Do you speak Welsh?

A while back "The Welsh Not or Welsh Note or Welsh Stick" was a punishment used in some schools in Wales in the 19th and possibly early 20th century to dissuade children from speaking Welsh. It was represented as a piece of wood, inscribed with the letters "WN", that was hung around the necks of children who spoke Welsh during the school day.

The "not" was given to any child overheard speaking Welsh, who could pass it to a different child if they were overheard speaking Welsh. By the end of the day, the wearer of the "not" would be punished. The purpose of the "not" was to discourage pupils from speaking Welsh, at a time when English was considered by some to be the only suitable medium of instruction. Headmasters were required to seek the approval of parents before implementing a "Welsh not" policy. There is strong evidence of use of the Welsh Not in schools prior to 1870, however it was never official government policy.

I remember my Welsh grand parents telling me that Welsh had to be spoken in secret at home and not in public.

Today Welsh is widely spoken in some parts of the country but English is spoken everywhere.

Where WElsh is spoken the most 2011