Where Duolingo falls down / How I learned to speak Welsh with my mother

 

Where Duolingo falls

Dan Fox's taid, outside Tal-y-Braich Uchaf, Eryri (Snowdonia), c 1965. Photograph: Courtesy of Dewi Jones

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother

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Dan Fox's taid, outside Tal-y-Braich Uchaf, Eryri (Snowdonia), c 1965. Photograph: Courtesy of Dewi Jones

Once violently defended from extinction, Welsh is still a part of daily life. By learning my family’s language, I hoped to join their conversation

by Dan Fox

Thursday 12 Marc 2026

My maternal grandmother died 20 years ago. The funeral was held in a small Methodist chapel in the lush Conwy valley of north Wales. Her entire life – she had almost reached 100 – was spent in these hills. The drizzle that morning had slicked the trees and turned the slate of the chapel black. Our family, gathered under umbrellas, entered in order of seniority: Mum, now the family elder, with Dad on her arm, then my six aunts and uncles with their spouses, and finally the cousins, led by my brother Mark and me.