Dic Siôn Dafydd (, "Dick [son of] John [son of] David") is a pejorative term for Welsh people who disdain the culture of Wales and become Anglophiles instead. The term was coined by Welsh poet John Jones in his satirical ballad to mock Welsh people who moved to England and adopted its culture in order to ingratiate themselves with the English. It is used today as a political insult.
History
During the late 18th century, Welsh poet John Jones published the satirical ballad , following the story of fictional Welshman Dic Siôn Dafydd as he moves to London and begins to disdain the culture of Wales, instead adopting English culture in order to succeed in England. The ballad notes that Dafydd grew up speaking Welsh but becomes pompous after moving to London, insisting on speaking solely English even to his Welsh-speaking mother.
The term has also been used as a political insult in Wales, most commonly to describe a Welsh person perceived as betraying their country for financial and political gain. As an insult, the term has been used to describe Welsh people who become part of the Establishment in Britain while ignoring their Welsh roots. It has also been used to describe Welsh people who only speak English, become Anglophiles or hold Welsh culture in low regard.
Ballad
In popular culture
The name is also mentioned in the folk song Yma o Hyd:
Several Welsh poets have written works in the style of Jones' ballad, including Talhaiarn, who published ("The Parable of Dic Siôn Dafydd the Second") in 1862. During the 1824 National Eisteddfod in Powys, a competition was held where satirical poems following the englyn form were submitted under the predetermined title ("The Epitaph of Dic Siôn Dafydd").
External links
Sheet Music of Performance by
See also
Cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English
Self hatred
References