Already fluent in eight languages, Israel Lai — a composer from Hong Kong — has added Welsh to his repertoire, and now speaks it with confidence after three years of learning.
Israel moved to England in 2018 to pursue a master’s degree in composition at Oxford University. His first language is Cantonese, and he was educated in English. Before arriving in Oxford, he had never heard of Wales or the Welsh language.
“I love languages,” explains Israel. “So when I heard about the Celtic languages, I was intrigued. They were different from the others I spoke. I did some research to find out which one was most widely spoken, and that was Welsh.”
What began as curiosity soon became a deeper interest in the history and culture behind the language.
“I’d never learned a minority language before,” explains Israel. “I wanted to understand the historical and cultural reasons behind why Welsh is in the position it is today. That sparked something in me.”
Israel began learning Welsh with Duolingo but quickly moved on to Learn Welsh courses. He’s now completed Intermediate and Advanced 1 courses with Learn Welsh North East, run by Coleg Cambria on behalf of the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Israel documents his language journey on his YouTube channel, Rhapsody in Lingo, which has over 13,700 subscribers. The channel originally began as a travel blog, but now features language learning, with a particular focus on Welsh. One of his most popular videos, where he travels through north Wales with his parents, has reached over 400,000 views.
Israel says, “It’s not my intention to boast about how many languages I speak but rather to discuss languages and break down assumptions. I like documenting my journey learning different languages and the challenges I face.”
As a musician, Israel believes there’s a strong link between music and language. He explains: “I think being a musician helps when it comes to learning languages – the ability to mimic accents and new sounds within languages. I hear the melody in a language and practise the new sounds repeatedly to produce them correctly.”
Israel has also decided to focus on one regional accent, choosing the Llŷn Peninsula, as he has a friend from that area.
Israel now lives in Manchester and is studying a PhD in composition. He’s currently discussing ideas with various Welsh artists – including poets and singers – with the hope of creating and co-composing Welsh music in the future.
