Dysgwyr Cilgwri

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

2012-01-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb! Mae 2012 (dwy fil a deuddeg) wedi cyrraedd, ac mae'n amser i wneud 'adduned' y flwyddyn newydd.... efallai?

Dwi'n mynd i ymdrechu darllen un llyfr yn y Gymraeg pob mis dros y deuddeg (12) mis nesa, adduned sy' ddim yn rhy uchelgeisiol, ond gawn ni weld!

Blwyddyn newydd dda - happy new year (lit. good new year)
pawb - everybody
cyrraedd - arrived
adduned - resolution
efallai - maybe
ymdrechu - to make an effort
pob - every
dros - over
nesa - next
sy' ddim - which isn't
rhy - too
uchelgeisiol - ambitious
gawn ni weld - we'll see

Diwedd tymor a blwyddyn newydd

2011-12-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

Gaethon ni cwis bach nos fercher i orffen tymor o 'sesiynau siarad' yn y Clwb Lever ym Mhort Sunlight.  Yn anffodus, oherwydd function, oedd yn digwydd lawr grisiau roedd rhaid i ni symud i ystafell llai cyffordus a mwy 'Dickensian' (oedd fel oergell o gymharu i weddill yr adeilad) a rhannu efo'r tim dartiau merched, ond roedd 'na ddigon o le i ni i gyd. Wnes i deimlo ychyig o embaras ar ol darganfod roed fy ateb i'r cwestiwn cyntaf yn anghywir, ond ar ol hynny aeth pethau'n olew... dwi'n meddwl!   Wnaeth Nigel a Terry ennill y wobr cyntaf, (wel yr unig gwobr a dweud y gwir!) sef par o lyfrau i ddysgwyr, a gaethon nhw sgor parchus iawn.

Dwi'n credu bod y sesiynau wedi bod yn llwyddianus, ac mae hi wedi bod yn braf cael y cyfle cadw mewn cysylltiad efo pawb. Ar gyfartaledd dan ni wedi cael tua 8 yn y sesiynau, sy'n calonogol iawn dwi'n meddwl.   Dan ni wedi trefnu ail-ddechrau ar y 4edd o Ionawr 2012.

Felly rhag ofn i mi beidio cael cyfle i flogio eto cyn y Nadolig...

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb!! (a diolch yn fawr am yr anrhegion)

oherwydd - because of
lawr grisiau - downstairs
cyfforddus - comfortable
llai - less,   mwy - more
i gyd -all
gwobr - prize
unig - only
parchus - respectable
llwyddianus - succesful
cyfle - oppurtunity
ar gyfartaledd - on average
calonogol - heartening
trefnu - arrange
ail-ddechrau - restart
rhag ofn - in case

Llyfrau Cymraeg a Chymreig...

2011-11-14T15:21:00.001-08:00

Mae amser y flwyddyn wedi cyrraedd pan mae pobl yn dechrau holi: 'Be dach chi isio fel anrheg Nadolig'! Dwi'n hoffi derbyn llyfrau fel anrhegion, ond weithiau mae'r teulu isio syniadau penodol. Mae gwefan Gwales yn defnyddiol iawn os ti'n edrych am ysbrydoliaeth... mae gynnon nhw lyfrau Cymraeg, llyfrau Saesneg am Gymru, a llyfrau i ddysgwyr, geiriaduron ac ati. Fydda i'n defnyddio nhw'n aml iawn.

The time of the year has arrived when people start asking: 'What do you want for Christmas'. I like recieving books as a presents, but sometimes the family want specific ideas. Gwales's website is very useful if your looking for inspiration... they have Welsh books, English books about Wales, books for learners, dictionaries and so on. I use them very often.

Bred of Heaven, Hedd Wyn a Miss Byd...

2011-11-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Dwi ddim wedi darllen y llyfr yma eto, sef Bred of Heaven, ond dwi wedi clywed a darllen llawer, ac wedi gweld yr awdur, (Jasper Rees) yn siarad amdano fo ar Wedi7. Llyfr sy'n dilyn taith yr awdur (sy'n dod o Lundain) i ddarganfod ei wreiddiau Cymreig, a hynny yn rhannol trwy fynd ati i ddysgu'r iaith Cymraeg.
Dwi wedi darllen nifer o adolygiadau da, a gaeth y llyfr ei ddewis fel 'Book at Bedtime' ar Radio4.

Dwi'n gobeithio ddarllen o cyn hir (a lot o lyfrau eraill!)

sef-namely, llawer-much/lot, awdur-author, amdano fo-about it, dilyn-follow, darganfod-discover, gwreiddiau-roots, yn rhannol-partly, trwy-through, mynd ati-going at it,

Mewn newyddion arall!

Mae'r actor o Gymru wnaeth chwarae rhan Hedd Wyn (yn y ffilm o'r un enw), wedi ymddangos ar Coronation Street fel 'Mr Dunbar'. Gafodd y ffilm yma ei enwebu fel un o'r 'Best Foreign Language Films' yn yr Oscars yn ol yn 1993.
Mi fydd Cymro Cymraeg arall yn ymddangos yn yr opera sebon enwog cyn hir hefyd, sef Wyn Bowen Harries, actor sydd wedi gwneud llawer o bethau yn y Gymraeg. Mi fydd o'n chwarae rhan 'Rev. Douglas' mewn dau bennod.

ymddangos-appear, gafodd(gaeth)-he/she/it had, enwebu-nominate, pennod-episode

Mi fydd hyn yn syndod i lawer o bobl ella, ond mae Miss England eleni yn Cymraes, ac mae hi'n rhugl yn y Gymraeg! Mae Alize Lily Mounter yn dod o Bontypridd yn wreiddiol, ond roedd hi'n gallu cystadlu yn Lloegr gan bod hi'n byw yn Llundain ar hyn o bryd. Mi ddaeth hi'n ail yng nghystadleuaeth Miss Wales, ond mi fydd hi'n cystadlu yn erbyn enillydd y coron hwnnw, Sara Manchipp (Cymraes Cymraeg hefyd!), y penwythnos yma yn Miss "it's all for charity mate" World. dyma hi'n siarad am cystadleuaeth Miss Cymru:

syndod-suprise, ella(efallai)-perhaps, rhugl-fluent, ar hun o bryd-at the moment, enillydd-winner,

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5Sim-Nh2yCs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Sesiwn sgwrs Y Clwb Lever

2011-10-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

English follows:

Roedd o'n braf gweld pawb yn y Clwb Lever nos fercher... dwi'n meddwl aeth pethau'n weddol iawn.
Mae'n anodd ffeindio'r cyd-bwysedd mewn sesiynau sgwrs, ac i wneud pawb teimlo rhan o'r sgwrs. Dwi'n cofio yn iawn y profiad o eistedd ymhlith dysgwyr profiadol a Chymry Cymraeg, ac yn methu deall llawer o'r sgwrs neu gyfrannu ato fo. Gobeithio mi fydd pobl yn dweud eu dweud er mwyn i ni wneud i bethau o werth i bawb. Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at sesiwn wythnos nesaf, ond mae'n rhaid i mi gofio dod efo pres y tro nesa er mwyn prynu diod!

Tan y tro nesa, hwyl,

[It was nice to see everyone at the Lever Club on Wednesday evening night... I think things went reasonably well. It's hard sometimes to find the balance in 'sesiynau sgwrs', and to make everyone feel part of the conversation. I remember well the experience of sitting amongst a group of experienced learners and native speakers, and failing to understand much of the conversation or contribute to it. I hope people will say what they think in order for us to make it something that's of value for everyone. I'm looking forward to next weeks session, but must remember to bring some money in order to buy a drink! Till the next time, hwyl]

Prosiect Cyffrous yn Wrecsam....

2011-09-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Mae 'na brosiect cyffrous ar y gweill yn Wrecsam....

Tafarn Y Saith Seren

Mae criw o Gymry Cymraeg y dre isio troi tafarn y 'Seven Stars' yn dafarn cymunedol a chanolfan Cymraeg. Mae'r prosiect yn uchelgeisiol ond cyrraeddadwy, ac os gawn nhw ddigon o bres gan fuddsoddwyr mi fydd drysau'r 'Saith Seren' yn agor i fusnes erbyn Rhagfyr 1af.

Ewch at y wefan i ddarganfod mwy / go to the website to discover more

(there's an exciting project in Wrexham. A group of Welsh speakers in the town want to turn the 7stars pub into a Welsh community pup/language centre. The project is ambitious but achievable, and if they get enough money from investors, the doors of the 'Saith Seren' will be opening for business by the 1st Dec.)

(ar y gweill - on the knitting needles i.e. in the pipeline)

Traethawd diddorol am Gymry Lerpwl...

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ddes i o hyd i draethawd eitha ddiddorol yn ddiweddar. Darn o waith Olwen Morris-Jones ydy o, sydd newydd raddio o Brifysgol Lerpwl. Er o Gaerdydd mae hi'n dod yn wreiddiol, mae gynni hi gysylltiadau teuleuol efo Lerpwl, a diddordeb yn hanes Cymry'r ddinas.

Enw'r traethawd (sydd yn Saesneg) ydy 'Welsh Migration and Retention of Welsh identity in Liverpool'. Mae'n rhoi darlun diddorol o fywyd Cymry Lerpwl dros y canrifoedd, a Dyma fo!

des i o hyd - I found (literally - came I across)
traethawd - essay/dissertation
eitha- rather
yn ddiweddar - recently
Darn - piece
graddio - graduate
er - though
cysylltiadau - connections
teuleuol - family
cymry - welsh people
darlun - image
canrifoedd - centuries

'Wedi7' yn dod i Amgueddfa (museum) Lerpwl...

2011-08-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Amgueddfa Lerpwl

Mi fydd 'Wedi7', y rhaglen teledu 'cylchgrawn', yn gwneud darn am Amgueddfa newydd Lerpwl nos fawrth. Mi fyddan nhw'n edrych ar yr arddangosfa (display) sy'n adrodd (tells) hanes Cymry Lerpwl, a gweddill (rest) yr amgueddfa mae'n siwr. Mi fydda i yna, ac yn gwneud cyfraniad (contribution) bach efallai... pwy a wir! (who knows).

(Cofiwch, mae Wedi7 ar gael ar S4Clic am wythnos cyfan hefyd / Remember, Wedi7 is available on S4Clic for a whole week as well)

cylchgrawn - magazine
darn - part/bit
hanes - history
Cymry - welsh people
mae'n siwr - for sure
mi fydda i yna - I'll be there

Y Sgets.... perfformiad arall?

2011-08-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Gobeithio eich bod chi i gyd yn mwynhau'r haf. Gaethon ni wythnos digon braf lawr yn Dorset, ond erbyn hyn dwi yn ol yn y gwaith.

