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Welsh automated announcements

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merlodlliw

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I think thsoe should be cut out in English as well as Welsh![/QUOTE] Greenback
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I have no problems with this, it is the bolt ons that go on forever,all people want to know is

1. Where its going to.

2.the stops

3.is it on time/late

This endless banter, mind the edge, don't smoke, don't leave luggage is a turn off and nothing more than noise pollution.
 
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Greenback

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You seem to be missing the point though fella. The announcement is played, for information. I have no objection at all to the Welsh language, I can't speak it but I have to speak to customers in Wales every day and I make it a common courtesy to learn the correct pronunciation of towns/streets where appropriate.

However the railway network is for the use of the United Kingdom's public as a whole. Play Welsh annoucements by all means, but far more people in Wales understand English (everyone, even if some probably wouldn't admit it) than do Welsh. So in the case of, for example, a short notice platform alteration, the information isn't getting out to the majority of people who need it, as quickly as it could, because information for the minority is being played our first, for no other reason than dogmatic political ideology.

I am glad you agree that Welsh announcements shuld be played. I don;t think there is anyone in Wales who speaks Welsh fluently and doesn'y understand English, so I am not going to disagree there.

I don't know how many people have missed their train because a Welsh announcement of a platform change was played first. I know I've missed one at Newport because I couldn;t udnerstand the English announcement! That was because of the poor qaulity of the man who made the announcement as an override to the system, plus the fact that I was some way away from the nearest speaker!

As I've said, I think it's far more important that Welsh contineus to be used wherever possible/ This will make up for the decades in which it was considered to be pointless, which led to the position we have today, wher eonly a small % speak the language. If that's political dogma, fine, it was certainly political dogma to try and kill the language off in the late 19th and early 20th centuries!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I have no problems with this, it is the bolt ons that go on forever,all people want to know is

1. Where its going to.

2.the stops

3.is it on time/late

This endless banter, mind the edge, don't smoke, don't leave luggage is a turn off and nothing more than noise pollution.

I agree. The more these largely pointless announcements are played, the less people listen to them,.and therefore it becomes more likely they will mentally shut out and so miss an important announcement.
 

thefab444

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Okay, so give one real advantage of playing the Welsh announcements first.

If, say, 75% of people in Wales spoke Welsh and a small number spoke Welsh only, then there would be a real justification to play the Welsh announcements first. But, railway station announcements are not a political statement, they are there to aid as many people as possible in getting the right train, so the most commonly spoken language should come first. By all means have Welsh announcements, but the English announcements should take precedence.
 

Greenback

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I am not really bothered whether Welsh is played first or not. I just want it to be the same across Wales, rather than place A having Welsh first and place B, further along the same route having it last!

I think that would be even more confusing!
 

merlodlliw

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I am not really bothered whether Welsh is played first or not. I just want it to be the same across Wales, rather than place A having Welsh first and place B, further along the same route having it last!

I think that would be even more confusing!

thinking of confusion, I took a trip on the Border Line this week, the 150s have a Valley Lines map above the seats, a lot of use up here & confused looks from passengers.
 

Greenback

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Remind sme of a few years ago, when there was a Looe Valley liveried set shuttling up and down to Pembroke, taking holidaymakers to tenby rather than Cornwall!

I suppose it's pretty impossible to keep particular sets in one area!
 

mickey

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Everyone in the Netherlands seems to speak English, why not have all anouncements in English there?
Please don't throw logical fallacies around. English is the everyday language of Newport and Monmouthshire. It is not the everyday language of the Netherlands.
Bad example - in the Netherlands they do have announcements in English nearly everywhere. After Dutch of course, but still there. And they are very strict about the order of announcements - on trains that come in from Germany, they have Dutch first, then German, then English (plus Polish on the ones that travel from Szczecin). Before the border though they have German first, then Dutch, then English. They seem to manage fine.
 

Greenback

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Mrs Greenback finds 'ysmygo' quite funny, for some reason. I've never found the word, or the announcement amusing myself though! Each to their own!
 

merlodlliw

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Mrs Greenback finds 'ysmygo' quite funny, for some reason. I've never found the word, or the announcement amusing myself though! Each to their own!

One up to you old friend after yesterdays vote in WAG, making Welsh an equal status Lang with English, now they will have to employ English speakers at Caernarvons Tesco:)

Anyhow this paper mountain will have to be sorted, two of everything is or will be over the top, I get two Council Tax bills,elec,water,telephone already with no choice of just getting one of my choice, such a waste of paper, no politics here or meant.
 

Greenback

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Never mind Tesco, it's the Spar in Harlech I'm worried about! When I lived there it was extremely rare to hear any English spoken in that shop! Fair do's, even the non Welsh students at the Coleg tried to speak a bit of Welsh to join in!
 

mickey

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I had a trip to Holyhead last weekend, and heard not a word of Welsh the whole way. The guard didn't even show his face mind, so as far as I was concerned he might as well not have been there, but I expected to find at least something bilingual (and no, the Bae Colwyn sign didn't really count!).
 

merlodlliw

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Never mind Tesco, it's the Spar in Harlech I'm worried about! When I lived there it was extremely rare to hear any English spoken in that shop! Fair do's, even the non Welsh students at the Coleg tried to speak a bit of Welsh to join in!

Ah you lived in bandit country, I took part in Sioe Sir Meirion held at Harlech last August, I was Chief steward for two horse sections http://www.sioesir.co.uk/
this is a very Welsh Language area, although I speak it, but being from Wrexham, I am an incomer :) On the way to the showground,from Traws direction, I crossed the rail line about 4 times in a few miles,a kind of heart of ertms area now.
The rattle of the arian.garwch soon makes the locals speak Saesneg at the Spar which also doubles as the entertainment centre:),if I recall. What on earth did you do when Harlech shuts at 6p.m. Oct to April.
M
 

Greenback

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I regularly got drunk with the locals in the Lion, The Rum Hole (now changed it's name), The Queens, The Sports Club (now closed I believe), The Castle (soo to be a Visitor Centre) and the St David's Hotel! I played darts on Fridays in The Queens and won two trophies!

It was a period of rather too much drinking I'm afraid!
 

merlodlliw

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I regularly got drunk with the locals in the Lion, The Rum Hole (now changed it's name), The Queens, The Sports Club (now closed I believe), The Castle (soo to be a Visitor Centre) and the St David's Hotel! I played darts on Fridays in The Queens and won two trophies!

It was a period of rather too much drinking I'm afraid!

Ah yes, one of the hobbies of Bandit Country,wonder if local parents still lock in their daughters after twilight:) perhaps its changed now you have left:D

anyhow my favourite place in the area was Dyffryn Ardudwy, glorious sand dunes with views of the MOD Drones & railway, spent a few weekends there
in the 80s with swmbo while leading her astray;)

M
 
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