John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy works
English and Welsh (1955)
“There is an extra loss for a Welsh poet writing in English, and that is, the longing for Welsh, the secret language.. of all the centuries of speech and song.”
Modern Women Poets (2005)
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Gillian Clarke2
Welsh poet 1937Related quotes
“Even God had a Welsh name:
He spoke to him in the old language”
R.S. Thomas (1913–2000) Welsh poet
"A Welsh Testament"
Tares (1961)
Context: Even God had a Welsh name:
He spoke to him in the old language;
He was to have a peculiar care
For the Welsh people. History showed us
He was too big to be nailed to the wall
Of a stone chapel, yet still we crammed him
Between the boards of a black book.
“Whatever else may come to pass, I do not think that on the Day of Direst Judgement any race other than the Welsh, or any other language, will give answer to the Supreme Judge of all for this small corner of the earth.”
Nec alia, ut arbitror, gens quam haec Kambrica, aliave lingua, in die districti examinis coram Judice supremo, quicquid de ampliori contingat, pro hoc terrarum angulo respondebit.
Gerald of Wales (1146) Medieval clergyman and historian
Book 2, chapter 10, p. 274.
Giraldus quotes these words from an unnamed Welshman.
Descriptio Cambriae (The Description of Wales) (1194)
Leanne Wood (1971) Welsh Plaid Cymru politician
Jeremy Corbyn risks helping case for hard Brexit, Plaid leader warns https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38572882 BBC News (10 January 2017) <br class="br">2017
“When they come together to make music, the Welsh sing their traditional songs, not in unison, as is done elsewhere, but in parts, in many modes and modulations. When a choir gathers to sing, which happens often in this country, you will hear as many different parts and voices as there are performers.”
In musico modulamine, non uniformiter, ut alibi, sed multipliciter, multisque modis et modulis, cantilenas emittunt. Adeo ut in turba canentium, sicut huic genti mos est, quot videas capita, tot audias carmina discriminaque vocum varia.
Gerald of Wales (1146) Medieval clergyman and historian
Book 1, chapter 13, p. 242.
Descriptio Cambriae (The Description of Wales) (1194)
Charles Dickens (1812–1870) English writer and social critic and a Journalist
La difficulté d'écrire l'anglais m'est extrêmement ennuyeuse. Ah, mon Dieu! si l'on pouvait toujours écrire cette belle langue de France!
Letter to John Foster (7 July 1850)
John McWhorter (1965) American linguist and political commentator
Source: Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of "Pure" Standard English