Dani wedi cael gwahoddiad i berfformio'r sgets unwaith eto, y tro yma mewn un o gyfarfodydd 'Cymdeithas Birkenhead'. Dwi'n hapus i wneud o, ond mi fydda i'n siarad efo pawb a gofyn os bod nhw'n fodlon cymryd rhan cyn cytuno wrth gwrs. Mi fasai rhaid i mi siarad ychydig hefyd - am y dosbarthiadau nos a chefndir y sgets - er mwyn wneud ein cyfraniad parhau am fwy na pum munud! ond mi fasai'n braf cael siawns gwneud perfformiad arall, ar ol yr holl waith caled!!

erbyn hyn - by now
gwahoddiad - invite
cyfarfod(ydd) - meeting(s)
cymdeithas - society
gofyn - ask
bodlon - willing/happy
cymryd rhan - take part
cytuno - agree
mi fasai rhaid i mi - I would have to
cefndir - background
er mwyn - in order to
cyfraniad - contribution
parhau - last
mi fasai'n braf - it'd be nice
holl - all (the whole)
(g)waith - work
caled - hard

Diwrnod ar Faes yr Eisteddfod...

2011-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Roedd o'n hyfryd gweld pawb ar faes Eisteddfod Wrecsam dydd iau, a gobeithio wnaethoch chi i gyd mwynhau'r profiad. Mae'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn rhywbeth annodd i ddiffinio, ac mae'n cymryd *peth amser* i ddeall beth sy'n digwydd. Roedd Eisteddfod Wrecsam fy 5ed Prifwyl, a dwi dal ddim yn deall hanner o'r pethau sy'n mynd ymlaen. Yn y bon wrth gwrs siawns i glywed a defnyddio'r Cymraeg ydy o i fi a dysgwyr eraill, a pob tro dwi'n mynychu'r Eisteddfod dwi'n cael mwy allan o'r profiad. Gobeithio felly gaethoch chi rywbeth allan ohono fo, a llond bag o 'freebies' hefyd!

Roedd yr ymateb i'r sgets yn wych, a diolch i chi i gyd am gymryd rhan. Peth dewr ydy wneud rhywbeth fel hyn mewn ail iaith, felly da iawn iawn i bawb, ac mae'r beirniadaeth (adjudication) yn calonogol hefyd.

Dyma feirniadaeth y beirniaid:

"Sgript dda gyda llawer o hiwmor 'cynnil'!
Agoriad effeithiol - yr athro yn naturiol ac yn gredadwy iawn.
Roedd aelodau'r dosbarth yn cymryd eu rhannau'n hyderus, ond cofiwch bod angen codi lleisiau ar gyfer cystadleuaeth fel hon.
Roedd wynebau'n creu cyfrolau hefyd e.e. y dynes yn son am y delyn a gw^r 'Tina Turner'.
Roedd Geraint (Lovgreen) yn hoffi llinellau fel 'Afon Dwfn Mynydd Uchel'.
Pob llwyddiant i chi i gyd wrth ddysgu Cymraeg, diolch o galon am gystadlu."

Lisa J Davies / Geraint Lovgreen

geirfa/vocab

diffinio - define
dal - still
mynychu - attend
yn y bon - in the main
peth amser - some time
llond - full
cynnil - subtle
effeithiol - effective
credadwy - believable
rhannau - parts
hyderus - confidently
ar gyfer - for
(g)wynebau - faces
cyfrolau - volumes
e.e. - e.g.
gw^r - husband
llwyddiant - success
cystadlu - compete
diolch o galon - heartfelt thanks

Adroddiad o Wrecsam..

2011-08-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

English below:

Wnes i dreulio fy niwrnod cyntaf yn Eisteddfod Wrecsam dydd Sul. Mae'n digon hawdd i gyrraedd ac mae 'na arwyddion 'melyn' ar y 'ffordd osgoi' (A483) i'ch helpu chi ffeindio'r Maes. Mae'n dipyn o bellter o'r maes parcio i'r prif fynedfa, ac wedyn tua pump munud arall o'r fynedfa i 'Maes D. Mae 'na fapiau o'r 'Maes' ar gael wrth i chi gadael y fynedfa, sy'n handi iawn. Os dwi'n cofio yn iawn dani'n cyfarfod ym Maes D tua 11.15. Gawn ni gyfle eistedd lawr a chael paned yna cyn i ni wneud y sgets.

Mae 'na lawer iawn o lefydd i fwyta ar y Maes, a llefydd i fwyta eich bwyd eich hun os dyna be sy'n well gen ti wneud.

Wela i chi dydd Iau:)

[I spent my first day at the Eisteddfod on Sunday. It's easy enough to get there, and there are yellow signs on the by-pass (A483) to help you find the 'Maes'. It's a bit of a distance from the car park to the main entrance, and then around 5 mins from there to Maes-D. There are maps available as you leave the main entrance which is very handy. If I remember correctly we're meeting in Maes D around 11.15.
We'll have a chance to have a sit down and a paned before performing the sketch.

There are plenty of places to eat on the 'Maes, and places to eat your own food if you prefer. See you Thursday]

Gwybodaeth defnyddiol - Useful Info

2011-07-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dwi wedi dod o hyd i lyfryn bach sy'n dweud be' sy'n mynd ymlaen ym mhob cornel o'r Eisteddfod, o Faes-D i'r Pafiliwn mawr pinc! Mae'n ar gael fel ffeil pdf yma.

Mae map o'r Maes ar gael hefyd fel pdf yma. Cofiwch! mi fydd rhaid i ni gyrraedd y Prif Mynedfa er mwyn casglu'r tocynnau o 'ffenestr' y Cystadleuwyr (Cystadleuaeth 121 yn Maes-D) Dwi'n credu bod yr arwyddion ar yr A483 yn eich cyfeirio chi at y maes parcio agosaf i'r prif mynedfa.

Dyma'r cyfeiriadau, wela i chi yna!

Ive found a small pamphlet which says what's going on in every corner of the Eisteddfod from Maes-D to the big pink Pavilion! It's available as a pdf file here.

There's a map of the 'Maes' available as well as a pdf here. Remember! We'll have to arrive at the Main Entrance in order to collect the tickets from the 'Cystadleuwyr' window (competition 121 Maes-D). I believe that the directions from the A483 direct you to the car park nearest to the main entrance.

Here are the directions, see you there!

Ymarfer Sgets...

2011-07-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at yr ymarfer sgets sy'n digwydd yn ty Mike ac Anne nos fercher, ond ar ol gofyn i bawb dysgu eu llinellau, dwi'n dechrau panicio rwan am ddysgu fy llinellau i!

digwydd - happening
llinellau - lines

gwersi am ddim efo Nia ac Ioan...

2011-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

(English below)

Dwi wedi bod yn edrych ar wefan Cariad@Iaith ac wedi sylwi bod fideos o'r gwersi ar gael, hynny yw'r gwersi gaeth y criw o 'selebs' yn ystod yr wythnos o ddysgu. Maen nhw'n para am 2awr yr un ac yn gwerth eu gweld. Ewch yma i'w gwylio.

I've been looking at the Cariad@Iaith - Love4Language website, and have noticed that videos of the lessons are available, the lessons that is that the celebs got during the week of learning. They last for 2 hrs each and are worth watching. Go here to watch them.

Mae'r cyffro wedi dechrau...

2011-07-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Wel mae cyffro Cariad@Iaith/Love4Language wedi dechrau ar S4C!

Dan ni wedi cyfarfod y 'celebs' sy'n cymryd rhan yn y rhaglen, a dyma dipyn bach amdanyn nhw, ond ewch i'r wefan http://www.s4c.co.uk/cariadatiaith/e_index.shtml am mwy:

Lembit Opik! - no explanation needed, though interestingly his first language is Estonian, despite being brought up in Northern Ireland!

Helen Lederer - Comic/Writer, born in Wales as her father was working there at the time, can say 'bore da'..

Sophie Evans - (from the Rhondda, came second in 'Somewhere over the Rainbow', has sung the Welsh version on telly 'Rhywle, Draw Dros yr Enfys')

Colin Charvis - Birmingham born Welsh rugby player now settled in Abertawe, was on the Big Welsh Challenge so knows a fair bit Welsh of, including Hen Wlad fy Nhadau...wel sort of!)

Josie D'arby - tv presenter, actores, born in Casnewydd (Newport), keen to embrace her Welsh roots and promote awareness of ethnic minorities in Wales.

Matt Johnson - Born in Caerffili, now presenting on OKTV, the introduction shows him performing with what looks like a Welsh boy band! so could be a dark horse!

Rhys from GLC ('Goldie Lookin Chain' that is) - Casnewydd born and bred, claims to have missed out on any Welsh lessons that may have been offered at school, one to watch!

Melanie Walters - actores o Abertawe, most famous for her portrayal of Staceys mum (Gwen) in Gavin and Stacey. She learnt some Welsh whilst at Aberystwyth Uni, though was put off by some peoples reaction to learners back in the 70's. Times have changed hopefully!

The 'dosbarthiadau' started on dydd Sadwrn, with the first programme following the antics (yr hynt a helynt) nos Sul, dwi'n edrych ymlaen....

cyffro-excitement
cymryd rhan - taking place

Cariad@Iaith

2011-07-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Mi fydd cyfres newydd o Cariad@iaith yn dechrau nos wener ar S4C. Mae'n saith mlynedd ers i Tanni Grey Thompson 'ennill' y cyfres diweddaraf, cyfres mae pobl yn ei gofio oherwydd ymddygiad (behaviour) Janet Street Porter.

Y tro yma, mae'r criw o 'celebs' yn dysgu mewn 'gwersyll amgen' lawr yn Sir Penfro, ac mi fydd S4C yn darlledu uchafbwyntiau eu amser yna pob nos, wrth iddyn nhw drio dysgu rhywfaint o Gymraeg mewn wythnos. Mae 'na ddau o diwtoriaid yn eu dysgu nhw, Nia Parry, a Ioan Talfryn Davies sy'n dysgu yn y Canolfan Iaith yn Ninbych fel arfer.

Ymhlith y selebs eleni ydy Lempit Opic, Helen Lederer, a chwpl o rapwyr o'r grwp Goldie Lookin Chain. Cymysgedd diddorol iawn!

Dyma'r wefan (website)

cyfres - series
diweddaraf - most recent
oherwydd - because of
criw - crew/group
gwersyll amgen - alternative campsite
darlledu - broadcast
uchafbwyntiau - highlights
rhywfaint - some amount
ymhlith - amongst
rapwyr - rappers
cymysgedd - mixture

Rhwng y Gogledd a'r De (between the North & South)

2011-06-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

One of the questions often asked by Welsh learners (and I remember asking it myself on more than one occasion) is where is the dividing line between the Northern and Southern dialects of Welsh. This as you can imagine is a difficult question to answer, but one nevertheless that the television series 'Ar Lafar' went about trying to answer this week. 'Ar Lafar' (meaning the spoken language) has been looking at regional dialects, which number of course many more than two. Pennod 2 looks partly at the Ceredigion dialect, as well as the 'North and South' question, it's well worth watching ond S4Clic (remember English and Welsh subtitles are available).

If you havn't got time to watch, the simplest answer is that broadly speaking the 'transition zone' starts as far South as Aberaeron and reaches almost as far North as Corris, giving a notional border around the Dyfi estuary. This is broadly what you might expect, as in Machynlleth the Welsh has Northern charecteristics, though by the time you reach Aberystwyth (and manage to hear Ceredigion Welsh amongst the tourists and students!) the Southern patterns rule. Its interesting to hear somebody from South Ceredigion say that 'Maen nhw'n siarad yn eitha ogleddol yn Aberystwyth' (they speak rather 'northish' in Aberystwyth), so I suppose it's all relative.

