The relationship between the Welsh and English is mostly characterised by tolerance, respect, and an intermixing of people and cultures. However, elements of mutual mistrust or dislike, and occasionally overt racism, also persist. Hatred or fear of the Welsh by the English or others has been termed "Cymrophobia". Antipathy to the English, by the Welsh or others, is termed "Anglophobia".
The relationship has developed historically from the origins of the two nations, and been shaped by the military, political, economic and cultural power exercised by the much more populous English over the Welsh for many centuries; the marked differences between the English and Welsh languages, both spoken and written; and the high degree of cultural importance given by many in Wales to signifiers of national identity such as the language, literature, history, traditions, and the national sport of rugby union.
The Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain led to the formation of Wales between the 5th and 7th centuries. The Anglo-Norman kings of England had conquered Wales militarily by the 13th century, and under Henry VIII the country was incorporated to the kingdom of England by the Acts of Union in the 16th century. Many elements of the Welsh economy and society since then have been shaped by demands from England, and Wales has been described as "England's first colony". However, Welsh identity remained strong and recently there has been an increasing awareness and acknowledgement of Wales' cultural and historical separateness from England, which has latterly been reflected politically.
The Welsh language is in the Celtic language group, whereas English is in the West Germanic group; consequently many English speakers find it harder to learn and speak Welsh than German or Dutch. Conversely, the majority of Welsh speakers can speak English. As for spelling, the letters w and y represent vowels in Welsh, but often represent consonants in English. Welsh also makes extensive use of digraphs such as ll and dd, and consonant mutations which are rarer in English.
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