gan Wayne WPS » Iau 26 Chw 2009 3:52 am
Rwyf innau wedi cael yr un ymateb, gyda'r un geiriau ag yn y llythyr yr oedd rhywun arall wedi ei dderbyn. Felly, dyma fi'n ysgrifennu atynt unwaith eto.
"Dear Sir,
"Thank you for your stock reply! This is not a very considered but a purely standard excuse for an answer to my questions. It's exactly the same as one posted on a Welsh language website recently in answer to somebody else! I am understandly slightly unhappy with your response, therefore, and your failure to appreciate the issue here.
"You say that Iceland is very proud of its "Welsh Heritage". Opening a store in Wales 30 years ago does not, I am afraid, signify pride in the heritage of Wales and her language. Nor does your acquisition of 60 stores in the country over that period.
"If you are failing to respect the culture of a bilingual nation such as Wales in all 60 of your stores, then your ignoring Wales' linguistic heritage is in fact all the more reprehensible. It is also, certainly, no cause for jubilation on your part.
"By ignoring the ancient tongue of Wales on such a wide scale it is quite possible that you have contributed to the negativity over 30 long years that some people already have towards Welsh. For a language to survive it has to be visible, and I would like you to reconsider your anti-Welsh policy and adopt a more culturally aware, responsible and equitable approach on this important matter. In a thoroughly Welsh-speaking town like Llangefni this is extremely important. That Welsh has survived for so many hundreds of years alongside English is a miracle, and it is in need of all our support if Welsh speaking is to continue into the future. That should include the support of large employers in Wales. From your point of view, if you are to be seen as a credible Wales-based company, with genuine pride in your Welsh heritage, there is much that you can do to help.
"'Track Attack Cymru’ sounds like a very interesting project and one which I wish you well in, and I think it must be hailed as a welcome contribution to the life of young people in Wales.
"I wonder if you could make a similar commitment to the Welsh language, which is taught to all youngsters in Wales (from the age of 4 to 16) and is set to be a language of the future. Its survival is pretty much a major national concern today. It would set a wonderful example if Iceland could embrace the bilingual signage issue and think about the many, many ways in which you could take a lead among Welsh supermarkets and show the others the way forward!
"In my view you could gain a great deal of publicity on something like this.
Through a concerted campaign to be a leader in the community throughout Wales Iceland could really come to see how its present 'No Welsh' policy was a mistake.
"I look forward to hearing from you, paricularly if you can give consideration to introducing bilingual signage, everywhere in your stores, but as a matter of priority in the store in Llangefni, an area where over 80% speak Welsh as their first language."
Yours, ayyb.