Digwyddiadau'r haf..... (summer events)

2011-05-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Dwi newydd derbyn gwybodaeth am ddigwyddiadau'r haf i ddysgwyr Cymraeg dros gogledd Cymru.

Mi ddylech chi weld y dogfen isod:

dwi newydd derbyn - I've just (i.e. 'newly') recieved
mi ddylech chi - you should
dogfen - document
isod - below

Digwyddiadau_Haf

Rhagor o hanes Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Penbedw 1917...

2011-05-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Diolch i Nigel am adael i mi gopio'r erthygl hynod o ddiddorol yma o'r Wirral Journal. Gaeth y rhifyn yma ei gyhoeddi yn 1992, 75 mlynedd ers i'r Eisteddfod enwog yma cael ei gynnal ym Mharc Penbedw.

gadael - allow/leave
erthygl - article
hynod - notably
rhifyn - edition
cyhoeddi - publish
ers - since
cynnal - to hold(a function)/maintain

Ar Lannau'r Dyfrdwy... unwaith eto...

2011-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Talfyriad post 'Clecs Cilgwri' /An abreviation of a Clecs Cilgwri post (vocab below)

Ges i tip da gan Nigel a Mike yr wythnos yma i drio'r llwybr beicio sy'n glynu at lannau'r Dyfrdwy o Bont Penarlág i Gaer, a dyna be wnes i ddydd gwener. Mae'n ffordd hyfryd o gyrraedd Caer... ac i osgoi'r traffic! Digwydd bod, ro'n i'n ddigon ffodus i weld yr 'Afon Dyfrwdwy' (y llong yn y llun), yn cludo adain Airbus380, sy'n cael eu cynhyrchu ym Mrychdyn (Broughton) yn ymyl yr afon. Mi gaeth y barge hwn ei adeiladu'n arbennig i fynd ag adenydd yr awerynau enfawr 'ma lawr y Dyfrdwy hyd at Borthladd Mostyn. Mae'r llong yn isel iawn iawn er mwyn gadael iddo fo fynd o dan y pontydd.

Adain 'Airbus' ar ei ffordd lawr y Dyfrdwy

Ar ol dilyn yr afon am saith milltir, wnes i ffeindio fy hun yng nghanol Caer, heb hyd yn oed gweld yr un gar! Wnes i adael y Dyfrdwy ger y lociau oedd yn arfer cysylltu'r camlas â'r afon, cyn i mi dreulio tipyn o amser yn ffeindio towpath camlas y Shropshire Union - mae'n hawdd dechrau ar yr ochr anghywir, sy'n arwain i nunlle! Ond dyma ffordd hyfryd arall o gyraedd neu adael Caer, ac wnes i ffeindio fy hun yng nghanol y cefn gwlad mewn ychydig o funudau. Ar ol tua pedwar milltir wnes i droi oddi ar llwybr y camlas a ffeindio fy ffordd yn ol i'r Two Mills (lle wnes i gychwyn) ar y lonydd tawel. Gwibdaith hyfryd :)

cyrraedd - reach/arrive
glynu at - sticks to
osgoi - avoid
digwydd bod - as it happens
ffodus - fortunate
cludo - to transport
adain (pl. adenydd) - wing
cynhyrchu - to produce
adeiladu - to build
mynd ag - to take (lit. to go with)
aweryn(au) - aeroplane(s)
hyd at - as far as/up to
er mwyn - in order to
gadael - leave/allow/let
o dan - under
pont(ydd) - bridge(s)
hyd yn oed - even
cysylltu - to connect
camlas - canal
treulio - to spend time
nunlle - nowhere
oddi ar - from on (ie. troi oddi ar = turn from on/turn off)
gwibdaith - excursion
lonydd - lanes

gwaith papur yr Eisteddfod...

2011-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Dwi wedi anfon ffurflen cais ar gyfer cystadleuaeth 'Y Sgets' at swyddfa'r Eisteddfod yr wythnos yma.
Er bod mis Awst yn teimlo pell i ffwrdd ar hyn o bryd, mi fydd yr haf efo ni cyn i ni sylweddoli... dwi'n edrych ymlaen yn eiddgar!

Mae blas ar yr Eisteddfod ar gael yn fan hyn

anfon - send (the word 'gyrru' - to drive, can also be used for send)
ffurflen - form
cais - entry
ar gyfer - for (as in 'on behalf of')
er bod - though
pell - far
cyn - before
sylweddoli - realise
yn eiddgar - eagerly
blas - taste
ar gael - available
fan hyn - here (this place)

Dyfodol S4C...

2011-04-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

S4C, or 'Sianel Pedwar Cymru' is going through a very turbulent time at the moment. The responsibility for funding the channel is being passed over to the BBC, and the level of this funding is being slashed over the next few years. The BBC for their part have said they are happy to let the Welsh channel have editorial indipendence, though sceptics (e.g. Cymdeithas yr Iaith) don't trust these assurances. The responsibility for S4C somewhat suprisingly still lies with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in London, and not as you might expect with the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff. Jeremy Hunt made himself unpopular in Wales by announcing the new funding arrangements without even letting the S4C authorities aware of his plans. You can imagine that the Welsh language TV station doesn't rate high on his list of priorities.

All this has come on top of huge changes in the world of broadcasting, unexplained resignations and several PR disasters by the powers that be at S4C... difficult times.

That said, S4C is very important to the Welsh language. I've found it a valuable tool while learning, and though there aren't any programmes directly aimed at learners at the moment they do provide resources on the website.

Over the next couple of weeks there is a chance to tell the powers that be what we (and remember S4C is looking for viewers from outside Wales as well) want from a slimmed down S4C, and what you think of their services/programmes. It's important that we learners express our opinions as well, so go to the website and 'mynegwch eich barn'! in English or Welsh!!

mynegwch eich barn - express your opinion

Be' ydy dy hoff albwm Cymraeg....?

2011-04-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

"Be' ydy dy hoff albwm Cymraeg di?"

Dyma'r cwestiwn wnes i glywed wrth i mi droi'r radio ymlaen ar y ffordd adre o'r ysgol neithiwr!

Wythnos diwetha roedd Lisa Gwilym (cyflwynydd y rhaglen) yn gofyn i wrandawyr ei rhaglen "Be' ydy dy hoff frechdan di?" (Ella bod gynni hi gopi o 'Gwrs Sylfaen' yn y stiwdio!)

A dweud y gwir roedd y cwestiwn am yr albwm Cymraeg yn eitha annodd i ateb, ond roedd y cwestiwn am frechdanau yn hawdd iawn.. BLT o M&S... ar hyn o bryd, ond be' amdanoch chi?

wrth i mi - as i
cyflwynydd - presenter
gwrandawyr- listeners
a dweud y gwir - to tell the truth
eitha - quite/fairly
hawdd - easy
ar hyn o bryd - at the moment

Nos fawrth y nawfed ar hugain o Fawrth...

2011-03-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Dyma'r llun wnes i dynnu nos fawrth, dwi ddim yn credu bod pawb yn dweud 'Caws' !

hoff eiriau...

2011-03-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

While learning a language there are some words you discover which just seem to have a particular appeal. One such word in Welsh perhaps is 'Cwtsh' (partly through Gavin and Stacey?!). Sadly you won't find Cwtsh in the dictionary (yet), as it's apparently a slang word which is in fact is derived from English! 'Cofleidiad' (the first choice dictionary word for 'hug') is unlikely to attract as much affection. Popty-ping (microwave) is another word which is more likely to be used than the dictionary standard and very dry 'Meicrodon'.

Here are a few other words which I like:

pendwmpian - doze
pitran patran - pit-a-patter
igam-ogam - zig zag
brasgamu - to stride
loncian - to jog
mynd lincyn loncyn/mynd ling-di-long - to jog along in life
lol - nonsence

brasgamu - can be used as an example of 'word building'.

cam - a step
camu - to step
camfa - stile (i.e. stepping place, the ending 'fa' meaning place of)
brasgamu - to stride ('bras' meaning 'rough', and the 'c' of 'camu' soft mutating on contact to 'g').

There are many better examples I'm sure, but it's often the case that learning one word can lead you to understand several others.

Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr 2011

2011-03-05T03:49:00.000-08:00

Roedd Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr (Gogledd Ddwyrain Cymru) 2011 yn llwyddiant ysgubol dwi'n credu, efo nifer mawr (dros 200) yn mwynhau noson o gystadlu cyffeillgar. Gobeithio wnaethoch chi fwynhau'r profiad o wylio a chystadlu hefyd!

Uchafbwyntiau (highlights) y noson - yn ól ymateb y cynulleidfa - oedd a) perfformiad o 'Galon Lan' (os dwi'n cofio'n iawn) ar y bagbibau (bagpipes), a b) 'medley' o glasuron Abba gan griw o ddysgwyr lliwgar o ardal Wrecsam, ac wrth gwrs c) cystadleuaeth y sgetsh ;)

Da iawn i bawb wnaeth cyfrannu at noson wych, a llongyfarchiadau mawr i Les Barker o Fwlchgwyn ger Wrecsam am ennill y Cadair.

Dyma fideo o'r sgetsh gwnaeth ennill (wel yr unig sgetsh a dweud y gwir..)!

geirfa

llwyddiant ysgubol - sweeping success
ennill-win
cystadlu-compete
cyfeillgar-freindly
profiad - experience
yn o^l - according to (it can of course mean 'back' as well)
cynulleidfa-audience
lliwgar-colourful
cystadleuaeth-competition
cyfrannu-contribute

Cofnideos...

2011-02-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

Dwi ddim yn siwr bod y gair 'cofnideo' yn un 'swyddogol', ond dyma'r gair sy'n cael ei defnyddio gan Chris Cope (Americanwr sy'n byw Nghaerdydd ac sydd wedi dysgu'r iaith 'ma) i ddisgrifio ei fideo blogs Cymraeg. Cymysgedd ydy o o'r gair 'cofnodi' (to record) a 'fideo' (video -wrth gwrs!).
Maen nhw'n gwerth eu gwylio, ond mewn un o ei 'gofnideos' yr wythnos yma, mae Chris yn ein cyfeirio ni at gofnideo arall, hynny ydy 'Wales Shark'. Mae'n anodd disgrifio y rhain, ond maen nhw yn Saesneg efo rhyw fath o wers Cymraeg yn rhan ohonynt.

geirfa:

swyddogol - official
cymysgedd - a mixture
cyfeirio - to direct (as in directs us to)
y rhain - these
rhyw fath - some sort
gwes - lesson
ohonynt - of them.

Reasons to Learn Welsh... Un, Dau, Tri,

2011-02-19T03:48:00.000-08:00

Not that we need any more reasons to learn Welsh! but research, this time from the USA, adds further weight to the benefits of bilingualism, in particular as a way of reducing the risk of developing Alzheimers. Other forms of mental activity are of course thought to be beneficial, as are lifestyle choices, but by using two languages there is apparently a subconcsious level of activity continuously going on in specific areas of the brain which is particularly helpful. Those of us learning Welsh know only too well the level of mental activity required, so this I suppose won't come as a huge suprise, though those who are 'naturally' bilingual perhaps take it for granted!?

Here's the Western Mails report on the same story.

