Welsh English is the set of English dialects spoken by the people of Wales, shaped by the grammar of the Welsh language and carrying vocabulary borrowed from it. It is sometimes called Wenglish, a term in use since 1985. Distinct regional accents are found in north Wales, Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys, and west Wales, each shaped differently by neighboring English dialects. The dialect includes Welsh loanwords such as bach for little and nain and taid for grandmother and grandfather, along with grammatical habits such as using isn't it as a general tag question and inverting verb and subject for emphasis, as in Fed up, I am. English became dominant in Wales after the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 to 1542, and its position strengthened further during industrialization and under nineteenth century schooling that discouraged the Welsh language, though western areas still show the strongest Welsh influence on their English speech.
Facts
RegionAccents vary across Wales, including North Wales, Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys and West Wales 1 Speaker CommunitySpeakers whose English is shaped by Welsh grammar and vocabulary drawn from the Welsh language 1 Distinguishing FeaturesKnown colloquially by the portmanteau term Wenglish, in use since 1985 1 Classification
Variety Kind Connections
Descends From
Source Wikipedia: Welsh English
Is A Kind Of Variety
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Found In
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Welsh English
Wikimedia FoundationWelsh English Wikipedia article, lead section, sentence on regional accents
In addition to the distinctive words and grammar, a variety of accents are found across Wales, including those of North Wales, the Cardiff dialect, the South Wales Valleys and West Wales.
Welsh English Wikipedia article, lead section, second sentence
The dialects are significantly influenced by Welsh grammar and often include words derived from Welsh.
Welsh English Wikipedia article, lead section, sentence on the term Wenglish
A colloquial portmanteau word for Welsh English is Wenglish.
Article text
Some thoughts and notes on the English of south Wales : D Parry-Jones, National Library of Wales journal 1974 Winter, volume XVIII/4 Samples of Welsh Dialect(s)/Accent(s) Archived 26 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Welsh vowels David Jandrell: Introducing The Welsh Valleys Phrasebook OED Welsh English Welsh English comprises the dialects of English spoken by Welsh people.
Descends From: English, Lead sentence
Welsh English comprises the dialects of English spoken by Welsh people.
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