The above Welsh saying is one of many in a list on the Omniglot website 'about languages', which is well worth a look.
The translation is (as I'm sure you knew!) 'a nation without a language is a nation without a heart'
Many other languages have sayings that express a similar sentiment, for instance a Breton has one that says: 'Hep brezhoneg, breizh ebet' - Without Breton there is no Brittany (notice the similarity in the words for 'without').
In Scottish Gaelic the loss of the language is seen in equally disastrous terms: 'Am fear a chailleas a chanain caillidh e a shaoghal' - He who loses his language loses his world.
Manx plays the blame game, and has a saying that puts the responsibility for the decline of the language(perhaps somewhat harshly!) on the arrival of tourism:
'Tra haink ny skibbyltee boghtey stiagh hie yn Ghaelg magh' - When the tourists came in, the Manx language went out.
I rather like the Yiddish saying that translates to something like this; A language is a dialect with an army and navy..
I have just spouted some inexplicable language towards the television whilst the horrific Eamon Holmes was appearing on it.
ReplyDeleteGyda llaw, dw i wedi bod yn edrycha 'Pen Talar'(S4C Clic). Mae'n da iawn. Wyt i'n meddwl dan ni fydd gweld Awen eto?