Gwefan 'Golwg 360' efo help i ddysgwyr rwan...

2011-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

English below

Mae 'Golwg360', y gwasanaeth newyddion ar-lein Cymraeg, wedi ychwanegu teclyn 'Vocab' (edrychwch ar gornel dde uchaf y tudalen), rhywbeth sy'n gallu bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn i ddysgwyr.   Mae 'Vocab' ar gael ar rai o wefanau Cymraeg y BBC yn barod a mae'n rhywbeth wnes i ddefnyddio'n aml tra ddysgu. Mae 'Vocab'  yn gweithio trwy amlygu nifer o'r geiriau sydd ar y tudalen (tua hanner ohonyn nhw fel arfer). Trwy symud y 'cursor' dros un o'r geiriau wneith bocs yn ymddangos efo diffyniad y gair.  Wrth gwrs mae cyffraith 'sod' yn golygu bod weithiau y gair dach chi'n chwilio am ddiffyniad ohono fo ydy'r un heb ei amlygu!

Mae Golwg360 yn cynnig erthyglau digon byr mewn iaith syml, newyddion, chwaraeon, gwleidyddiaeth ac ati. Dwi wedi ei gael o fel 'tudalen cartref' ers cwpl o flynyddoedd erbyn hyn, sy'n gwneud i mi ddarllen rhywbeth yn Gymraeg pob tro dwi'n  agor fy ngluniadur (laptop), ..ymarfer da!!

Golwg360, the Welsh language on line news service has added the 'Vocab' tool (look in the top right hand corner of the page), something which can be very useful to learners. Vocab is available on some of the BBC's websites already and is something I used often while learning. Vocab works through highlighting some of the words on the page (around half of them usually), and through moving the cursor over one of the word a box will appear with a definition of the word.  Of course 'sods law' means that sometimes the word that you are searching for a definition of is the one which isn' highlighted!

Golwg360 offers short articles in reasonably simple Welsh, news, sport, politics etc. I've had it as a homepage for a couple of years now, which makes me read something in Welsh every time I open my laptop.. good practice.

Tynged yr Iaith 2....

2011-01-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's almost half a century since Saunders Lewis, the well known dramatist and one of the founders of Plaid Cymru, made his influencial radio lecture 'Tynged yr Iaith' (Fate of the Language). Lewis, who was born and brought up in Wallasey, predicted the rapid demise of the Welsh language during the second half of the 20C, without 'revolutionary' changes, and sensed the precarious condition of the remaining Welsh speaking communities. This lecture was to be a major catalyst for the formation of 'Cymdeithas yr Iaith Cymraeg' (The Welsh Language Society), who started a campaign of non-violent direct action to try to get official status for the Welsh language, and later on for the establishment of Welsh langage radio and television stations.

This week 'Cymdeithas yr Iaith' broadcast 'Tynged yr Iaith 2', which seeks to set out their agenda for protecting the language over the coming decades, and in a rapidly changing world. Interestingly the lecture was broadcast live on the web, from 'Y Gell', a community project in the old police station in Blaenau Ffestiniog, and one which 'Cymdeithas' see as one which could inspire other Welsh speaking communities. Diddorol iawn....

Nadolig Llawen!

2010-12-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Dyma bost sydyn i ddweud 'Nadolig Llawen' wrth bawb!
Here's a quick post to say 'Happy Christmas' to everyone!

Mwynhewch y fersiwn nadoligaidd arbennig yma o glasur Leonard Cohen..

Cwpl o flynyddoedd yn ól gaeth fersiwn Cymraeg nadoligaidd o'r cán enwog 'Haleliwia' ei rhyddhau. Roedd rhaid i Brigyn ymdrechu cael sylw Leonard Cohen, er mwyn cael ei ganaitád o i newid ystyr y geiriau. Yn ól y son roedd o wrth ei fodd efo eu fersiwn nhw ac yn hapus rhoi sél bendith iddi hi.

A couple of years ago a Welsh Christmasy version of the famous song Halelujah was released. Brigyn had to endevour to get Leonard Cohens attention in order to get his permission to change the meaning of the lyrics. Apparently he was made up with their version and happy to give his blessing to it.

Dyma'r geiriau, efo cyfieithiad - here are the words and a translation:

Mewn dwrn o ddur mae'r seren wen

Mae cysgod gwn tros Bethlehem
Dim angel gwyn yn canu Haleliwia.
Codi muriau, cau y pyrth
Troi eu cefn ar werth y wyrth
Mor ddu yw'r nos ar strydoedd Palesteina.

Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia.

Mae weiran bigog gylch y crud
A chraith lle bu creawdwr byd
Mae gobaith yno'n wylo ar ei glinia'
A ninnau'n euog bob yr un
Yn dal ei gôt i wylio'r dyn
Yn chwalu pob un hoel o Haleliwia.

Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia.

Mae'r nos yn ddu mae'r nos yn hir
Ond mae na rai sy'n gweld y gwir
Yn gwybod fod y neges mwy na geiria'
Mai o'r tywyllwch ddaw y wawr
A miwsig ddaeth â'r muriau lawr
Daw awr i ninnau ganu Haleliwia.

Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia, Haleliwia.

The White Star in a fist of steel,

There's a shadow of a gun over Bethlehem,
No white angel singing "Hallelujah".
Raising the walls, closing the doors,
Turning their backs on the value of the miracle,
The night's so dark on the streets of Palestine.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

There's a barb-wire circling the cradle,
And a scar where once was the World's creator,
Hope is weeping - on it's knees.
Guilty - each and every one of us,
Holding Mankind's coat -
While he destroys every trace of "Hallelujah".

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

The night is dark, The night is long,
Yet there are some that see the truth,
They know the message is more than words;
That from the darkness comes the dawn,
and the music brought the walls down.
There came the hour for us to sing, "Hallelujah."

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Digwyddiadau (events)

2010-11-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

Mae 'na nifer o bethau i ddysgwyr a siaradwyr Cymraeg yn digwydd yn Sir y Fflint dros yr wythnosau nesaf, dyma fanylion y rheiny fy mod i wedi clywed amdanyn nhw hyd yn hyn:

There are a number of things for learners and Welsh speakers happening in Flintshire over the next few weeks, here are details of those that I've heard about up to now:

Gwasanaeth Carolau Cymdeithasau Cymraeg,   Capel Bethel, Yr Wyddgrug/Mold 5th Dec 6pm

(Welsh Societies Carol Service)

Learn some Welsh carols at this special carol service! Learners and other groups will be contributing.
Croeso gynnes i bawb - a warm welcome to everyone

Noson o Blygain yn Y Bluebell, Helygain

Plygain evening in The Bluebell, Halkyn

Nos Lun / Monday 14th Dec 7.30pm

Traditionally Plygain involves going to church at about 3am on Christmas morning and singing carols under candlelight until the dawn. The service is fairly unstructured and soloists and groups of singers get up spontaneously to perform, many of them special 'Plygain' carols The tradition only survived in some areas of Wales, though recently there has been a revived in areas where it had all but disappeared.   This evening celebrates the tradition with Gron Ellis giving a background to Plygain at 'The Bluebell', and Plygain carols will be performed by some special guests!

Sgwrs, Mins pei a Phaned   Ty Pendre, Yr Wyddgrug, Thursdays - 2nd, 9th, 16th December 1.30-2.30

(A chat, mince pie and a cuppa.)

If you're in the Mold area on a thursday afternoon in December, pop into Ty Pendre (The University of Bangor's Centre), where there will be a cup of tea/coffee, a mince pie and Welsh speakers ready for a chat with learners of all levels, and all for £1.00!

Ysgol Galan

New Year School

A 3 day refresher course to kick start the New Year, suitable for learners of all levels, details here

•Bangor: 5 - 7 January 2011

•Mold: 4 - 6 Janury 2011

Mynedi-app!

2010-11-06T03:17:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in th classes last week 'Cwrs Mynediad' is now available as an i-phone app (it works on ipod touch and ipad as well of course), with various interactive excersises to help with your learning, along with sound files so you can check on pronounciations etc. I have to say I think this is an excellent resource that hopefully will be followed by 'Sylfaen' before too long. It would be nice as well if it was made available (like other apps) for other platforms such as Android and Windows mobile, for those with devices by manufacturers other than 'apple'!

The cost is £5.99 for units 1-10, and then £3.99 for 11-20 etc.

Dysgwr Les yn cwblhau campwaith....

2010-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Geirfa yn isod / Vocab beneath

Mae dysgwr o ardal Wrecsam wedi cwblhau campwaith sef cyfieithiad o nofel Cymraeg enwog.
Dwi'n cofio cyfarfod Les Barker am y tro gyntaf mewn 'sesiwn sgwrs' yn Yr Wyddgrug tua pedair mlynedd yn ól. Ar y pryd roedd o wedi bod yn dysgu Cymraeg ers dim ond cwpl o flynyddoedd dwi'n meddwl, a dwi'n cofio'r sypreis o ddysgu am ei waith pob dydd, sef bardd! 'Googlio fo!', dwi'n cofio rhywun yn dweud nes ymlaen. Mi wnes i wrth gwrs, a wnes i ddarganfod bod Les yn fardd adnabyddus, ac wedi cyhoeddi nifer fawr o lyfrau dros y flynyddoedd. Y dyddiau yma mae o'n barddoni a pherfformio yn y Gymraeg hefyd, ond yr wythnos yma gaeth o sylw a chlod am ei addasiad/cyfieithiad o nofel Daniel Owen 'The Trials of Enoc Huws'. Mae Daniel Owen yn un o feibion enwocaf Yr Wyddgrug, ac yn nhafarn Y Pentan gaeth y llyfr ei lansio, adeilad oedd yn siop teiliwr yn nyddiau Owen, a lle wnaeth o weithio. Dyma esboniad dros enw siop Cymraeg y dre jysd dros y ffordd: Siop y Siswrn (The scissors shop). Mae'r stori yn cymryd lle mewn tre debyg iawn i'r Wyddgrug rhywbryd yn y 19C (y pedwaredd canrif ar bymtheg!), ac rhaid i mi roi'r fersiwn Saesneg (a'r un Cymraeg) ar fy rhestr nadolig!!

cwblhau-complete
sef - namely
campwaith-feat of work
cyfieithiad-translation
dim ond ers - only since
sypreis - suprise!
ei waith bob dydd - his day job
bardd - poet
nes ymlaen -later on
darganfod - discover
adnabyddus - well known
cyhoeddi - to publish
barddoni - to write poetry
c(h)lod - praise
addasiad - adaption
m(f)eibion - sons
enwocaf - most famous
lansio - to launch
teilwr - tailor
d(n)yddiau - days
esboniad - explanation
cymryd rhan - takes place
fersiwn - version

Cenedl heb iaith yw cenedl heb galon..

2010-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

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..

Strydoedd Cymreig Lerpwl...

