Self-taught Welsh learner travels 4,000 miles to sit exam

A self-taught Welsh learner has travelled more than 4,000 miles to sit an exam in the language.

Jeff Narvil, 57, an administrative law judge from Jackson, Mississippi, has spent the past 14 months studying Welsh, largely on his own, often in the early hours of the morning.

In January, he travelled to Cardiff to take the A1 Welsh-language exam, which tests reading, writing, listening and speaking.

He said the experience had been challenging but rewarding and he hoped to carry on learning the language.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, he has learned Spanish, French, German and Irish, and said returning to language learning as an adult felt like revisiting something he had once loved.

"I have always had an interest in learning other languages", he said, explaining Welsh appealed to him because it is spoken by choice rather than necessity.

"Everyone who speaks Welsh also speaks English", he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"Nobody's required to do it, but they do out of love for their culture, and that was really attractive to me."

He began studying Welsh in late 2024 using apps, textbooks and online resources, but said the lack of people to practise within the US made learning difficult.

Time difference added to the challenge, with some online courses scheduled for the early hours of the morning in Mississippi.

"That just doesn't work", he said, explaining he sometimes had to wake up before 03:00 to take part in lessons.

"It would be a dream if I became fluent and people tried to guess which part of Wales I was from," he added.

Alongside the exam in Cardiff, Jeff and his wife Fran travelled across the country, visiting Caerphilly castle, St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Betwys-y-Coed in Conwy county and Harlech in Gwynedd.

"I did fall in love with Wales when I visited, but I actually started learning Welsh before I had properly seen it," Jeff said.

"I was glad I didn't plan to be in Cardiff the whole week," he said. "I really enjoyed the little towns."

He also had the chance to practise his Welsh with local people, including shop staff and cafe workers, and said people were encouraging and patient when he explained he was learning the language.

Although he does not yet know whether he passed the exam, Mr Narvil said taking it had already achieved its purpose.

"It would be very embarrassing if I didn't pass," he joked, adding he still planned to continue learning.

"Even if I fail the exam, I will definitely come back."

Jeff's exam results are expected in early March.