‘In the Patagonian desert I met a petrol attendant who spoke perfect Welsh’

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/31/interview-matthew-rhys-speaking-welsh-language

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Welsh is my first language.

Growing up in an age where the language was legitimately under threat has given me an appreciation for its journey and survival and, consequently, an enormous sense of pride.

The greatest moment of resonance for me happened when I travelled to Chubut in southern Patagonia. The Welsh travelled there in 1865 in order to set up a colony and it is still spoken there today.

I arrived, picked up a car and had been driving through the desert for some time. I pulled in to buy petrol. The old attendant filled up the car and said something in Spanish I couldn’t understand. He then shouted to his wife in perfect Welsh, “what’s 45 in English?” I was stunned. Not only for the surrealism of the moment but because his accent sounded like someone who had never left Wales let alone been raised in a desert.

I then crossed Argentina on horseback with 30 gauchos, all of Welsh descent. About half of them spoke Welsh – the elders speaking it with the same accent as my grandfather, the younger ones speaking it with a strong Argentine accent.

Maybe one of my favourite things about speaking a minority language is using it outside of Wales to talk when you don’t want others to know what you’re saying.

Although, that went spectacularly wrong once on a train in England when describing a young lady to a friend who had his back to her. She answered her phone and began speaking in Welsh and looked at me. Thankfully, I was incredibly complimentary.

To me the most important thing is the survival of my language. However there’s no doubt it has enormously enriched my skill set as an actor. It gives another perspective on language as a whole and I enjoy the detective work of etymology when you see the crossovers in other languages.

This piece is part of the exhibition The languages that changed my life being held at the Guardian offices in London, 13-31 October.