2010-10-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading this week about the soon to disappear 'Welsh Sreets' of the Dingle in Liverpool.
(I haven't done a complete translation (too tired!) but you'll find a 'geirfa' (vocab) below):

Wnes i ddarllen erthygl diddorol yng nghylchgrawn 'Barn' y mis yma, yn cofnodi hanes rhai o 'strydoedd Cymreig' dinas Lerpwl. Mae Dr Ben Rees yn arbennigwr ar hanes Cymry Glannau Mersi, ac yn yr erthygl mae o'n son am 'strydoedd Cymreig' y Dingle, sy'n ar fin cael eu dymchwel gan gyngor y ddinas. Gwaith adeiladwyr o Gymru oedd y strydoedd yna yn y bon, a symudodd lawer o Gymry i fyw ynddyn nhw ar ól cyrraedd Lerpwl, yn creu ardaloedd 'Cymraeg' mewn llefydd fel Anfield, Bootle, a'r Dingle.

Ond mae 'na rwbeth arall sy'n gwneud y strydoedd yma o ddidordeb, ac sydd wedi codi storm (wel storm bach o leiaf!) o brotest yn Lerpwl a thu hwnt. Mewn un o Welsh Streets y Dingle, sef Madryn Street, gaeth Ringo Starr ei eni. Erbyn hyn mae cyn cartrefi John a Paul o dan ofal yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol (National Trust), ac yn atyniadau twristiaeth poblogaidd, felly mae'n annodd credu bod Cyngor Lerpwl yn bwriadu dymchwel 9 Madryn St. Mae 'na son am symud y ty^ (neu rhan ohono fo!?) i'r amgueddfa, ond mae ffans y ffab ffór (neu bobl sy'n gobeithio gwneud arian trwy werthu nhw!) wedi dechrau tynnu brics o ffrynt y ty^ yn barod, felly mae'n rhaid i'r cyngor gwneud penderfyniad cyn iddo fo ddiflannu!!

erthygl - article
cofnodi - record
arbennigwr -specialist/expert
ar fin - just about to
cael eu dymchwel - have their demolishing i.e be demolished
cyngor-council
symudodd - moved
ynddyn nhw - in them
creu - create
o leiaf - at least
ardaloedd - areas
llefydd - places
a thu hwnt - and beyond
sef - namely
gaeth ringo ei eni - ringo had his birth i.e.was born
erbyn hyn - by now
o dan - under
(g)ofal - care
atyniad(au) - attractions(s)
bwriadu - intend
son - talk/mention
amgueddfa - museum
penderfyniad - decision
diflannu - disappear

noson cofrestru... Registration evening.....

2010-09-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

English below

Mi fydd y noson cofrestru ar nos fercher Fedi 22ain rhwng 6-8yh.

Mi fydd y dosbarthiadau eu hun yn dechrau yr wythnos wedyn: blwyddyn 3 ar nos fawrdd Medi 28ain, a blwyddyn 2 ar nos fercher Medi 29ain.

Os dach chi ddim yn gallu mynegi'r noson cofrestru paid poeni. Cewch chi ffoniwch y Coleg i roi'ch enw lawr, neu jysd troi fyny i'r dosbarth.

Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at weld pawb, a dychweled at y coleg, gobeithio eich bod chi!

Hwyl am y tro, Neil

The Registration Evening is on Wed 22nd September between 6-8pm.

The classes themselves will begin the following week: Year 3 on Tue 28th Sept, and year 2 on Wed 29th Sept.

If you are unable to attend the registration evening don't worry. You can phone the college to put your name down, or just turn up to the class.

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody, and returning to college, I hope that you are!

Bye for know, Neil

Pen Lly^n (The Lly^n Peninsula)

2010-09-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

English follows:

Wnaethon ni dreulio wythnos hyfryd ym Mhen Lly^n, lle gaethon ni dywydd andros o braf (diolch byth!). Gobeithio wnaethoch chi mwynhau eich gwyliau chi, lle bynnag yn y byd yr aethoch chi.

Ges i nifer o gyfleoedd ymarfer fy Nghymraeg, o siop sglodion yn Nefyn, i siop sglodion Aberdaron a nifer o lefydd rhwng y ddau! Mae tafodiaeth cryf Pen Lly^n yn gallu bod yn eitha annodd i ddysgwyr i'w ddeall, a ches i drafferth cwpl o weithiau, ond fel y cyfriw ges i ymateb cadarnhaol i fy Nghymraeg 'sgowsaidd'. Fel dwedodd yr hogan oedd yn gweithio yn siop bach y traeth ger Tudweiliog: 'Mae unrhyw Gymraeg yn well na dim Cymraeg o gwbl'. Cymerais i hon fel rhywbeth cadarnhaol, ond yn ól Jill, 'canmoliaeth gwatwarus' gallai hynny wedi bod... pwy a wir!

Yn son am Ben Lly^n, mae 'na gyfres newydd yn dechrau ar S4C yr wythnos yma, am yr ardal hyfryd yma. Mae cyfres 'Pen Llyn Harri Parri' yn cael ei gyflwyno wrth reswm gan Harri Parri (am enw da!), brodor o Ben Lly^n, ond un sydd wedi byw yng Nghaernarfon ers degawdau. Mae o'n ymweled á llefydd ei blentyndod, a rhai dydy o byth wedi ymweled á nhw o'r blaen. Trowch yr is-deitlau ymlaen (mae gynno fo dafodiaeth cryf!) a mwynhewch y golygfeydd ysblenydd!

Porth Towyn ger Tudweiliog

We spent a lovely week at the end of August on the Lly^n peninsula, where we had really fine weather (thank goodness). I hope you enjoyed your holidays, wherever in the world you went.
I had a number of oppurtunities to practice my Welsh, from a chip shop in Nefyn to the chip shop in Aberdaron, and a few places between the two! The strong Lly^n dialect can be hard for learners to understand, and I had problems a couple of times, but on the whole I had a positive response to my 'scowsish' Welsh. As the girl who was working in the small beach shop near Tudweiliog said: 'Any Welsh is better than none'. I took this to be something positive, but according to Jill this could have been a backhanded compliment... who knows!

Talking of Pen Lly^n, there's a new series starting on S4C this week about this lovely area. The series, 'Pen Llyn Harri Parri' is presented of course by Harri Parri (great name!), a native of the Llyn, but one who has lived in Caernarfon for decades. He visits the places of his childhood, and some which are completely new to him. Put the subtitles on, (he's got a thick accent!) and enjoy the splendid views!

Gwyliau... Holidays

2010-08-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

(English below)

Dani'n mynd i Ben Lly^n yfory am yr wythnos, i fwthyn rhywle ger Pistyll, ar arfordir gogleddol y penrhyn.   Gobeithio ga i gyfle i ymarfer fy Nghymraeg, ond efo cymaint o ymwelwyr yna dros yr haf, tydy hynny ddim yn peth hawdd pob tro, gawn ni weld!

Wrth gwrs, yng Nghymru mae'n rhaid cael 'cynllun tywydd gwlyb' pob ymweliad (wel cot law o leiaf!), ond ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog eleni maen nhw wedi mynd cam yn bellach, trwy drefnu gwyl o'r enw 'Gwyl y Glaw', sy'n dathlu enwogrwydd y dre am dywydd gwlyb!   Yn anffodus, mae rhagolygon y tywydd ar hyn o bryd am y penwythnos yn addo mwy o heulwen na glaw...   deddf y diawl am wn i!

Ta waeth, beth bynnag eich bod chi'n wneud am weddill y gwyliau, mwynhewch!!

Gyda Llaw - mae dyn o Los Angeles - Dan Rhys - wedi mynd ati i ddysgu Cymraeg ac anfon clyweliad fideo at gynhyrchwyr Pobl y Cwm, er mwyn trio cael rhan yn yr opera sebon.  Cael ychydig o hwyl ydy o efallai, ond chwarae teg iddo fo, mae o wedi gwneud ymdrech mawr i ddysgu'r iaith!

We're going to the Lly^n tomorow for a week, to a cottage near Pistyll on the northern coast of the peninsula. I hope to get a chance to practice my Welsh, but with so many visitors there over the summer, that's not always that easy... we'll see!

Of course in Wales you have to have a wet weather plan every visit (well a waterproof at least!), but in Blaennau Ffestiniog this year they've gone a step further, through arranging a festival called 'Gwyl y Glaw/The Rain Festival), which celebrates the towns reputation for wet weather. Unfortunately the weather forcast for the weekend at the moment promise more sunshine than rain...sod's law I suppose!

Anyway, whatever you are doing for the rest of the holidays - enjoy!

By the Way - A man from Los Angeles - Dan Rhys - has set about learning Welsh and sent an audition video to the producers of the Welsh soap 'Pobl y Cwm' in order to try and get a part on the show. He may be just having a bit of fun, but fair play to him, he's made a big effort to learn the language!

Dysgwr y Flwyddyn... Learner of the year

2010-08-08T03:10:00.000-07:00

Julia Hawkins - Dysgwraig y flwyddyn 2010

(English below)

Unwaith eto mae Dysgwr y Flwyddyn wedi ei henwi yn ystod yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. Eleni, dynes lleol oedd yr ennillydd, Julia Hawkins o Grughywel, (Crickhowel) wnaeth symud yn ól i Gymru er mwyn rhoi cyfle i'w phlant dod yn ddwyieithog. Mae 'na gyfle i ddarllen amdani hi, a'i chlywed hi'n siarad am ei phrofiadau o ddysgu Cymraeg ar y tudalen hon (yn y Gymraeg), neu yn Saesneg ar y tudalen hon.

Gobeithio gewch chi eich ysbrydoli fel finnau!

Once again the Welsh Learner of the year has been named during the National Eisteddfod. This year a local woman was the winner, Julia Hawkins from Crickhowel, who moved back to Wales in order to give her children a chance to become bi-lingual. There's a chance to read about her, and to hear her talking about her experiences of learning Welsh on this page ( in Welsh), or in English on this page.

I hope you'll be inspired like me!

Gwyliau'r Haf.... (Summer festivals)

2010-07-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

(translation follows)

Mi fydd 'na ddwy wy^l cerddorol yn digwydd yn Sir y Fflint dros yr wythnosau nesaf, y cyntaf ohonynt y dydd sadwrn yma. Mae Gwy^l Y Ffin yn cael ei chynnal eleni yn Nhreffynon, ac mi fydd nifer o'r fandiau mwyaf poblogaidd y Si^n Roc Cymraeg yn chwarae gan cynnwys 'Racehorses', 'Brigyn' a 'Derwyddon Dr Gonzo'. Cofiwch, mae'r digwyddiad yn rhad ac am ddim, ac o fewn tafliad carreg o Gilgwri!

Mae Gwy^l Tegeingl braidd yn wahanol. Gwy^l gwerinol ydy hi, gyda pherfformwyr o'r byd canu gwerin o dros Brydain a thu hwnt yn ymddangos, er mae 'na elfenau Cymreig a Chymraeg i'r digwyddiad Mae'n digwydd yn Yr Wyddgrug dros penwythnos ym mis Awst, ac mae'r manylion llawn ar y wefan.

