alban', but I would never dream of forcing those names on the places. It happens so much in Welsh towns (not so much in villages simply because they are too small), and half the time the English versions of the names don't even make sense, and bear no relevance to the locality or its surroundings. And whether or not you think I'm being over the top, that is cultural genocide by the linguistically philistine English towards Welsh people.
I know that some may think that I'm generalising and brandishing a lot of people, but when you've seen evidence of immense disrespect for our language/culture every day of your life, you begin to lose faith and start thinking that ALL the English have the same contempt for our identity. I try not to have this opinion all the time, but sometimes it's impossible not to. How many English people have heard of the Tryweryn outrage? Or even Clywedog? Not many I bet. The English media keep things like that away from the people.
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