More Nationalist No-No Confessions

Putting the recent census figures to one side (I returned to this in the spring), the Welsh language is being gradually reasserted as the default naming convention language for places and landmarks in Wales; most recently the retitling of Snowdon and Snowdonia to Y Wyddfa and Eryri respectively by the National Park Authority.

There are many vocal advocates for doing the same for the nation – switching from “Wales” to “Cymru” – with active discussions about the national football teams doing so.

As you probably know, “Wales” derives from the Germanic stem “Walh”/”Walhaz”, meaning that “Wales” and its derivatives are names largely given to us by outside forces than ones we chose ourselves.

But it’s been twisted to attain a mythical status as an insult because “Walh”/”Walhaz” supposedly means “foreigner”. One of the more outlandish suggestions I’ve seen in the last few years (on Reddit which, in fairness, was quickly shot down) is that it even means “slave”.

(Edit. Prof. Martin Johnes has cited some scholars of Old English who suggest that at least one of the derivatives of “Walh” may have been used to denote strangers/foreigners – specifically Celtic, which is quite broad – and even in some interpretations “slave/captive”; though possibly a “slave/captive” from a particular group rather than the group itself).

What it actually signifies is a Romance-language (or sounding) speaking people otherwise not of Germanic descent, marking the boundaries of the Roman Empire. It’s the same case for Wallonia in modern-day Belgium and Wallachia in modern-day Romania. There’s little that’s offensive in it other than fairly mild Teutonic xenophobia.

Almost, but not all, names for Wales in other languages are based either on “Walh” (literally or phonetically), Britons (the Irish word for Wales translating to mean “Little Britain”) or Gaul/Gauls. Few other languages have a name based on “Cymru” – Gaelic being one of the few exceptions and we’ve returned the compliment with “Yr Alban”.

Wales wouldn’t be the first nation to try reasserting a self-determined identity. One of the foremost examples is Eswatini (formerly known in English as Swaziland). Though unless you’re making a point of being culturally sensitive or diplomatic it rarely catches on.

Very few people call Ireland its official name “Éire” in daily conversation – though most Irish public corporations and companies use it in some form (i.e. Eircom, Iarnród Éireann). I don’t think the Czech’s move to retitle their country Czechia has caught on. “North Macedonia” remains a work in progress. Remember it’s now “Türkiye” not “Turkey”; surely you haven’t forgotten?

Maybe there’s an element of one-sidedness in the Cymru drive too. The Welsh name for Finland, for example, remains the more Anglicised “Y Ffindir” instead of something resembling “Suomi” – which may have a similar origin and meaning as “Cymru” does in Welsh. If we’re going to expect the rest of the world to use “Cymru” then shouldn’t we take similar actions in reverse?

I use Wales when referring to Wales in English and, conversely, I’ve almost always used “Senedd” rather than “Welsh Parliament” (or “National Assembly”) because it’s far less of a mouthful. Using “Cymru” it’s no less correct but it’s no better or worse for being in the Welsh language.

If it makes you happy, great – more power to you. But cultural renaissance it ain’t. We’ve got bigger problems that require a hell of a lot more effort and attention. We’re fond of a righteous grievance in Wales, but this is one of the more baffling ones.