Mae'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol wrth gwrs yn digwydd fel arfer dros yr wythnos cyntaf o fis Awst.
Mae'n digwydd yn y de eleni, yng Nglyn Ebwy, tipyn bach yn rhy bell i mi a dweud y gwir (mae hi'n symud i leoliad gwahanol pob flwyddyn, un flwyddyn yn y gogledd, y nesaf yn y de). Ond yn 2011 mi fydd hi'n dod i Wrecsam, lleoliad cyfleus iawn i ni yng Nghilgwri:) Mi fydda i'n dilyn digwyddiadau'r prifwyl eleni ar S4C, yn enwedig cystadleuaeth Dysgwr y Flwyddyn, un o uchafbwyntiau'r Eisteddfod erbyn hyn. Mae S4C yn neilltio rhaglen gyfan fel arfer i ddilyn campau ieithyddol y pedwar sydd wedi llwyddo cyrraedd y rownd terfynol, ac i ddatgan pwy ydy'r ennillydd.

translation

There will be two music festivals happening in Flintshire over the next few weeks, the first of them this saturday. The 'Y Ffin' (the border) festival is being held in Holywell this year, and a number of the most popular bands in the Welsh language pop/rock scene will be playing, including 'Racehorses', 'Brigyn' and 'Derwyddon Dr Gonzo'. Remember this event is free and within a stones throw of the Wirral.

The 'Tegeingl' festival is somewhat different. It's a folk festival, with folk singers from Britain and beyond performing, though there is a Welsh accent to the event. It happens in Mold over a weekend in August, and the full details are on the website.

The National Eisteddfod of course is taking place as usual over the first week in August. It's happening in the south this year, in Ebbw Vale, a little to far for me to be honest (it move s to a different location each year, one year in the north, the next in the south). But in 2011 it'll be coming to Wrexham, a convenient location for us in the Wirral:) I'll be following events at the Eisteddfod this year on S4C, especially the Leraner of the Year competition, now one of the Eisteddfods highlights. S4C set aside a whole programme usually to follow the linguistic feats of the four who've succeeded to reach the final round, and to announce who is the winner.

gyda llaw/by the way

gwy^l = festival
gwyliau = festivals/holidays
y prifwyl - the main festival ( a term sometimes used to describe the National Eisteddfod)

Be' sydd mewn enw... (What's in a name...)

2010-07-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Yr Eifl (The Rivals)

English translation and vocab beneath:

Roeddwn i'n gwylio rhaglen 'Coast' yr wythnos yma, oedd yn mynd o gwmpas Cernyw (Cornwall). Roeddan nhw'n siarad am greigiau peryglus ofnadwy o'r enw y 'Manacles', lle poblogaidd iawn efo plymwyr oherwydd y nifer o longdrylliau. Mae 'na eglwys cyfagos efo meindwr (spire), sy'n rhoi'r enw Cernyweg (Cornish) gwreiddiol i'r creigiau sef 'Maen Eglos'. Mae'n amlwg gweld o le ddaeth yr enw Saesneg ar ól gweld y Cernyweg! Mae'r gair 'maen' (stone/rock) yn gair Cymraeg hefyd (meddyliwch am 'Maentwrog', 'Penmaenmawr'), ac mae 'Eglos' yn debyg iawn i'r gair Cymraeg 'Eglwys' (ac y gair Ffrangeg 'église' hefyd wrth gwrs!). Roedd morwyr yn defnyddio meindwr yr eglwys fel tirnod er mwyn trio osgoi peryglon y 'Maen Eglos', neu'r 'Manacles'!

Mae 'na sawl enghraifft yng Nghymru o enwau sydd wedi cael ei newid yn yr un modd. Un enwog ydy 'The Rivals', mynyddoedd trawiadol Pen Lly^n. Enw Cymraeg (neu enw go iawn!) wrth gwrs ydy 'Yr Eifl', sy'n golygu 'the forks', ond mae pobl (wrth rheswm) yn cymryd 'The Rivals' i gynrychioli'r gystadlueuaeth rhwng y tair pig i fod yr un fwyaf. Pethau diddorol iawn ydy enwau llefydd!

geirfa/vocab

o'r enw - of the name i.e. called

oherwydd - because of

llongdrylliad - shipwreck

plymwyr - divers

yn debyg - similar
tirnod - landmark
er mwyn - in order to (idiom)
osgoi - avoid

amlwg - obvious

enghraifft - example

modd - means/way

trawiadol - striking

go iawn - genuine/real

golygu - to mean

cymryd - to take

cynrychioli - represent

cystadleuaeth - competition

pig - peak

diddorol - interesting

I was watching the programme 'Coast' this week, which was going around Cornwall. They were talking about the very dangerous rocks called The Manacles, a popular place with divers because of the number of shipwrecks. There's a nearby church with a spire which gives the rocks their original Cornish name, namely 'Maen Eglos'. It's obvious to see where the English name came from after seeing the Cornish! The word 'maen' (stone/rock) is a Welsh word as well of course, and 'Eglos' is very similar to the Welsh word 'Eglwys' (and the French word 'église' as well of course!). Sailors used the spire as a llandmark in order to try and avoid the dangers of the 'Maen Eglos', or 'The Manacles'.

There are many examples in Wales of names which have been changed in the same way. A famous one is 'The Rivals', the striking mountain on the Lly^n peninsula. The Welsh name (or the 'real' name!) of course is 'Yr Eifl' (pronunciation - uhr ay-vil), which means 'the forks', but people naturally take 'the Rivals' to reflect the competition between the three peaks to be the biggest. Place names are interesting things!

Diwedd Tymor...

2010-07-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

A translation of this post is beneath. Don't worry if you don't understand much, it's not written at any particular level, it helps me though to write in Welsh! I've included some vocab where I think it may help before the translation.

Mae'n annodd credu bod blwyddyn arall o ddysgu wed dod i ben!

Dwi wir yn gobeithio eich bod chi wedi mwynhau'r profiad o ddysgu Cymraeg... hyd yn hyn, dwi wedi mwynhau gweithio fel tiwtor, a thrwy hynny wedi dysgu llawer fy hun! Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at gario ymlaen ym mis medi.

Mae pobl yn tueddi cymharu dysgu iaith efo taith (er taith digon rhyfedd mae'n siwr!). Dydy o ddim yn bosib dweud yn union pa mor hir a fydd y daith, neu ba mor gyflym a fyddech chi'n teithio. Weithiau (efallai) mi fyddech chi'n difaru cychwyn ar y daith o gwbl (fel bod mewn canol tagfa erchyll ar y A55!), ac yn diawlio'r iaith yma a'i holl cymlethdodau, ond weithiau mi fyddech chi'n yn teimlo'n dda (gobeithio), wrth i chi ddeall rhywbeth eich bod chi'n clywed rhywle, neu'n trio dweud rhywbeth a chael ymateb positif (sydd ddim yn digwydd pob tro, hyd yn oed i ddysgwyr mwy profiadol.. ond mae 'na bobl od ym mhob man 'does!). Dwi'n cofio'n iawn y gwefr a ges i ar ól cwplhau fy nofel Cymraeg cyntaf (un i ddysgwyr). A dweud y gwir, mae'n well gen i ddarllen yn y Gymraeg hyd heddiw, gan mod i'n dal i gael yr un teimlad.

Ta waeth, peryg fy mod i'n dechrau crwydro rwan, felly hwyl am y tro:-)

geirfa/vocab
wedi dod i ben - has come to an end
wir - really
(eich) bod chi - that you have
hyd yn hyn - idiom = to this place/so far ('hyd yma' means the same)
tueddi - tend
dal i - still
mae'n well gen i - I prefer

Cyfieithiad/Translation

It's hard to believe that another year of learning/teaching has come to an end.

I really hope that you've enjoyed the experience of learning Welsh...so far, I've enjoyed working as your tutor, and through that have learnt much myself! I'm looking forward to carrying on in September.

People tend to compare learning a language to a journey (though a strange enough journey!). It's not possible to say exactly how far the journey will be, nor how fast you'll be traveling. Sometimes (perhaps) you'll regret starting the journey atall (like being in the middle of a queue on the A55!), and curse this language and all its complications, but sometimes you'll be feeling good as well (hopefully), as you understand something that you hear somewhere, or try saying something and get a posative reaction (which doesn't happen every time, even to more experienced learners... but ther are odd people everywhere aren't there!). I remember the buzz I got after finishing reading my first Welsh novel (one for learners). To be honest I prefer to read in Welsh even now, as I still get the same feeling.

Anyway, there's a danger I've started to wander now, so bye for now, Neil

Cwpan Y Byd

2010-06-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Dyni yng nghanol Cwpan y Byd ar hyn o bryd, y wledd pel-droed sy'n llenwi'r cyfryngau am fis gyfan!
Dwi wrth fy modd efo'r holl peth, ond dydy gweddill y teulu ddim yr un mor brwdfrydig rhaid i mi gyfadde!

Dydy Cymru wrth gwrs ddim wedi cyrraedd y rowndiau terfynol ers 1958. Y flwyddyn honno wnaethon nhw mynd yn bellach na Lloegr, yn colli 0-1 i Brasil yn rownd y chwateri, efo go^l cyntaf Pele erioed yng Nghwpan y Byd yn rhoi terfyn i'w gobeithion.

Ta beth, pob lwc i Loegr eleni!

[gwledd - feast, cyfryngau - media, cyfan - whole,wrth fy modd - in my element/made up, rownd y chwateri - quater finals, erioed - ever, terfyn - end, i'w gobeithion - to their hopes.]

(I have orderd a copy of 'Cwpan Y Byd 2010' by Gwyn Jenkins (Y Lolfa) which sounds like good value at £4.99, extracts seem to be used here .)

Dyma eirfa Cwpan y Byd sydyn (anyway, here's a quick World Cup vocab):

De Affrica - South Africa
Vuvuzela - Fwfwsela (made this one up!)
Mae o'n gém o ddau hanner - it's a game of two halves
y dyfarnwr - the referee
y llimanwr - the linesman
llaw Duw - hand of God
y postyn - the post
y trawst - the crossbar
cefn y rhwyd - back of the net
y cwrt cosbi - the penalty box
cic ysmotyn - penalty
ergyd - shot
peniad - header
tafliad - throw in
cic cornel - corner kick
cic cychwyn - kick off
camsefyll - offside
amser ychwanegol - extra time
eilydd(ion) = substitute(s)
Ton Mecsicanaidd - Mexican Wave

TIR (land)

2010-06-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

TIR by Cerys Matthews is a collection of traditional Welsh folk songs/hymns sung in her unmistakable style. As well as the CD of 17 songs, you get a 'CD size' hardback book of lyrics and period photographs, many from the North Pembrokeshire area. There are English translations of the songs, (except for Cwm Rhondda which is sung in English) as well as some of their background, as well as information about the photos, many of which are of Cerys's ancestors in and around the Trefin area of 'Sir Benfro'.

The projects strength (other than the great packaging) in my opinion is the way in which the songs are stripped down to their roots, many of which have become familiar to us through the male voice choir tradition. This simple treatment shows the songs in another light, including Hen Wlad fy Nhadau with its full three verses (news to me as well!)

So if your looking for a collection of traditional Welsh songs given simple fresh treatment this is definately worth having. You can get a signed copy now from 'Earthquake', or I'm sure the songs will be available on i-tunes etc. after the official release on the 21st June. If anyone wants I'm happy to burn 'sample' copies, though this is no replacement for the whole package of course ;)

Hanes dysgwraig.... A learners tale....

