Doctor Cymraeg’s take on the English language delights Welsh learners

Nation.Cymru Staff

Doctor Cymraeg has won praise online after imagining what it would sound like if people complained about English in the same way some criticise Welsh.

In a video uploaded to social media, Stephen Rule, better known as Doctor Cymraeg turns familiar arguments about the Welsh language on their head by applying them to English instead.

The sketch jokes about everything from regional dialects and accents to grammar and pronunciation, with Rule saying: “I can only understand one dialect of English. Can’t understand any others. Why are there so many words for the same thing? Sofa, couch, settee. Just pick one, English. It’s confusing.

“In Yorkshire they say ‘t’pub’, but everywhere else they say ‘to the pub’. It’s no wonder no one wants to learn this language.

“I tried speaking English once, but someone from Somerset corrected my pronunciation, so I gave up. Why does America have different English? They’ve changed it all. Should be banned.

“I don’t want my kids learning English. They’ll only get an accent.

“English needs to be simplified. All these regionalisms are just putting learners off. Why can’t you all just speak proper English like the people on the BBC? Sorry, I can’t understand you unless you speak the King’s English. My brain just can’t process anything else.

“No offense, but I don’t like the sound of Northern English. It’s too harsh, too northern.

“I’d learn English, but the grammar is too confusing. Read and read are spelled the same. That’s not a language. That’s a trap.

“Why do English words mutate sometimes? Like an apple or a banana? Like shelf, shelves. How do people even cope? I don’t want to speak English unless I can speak it perfectly with absolutely no mistakes ever. Otherwise, what’s the point?

“I used English in Tesco and they replied with a different dialect, so I stopped using it.”

Viewers praised the video, with one adding to the skit with the commonly purported story: “I walked into a pub in England and they all stopped speaking Cymraeg and started speaking English as soon as they heard my Welsh accent! So rude…”

Despite its comedic purpose, another commenter described how accurate a view of English it was for those with Welsh as a first language, saying: “I remember being surprised that “yot” was really spelt “yacht”!!!”

Others shared how Doctor Cymraeg’s way of looking at it could be beneficial, with one writing: “My Welsh language is very poor, my mum was fluent north and south (all my old’s and ancestors are totally Welsh) . . . You have re-invigorated my hidden desire to re-learn Welsh.”

Another wrote: “This video should be made to be textbook stuff for all teachers of Welsh for beginners. It’s a really good explanation of why learning Welsh isn’t any different from learning any other language! It would save a hell of a lot of time in the class! ” 

Since 2020, Doctor Cymraeg has become a standout figure in online Welsh learning, gaining almost 100,000 followers on Instagram alone.

Originally from Wrecsam, the creator has gone viral multiple times for sharing the nuances of the Welsh language, as well as for supporting those learning Welsh around the world.

He can often be found answering learners’ questions publicly, or offering advice on places to use Welsh ‘in the wild’.

You can find more from Doctor Cymraeg on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram here, as well as on his website.