MAGAZINE
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What’s in a
Ynys Llanddwyn
Lowri Llewelyn discusses Welsh place names, and how they are just as vital to our national identity as the places themselves...
I was browsing social media this week when I came
As a first language Welsh speaker, I’d like to explain why
across a photo of Ynys Llanddwyn, so named because of its
this Anglicisation of ancient names hurts my heart.
association with Dwynwen, Welsh patron saint of lovers. The photo had been tagged “Lover’s Island”. When prompted, the
Between the eighteenth and early twentieth centuries,
poster asserted that their version was “more poetic” than the
Welsh school children caught speaking their mother tongue
actual Welsh name.
were physically punished, having already endured the humiliation of wearing a heavy wooden plaque reading “Welsh Not” around their necks. In 1870, the Education Act stated that children must be taught in English only. In 1847, a school report known today as the “Treachery of the Blue Books” blamed the Welsh language for stupidity, insolence and even sexual promiscuity. In 1536, English was made the only legal language of Wales. We have been forced to defend our language for many centuries. Though at first glance it may seem like we have finally gained respect, as a Welsh speaker, I feel quite differently. Yes, we have bilingual road signs, but that’s because Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) took it upon themselves to
Porth Trecastell
Page 16 NWM 2021
deface and remove English-only signs.