2010-05-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

I watched a fascinating programme on S4C this week, one of the 'O Flaen Dy Lygaid' (before your eyes) series which looked at the life of 'Stef Farrar', a remarkable woman who moved from Nottingham to Snowdonia after finishing her university course at Bangor. Stef decided to learn Welsh soon after moving full time to Wales and became fluent in a couple of years. In 1989 she won the prestigious Dysgwr y Flwyddyn competition at the National Eisteddfod and went on to work as a tutor. Perhaps what is most remarkable is how she changed the language of her 'aelwyd' (hearth - meaning home) when her first child was small, in order to give him the best chance to fit into the community. Today her five children are all fluent and enthusiastic Welsh speakers though her determination to use the Welsh language in the home may have contributed to her seperation from her husband, who though not unsympathetic to the language was not interested in learning. In her words he was a little 'pissed off'! As well as continuing to teach the language to adults and raise her family, Stef has been setting new British records in swimming for her age group (she's just turned 50), a childhood interest she's recently rekindled. The backdrop of the programme sadly though was her mothers illness which meant much traveling back and forth between Snowdonia and Nottingham, though things had improved a little by the end of filming. All in all a fascinating programme, well worth catching on S4Clic. (I also write about the programme on Clecs Cilgwri, though this is not a translation of it!)

Y dyfodol - the future

2010-05-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

We were looking at the future tonight in blwyddyn 2, here's a paragraph using the future of 'bod' (to be) - bydd:

Mi fydd ein hogan ni'n mynd i Fetws y Coed dydd mercher ar drip ysgol efo'r adran daearyddiaeth (geography dept.). Dwi ddim yn gwybod be' fydden nhw yn wneud yna, ond mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw mynd á sgidiau cerdded, dillad cynnes, cot sy'n dal dwr (waterproof) - well it is Wales - a pecyn bwyd. Mi fydden nhw'n dod yn ól i'r ysgol tua pedwar o'r gloch yn y p'nawn. Mae'r athrawon wedi dysgu'r plant sut i ddweud 'Betws y Coed' (chwarae teg iddyn nhw!), wnaeth Miriam dweud wrtha i 'The English call it 'betsy co-ed'...!

Mi fydd hi'n ddiwrnod braf yn ól y rhagolwg tywydd, ond mi fydda i'n gweithio yn y gweithdy trwy'r dydd yfory yn anffodus.

Gwleidyddiaeth / Politics... if you've not had enough....

2010-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

With all the politics in the news this week, you will have heard many words relating to the election and all its associated fallout on any Welsh news reports you've heard. Here are a few of the common ones:

Etholiad cyffredinol - general election
Etholaeth - constituency
Pleidleisio - to vote
Bwrw pleidlais - to cast a vote
pledlais - a vote
y pleidleiswyr - the voters
Y Toriaid/Ceidwadwyr - The Tories/Conservatives
Y Blaid Lafur - The Labour Party
Y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol - Lib Dems (many just say lib dems, though it's great once you master it!)
Dadl - argument/debate
Prif Weinidog - Prime Minister
Y Senedd - Parliament
Senedd Grog - Hung Parliament
San Steffan - Westminster
Trafodaeth(au) - discussion(s)
Clymblaid - Coalition
y gwrthblaid - the opposition
Llanast - mess!

Adroddiad a Chanlyniadau o Wersyllt...

2010-05-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

Mae adroddiad am 'Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr 2010' ar wefan 'LearnCymraeg', efo rhestr o'r canlyniadau. Mae'n ar gael yn Gymraeg a Saesneg cofiwch!

adroddiad - report
(g)wefan - website
rhestr - list
Canlyniadau - results
ar gael - available
cofiwch - remember (command form)

Wrecsam..

2010-04-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

I was over in Wrexham/Wrecsam on Thursday and thought I'd pop into 'Siop y Siswrn' to look for a present for my dads birthday as well as a Welsh language card. My first proplem was finding the 'Masnach y Bobl/Peoples Market' which I remembered was the location of the Wrecsam branch of the chain of two...!

It's many years since I was in the centre of the town and it's changed a lot, but I eventually came accross the Market on 'Stryd Caer'. After a few minutes wandering round the indoor market I came across Siop y Siswrn in the far corner, and was presently suprised to find what looks like a 'proper shop' among the market stalls, with a fair selection of Welsh books, cards and inevitable Welsh souveniers. After finding a suitable present and cards I picked up a copy of the 'Cwrs Sylfaen (foundation)' book, which follows on from Mynediad. The first few units are really revision and extension of 'Cwrs Mynediad', so I'm looking forward to starting using this book as it seems a good transition, and hopefully will convince you of how much you already know!! Buying the book sparked a conversation with the assistant who was interested to hear about the classes in Cilgwri.

Anyway if your in Wrecsam it's worth popping into this hidden corner of Cymreictod (Welshness) for a browse and chat (remember they're closed on Wednesdays, the Yr Wyddgrug/Mold branch being closed on Thurs).

Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr 2010

2010-04-25T03:09:00.000-07:00

'Parti Cilgwri' yn mynd trwy eu pethau (Parti Cilgwri doing their stuff)

It was good to see so many from Cilgwri at the 'Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr' on Friday, I'll find out the reactions of those I didn't get a chance to talk to next week! I would have to say it wasn't the ideal venue, partly because of the location of the bar and lack of seats towards the stage area. This made it difficult for the performers and audience alike, and was made worse by the lack of effective PA. Sion Aled made a good job of presenting the evening, keeping things going at a decent pace, and meaning most people stayed till the end.

Mike, Anne, Nigel (from 'Blwyddyn 2') and myself stepped up to the stage 'early doors' to perform 'Cofiwch am Dysgwyr Cilgwri' in the 'Cyd-adrodd' (group recitation) competition, being rewarded with 'equal' third for our efforts (where there 4 or 5 in the competition... can't remember!!).

After that I fumbled my way through the chords of 'Suo Gán' as accompaniment to Jill (my wife), who had bravely 'agreed' to perform the song - one she'd never heard of just a couple of days earlier. Despite a 'false start' and the odd wrong chord we got to the end and Jill came in third place.

Gwynne from 'blwyddyn 1' was rewarded with a second prize for her efforts in one of the 'gwaith cartref' competitions, so all in all Cilgwri was well represented!

Normally the 'sketch' competition' is a highlight of the Eisteddfod, but this year with only one entry it was a bit dissapointing, and we didn't get a repeat of last year where one of the participants ended up more or less dancing round our table, for reasons I can't remember!

Hopefully some more of 'Blwyddyn 1' may have been inspired to take part next year when it returns to Flintshire, We'll find out next week!

Nos yfory....

2010-04-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

Rhag ofn bod unrhywun wedi anghofio, mi fydd Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr yn digwydd nos yfory (Ebrill 23ain). Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at glywed perfformiad gan dysgwyr Cilgwri wrth rheswm, felly pob lwc i bawb!

In case anyone has forgotten, the Learners Eisteddfod is happening tomorrow evening (April 23rd). I'm looking forward to hearing a performance by learners from the Wirral - naturally, best of luck to everyone!

Gavin, Stacey a Deano...

2010-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've just been watching the episode of Gavin and Stacey (series 3, episode 3) where Smithy and 'the boys' are coming down to stay in Barry with Uncle Bryn. There are quite a few bits of Welsh in this episode, as Deano, one of Smithy's mates has gone to the trouble of doing an intensive Welsh course before traveling down, to help him 'communicate' while down in Wales. His opening greeting of 'Shwmae, Dean dwi, dwi'n hapus i fod yma yn y Barri' is met by a sea of blank faces, and a kindly 'We don't really speak Welsh round here' from Gwen, before Uncle Bryn appears saying 'Croeso i Gymru'!

Later on in a nightclub, undeterred Deano is trying out his Welsh to chat up one of the girls, who replies of course in English. Deano replies 'Yng Nghymraeg os gwelwch yn dda'... amhrisiadwy (priceless)!

Cyfarchion y Pasg - Easter Greetings

2010-04-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dwi'n gobeithio bod pawb yn mwynhau gwyliau'r Pasg. Dwi wedi cael y ffliw (wel annwyd drwg efallai!) ond dwi'n teimlo'n well heddiw diolch byth.

(I hope everyone is enjoying the Easter Holidays. I've had the flu (well a bad cold maybe!), but I'm feeling better today thank goodness.)

Ive just been checking a bit of Easter vocab, some of which I'd forgotten to be honest (that's the trouble with things that only happen once a year, it takes several years to remember them!), it's interesting sometimes to see the names other languages use for familiar festivals, as it can throw a new light on the English names.

Dydd Iau Cablyd - Maundy Thursday (cablyd coming via old Irish and Latin and refering to the cutting and shaving of hair and washing of feet by monks to commemorate the Last Supper)

Dydd Gwener y Groglith - Good Friday ( means 'friday of the hanging', pretty direct I suppose!)

Dydd Sul y Pasg - Easter Sunday

Dydd Llun y Pasg - Easter Monday

(The word 'Pasg' has its origins in the Hebrew 'Pesakh' meaning 'Passover'. The English name 'Easter' meanwhile probably derives from the pagan Goddess Eostre!)

Dydd Iau Dyrchafael - Ascension Thursday

Y Sulgwyn - Whitsun (literally the white sunday)

Ta waeth, mwynhewch gweddill y gwyliau! (anyway, enjoy the rest of the holidays!)

Iaith ar Daith... (language on tour)

2010-03-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Dwi newydd derbyn manylion am 'Iaith ar Daith 2010' Menter Iaith Sir y Fflint, sef llond wythnos o ddigwyddiadau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, yn cynnwys rhai sydd wedi eu hanelu at ddysgwyr.

Dyma'r dolen i'r manylion:

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By_BriGCXoONYmY4MGI1MDYtYmM0ZS00ZTY3LWEwOTUtOTZhNGEwYWUwMmEw&hl=en

I've just recieved details of Flintshire Welsh Language Initiative's 2010 'Iaith ar Daith' (language on tour), i.e. a week of events through the medium of Welsh, some aimed at learners.

Here's a link to the details:

Clecs...

2010-03-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Theres a e-letter available now from learnCymraeg.com called 'Clecs' which is worth a look at - even if it's just to see the Jim Royle look alike from Caernarfon who features in the latest edition. Threres also a feature on this years 'Learner of the Year', an American from Ynys Môn who has become fluent in just a couple of years!!

The e-letter comes in a Welsh and English version, so it's worth opening both to compare:

http://www.learncymraeg.org/documents/NewyddlenClecsCymraeg.pdf

http://www.learncymraeg.org/documents/NewyddlenClecsEnglish.pdf

Gyda Llaw / BTW: 'Clecs' means something like 'gossip'. 'Be' ydy'r clecs?' would equate to something like 'whats the craic' in English/Irish!!

Sesiynau siarad...

2010-03-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to improve your Welsh is to practice with willing native speakers and more experienced learners. Some people have a gift for helping learners, and I was fortunate enough to benefit from sessions arranged by 'Menter Iaith' (Welsh Language Initiative), which I started attending weekly after a couple of years of learning on my own.

The best place to locate practice sessions is through LearnCymraeg.org who have a course/practice session search facility on their website.

Sêl...

2010-03-06T02:10:00.000-08:00

Ges i e-bost yn hysbysebu sêl 'gwales.com' yr wythnos yma. Mae Gwales.com yn gwerthu Llyfrau Cymraeg a Chymreig trwy eu gwefan. Dwi ddim yn gwybod faint o deitlau i ddysgwyr sydd ar gael yn y sêl, ond mae gynnon nhw gasgliad gwerthchweil yn eu hadran i ddysgwyr fel arfer, dyma'r dolen.

I got an e-mail advertising 'gwales.com's sale this week. Gwales.com sell Welsh and English books about Wales (i.e. llyfrau Cymraeg and Cymreig) through their website. I don't know how many titles for learners are available in the sale, but they usually have a worthwhile collection in their section for learners, here's the link

Limeric...

2010-03-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was reminded while watching a feature about limericks of this Welsh classic by Geraint Lovgreen. It goes something like this:

Ro'n i'n nabod rhai ddyn o Hong Kong,
Roedd yn hoffi chwarae Ping Pong,
Doedd gynno fo ddim bat,
neu pêl come to that
Dweud y gwir roedd o'n chwarae fo wrong!!

Ro'n i - roeddwn i (I was)
dweud y gwir - to be honest

Ieuan Cilgwri....!

2010-02-28T01:13:00.000-08:00

Wnes i ffeindio fideo You Tube o fardd o'r enw Ieuan Cilgwri yn perfformio yn y Magazine yn New Brighton yn ddiweddar (recently)! ac un arall ohono fo'n darllen cerdd ar 'Fort Perch Rock'. Dwi ddim yn gwybod os mae o'n siarad Cymraeg, ond mae gynno fo ddiddordeb yn yr 'hen wlad' mae'n siwr!!

Cerdd...

2010-02-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Here's the 'Learners Eisttedfod' poem. I'm afraid the sounds not 'gwych' (brilliant), though it should help with pronounciation. I can't stand listening to my own voice so haven't listened too many times so I hope it's okay! There are one or two small changes to the printed copy. e.g. cymdeithas has changed to 'cymuned, as the former is more 'association' and I meant 'community' (cymuned). Anyway its just supposed to be a bit of 'hwyl' (fun), and there is no need to learn it all off by heart to take part!

Hanes werth ei darllen....

2010-02-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

I've just finished a fascinating book about one of Wales's national heroes Owain Glyn Dŵr. To be honest history has never been a strong point of mine, and my knowledge of Owain was very sketchy at best. Having read some good reviews about a new English translation of 'Trwy Ras Duw, Tywysog Cymru' (Through the grace of God, Prince of Wales), I got hold of a second hand copy through Amazon and was immeadiately drawn in to this excellent book by Rhys Davies, the aknowledged expert on Glyndŵr who sadly died a couple of years ago. He manages to really bring to life the story of Glyndŵr in this very readable book. How did this Welsh nobleman and London trained lawyer, someone who fought in several campaigns for the King of England, come to give up a comfortable family life on his estate near Oswestry in exchange for a life as a fugitive. The amazing thing is how close he came to achieving his vision of a united independant Wales (one that would have included the Wirral as well as much of Cheshire!), and how much support he generated at the time despite the hardships and misery his campaigns inevitably brought on the people of Wales. Anyway if you're interested in Welsh history, this is a 'rhaid darllen'!

Eisteddfod y Dysgwyr a phethau....

2010-02-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Having had a better look at the rhestr testunau (list of subjects i.e. competitions) for the 'Learners Eisteddfod', I see there's the option to do any piece you like for the 'Parti llefaru' (group recitation). It would make more sense to try something more relevant than the suggested piece (a poem praising Cwm Rhymni's qualities, though I'm sure it's a very nice place!!), so below is a poem (in the loosest sense of the word!) about 'Cilgwri'... hopefully lighthearted, which could be fun to try..?

Cofiwch am Ddysgwyr Cilgwri….

Dros erwau corsydd y Dyfrdwy,
Mae ‘na benrhyn, anhysbys i rai,
Tiriogaeth o lannau a thraethau,
a nid hanner mor ddrud a Dubai

Dyni’n byw yn ôl llawer ‘ger Lerpwl‘,
er mae eraill yn mynnu ‘ger Caer‘,
ond ein ‘prifddinas’ ni yw Penbedw,
y lle gorau i fargen neu ddau.

Mae ’na rai sy’n ein galw ni scousers,
ac mae’r acen yn debyg dwi’n siwr,
ond mae’n bosib bod rhagor o reina yn byw,
Yn y Gogledd, ar lannau’r môr…

Yn ei hanterth mi dennodd y Mersi,
gweithwyr o bedwar ban y byd,
yn eu plith roedd miloedd o Gymry,
ac mi dyfodd gymdeithas go gryf,

Falle heddiw mae’n annodd i goelio,
ond yn y flwyddyn mil naw un deg saith,
Croesawodd Gilgwri y 'Steddfod,
heb ddadlau i rwystro ei daith… !

Go brin wnewch chi glywed Cymraeg erbyn hyn,
ar strydoedd ein penrhyn bach ni,
ond yng nghanol Cilgwri mae lleisiau o hyd,
yn brwydro efo geiriau di-ri,

Felly cofiwch am ddysgwyr Cilgwri,
a'u hymdrechion i ddysgu’r iaith,
Ar y lôn dydy o ddim fawr o bellter,
Ond yn ieithyddol, mae’n andros o daith…

Obviously there'll be bits (well maybe chunks!) of this which will need some explaining (and propably correcting!) but I'll leave it with you....

geirfa

erwau - acres
corsydd - marshes
tiriogaeth - territory
anhysbys - unknown
nid - not
mynnu - insist
yn ei hanterth - in its heyday
bebwar ban - four corners
yn eu plith - amongst them
r(h)wystro - hinder,prevent
go brin -scarcely
wnewch chi - will you
di-ri - endless
iethyddol - linguistically
andros o daith - heck of a journey

Jôc gwael ond addysgol.....

2010-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

The good thing about being a 'dysgwr' is that there is always something (mostly too much) to learn, and learning can be an exciting process... well sometimes.

The other day I turned on the teledu at lunch time which just happened to be tuned into S4C from the previous night. In the mornings 'Cyw' is on the air, programmes aimed at pre-school children, and not something I normally watch, though in its own way useful to learners I'm sure.

Anyway, I heard (and understood!) a couple of jokes, one of which reminded me of when and where I learned a particular Welsh word!

Felly... at y cellwair (so... to the joke)

Be' wyti'n galw 'Jac Codi Baw' cyfeillgar?........... Jac Codi Llaw!! LOL

Ok, so jokes that need explaining aren't really funny, but we can learn from 2nd language jokes.....

Jac Codi Baw = Jack pick up dirt = JCB. Cyfeillgar = friendly. To wave to someone in Welsh is to raise your hand, "Codi Llaw", so 'Jac Codi Llaw' is a JCB that waves at you!!

I remember a number of years ago standing waiting for the tram that heads up the Gt. Orme (Y Gogarth), and a Nain saying to her grandaughter 'Coda dy law', and seeing the toddler waving in response. It didn't take me too long to work out the idiom, one I have never forgotten.

Gyda llaw/By the way: To wave other things such as a flag or piece of paper is to 'chwifio' e.g. dwi'n chwifio baner (flag) Cymru.

'Signs of Change'

2010-01-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

40 years ago 22 Welsh language campaigners stormed the High Court in London as part of their protest for bilingual road signs. Today it's hard to imagine the Welsh 'landscape' devoid of Welsh signs, but thats how it was in 1970.

In 'Signs of Change', Radio 4 looks back at the language campaign of that period, and hears from some of the main players and those who were imprisoned following the High Coutt protest

Cadw Sŵn

2010-01-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

I think I mentioned in class last week about another course/resource thats now available in part on-line free of charge. The course 'Cadw Sŵn' has been around for some time and uses the technique of listening to music whilst learning to help speed things up. I've never tried this myself, but on listening to the bits on the site, it's clear the tutor Colin Jones has an interesting take on things. The link below leads to a sample which looks at shorcut techniques for forming the past and future tenses (which we have in part covered as well), it's certainly worth a listen

http://cadwswn.bandcamp.com/

Eira Mawr.....

2010-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hopefully everyone got the message that classes are cancelled today due to the weather. This is a good job in a way as we can't get our car up or down the road where we live, being on a hill that's rarely gritted!

Ta waeth, mwynhewch yr eira, a wela i chi wythnos nesaf gobeithio, Neil

(anyway, enjoy the snow, and I'll see you next week hopefully)

Blwyddyn newydd.....

2009-12-31T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well here we are on the verge of a new degawd (decade) (I think? though some say that'll be in 2011) and I'm looking forward to, and trying to write lesson plans for (yes there are plans!) a new term of teaching Welsh. So 'Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb, a dwi'n edrych ymlaen at eich gweld chi i gyd wythnos nesaf' :)

I've been doing a bit of 'homework' myself, namely reading in Welsh which I find improves my vocab, and general understanding of the language. I'm still dipping into Malcolm Allen's (the footballer) hunangofiant (autobiography) from time to time, but have been gripped by Llwyd Owens
latest novel 'Y Blaidd' (the wolf), which I got as a Christmas present.

Llwyd Owen is a young writer from Caerdydd (Cardiff) who rocked the world of Welsh literature when he won the 'Llyfr y Flwyddyn' (book of the year) competition with a gritty graphic novel about Cardiff's underworld 'Fydd, Gobaith, Cariad' (faith, hope, Love). I remember writing on my blog back in 2007 after reading the book something like 'I'm glad I learnt Welsh just to be able to have read this book', and being in the middle of a Llwyd Owen book is still a great feeling. There are some of his short stories in English for free on the website as well, though i've yet to read them. I've never been a great reader, but do find that reading in a second language gives another dimension to the experience, and remember there are many novels written specifically for learners out there which are a good starting point. I started with Bywyd Blodwen Jones by Bethan Gwanas.

I haven't got a date for the learners Eisteddfod yet, though I should get some info within a week or two, so we can plan ahead this year. I have an idea for a recitation piece which I will share with you when we return!

Hwyl am y tro, Neil

Nadolig Llawen...

2009-12-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

Wel mae'n 'noswyl y Nadolig' (Xmas eve) bron,
ac mae hi'n bwrw eira tu allan (wel tipyn bach). Dwi ddim yn gwybod os fydd hi'n Nadolig gwyn yma yng Nghilgwri, ond mwynhewch y gŵyl beth bynnag, a Nadolig Llawen i bawb!

bron - almost
tu allan - outside
os fydd hi - if it will be
mwynhewch - enjoy!
gŵyl - holiday
beth bynnag - whatever

Siopa Dolig (Christmas Shopping)

2009-12-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

There's a vocab/geirfa underneath this piece to help:

Wnes i wibio draw i'r Wyddgrug y p'nawn 'ma, er mwyn prynu cardiau Nadolig Cymraeg yn Siop y Siswrn (a great place to 'earwig' some Welsh and maybe practice(!?)relatively locally). Tra oeddwn i yna, wnes i sylwi ar y siop drws nesa (o'r enw 'Tlws'), sydd efo casgliad mawr o gemwaith, felly es i i mewn er mwyn prynu anrhegion Nadolig. Mae popeth yn y siop yn ddwyieithog, felly wnes i ddechrau siarad Cymraeg efo'r dynes tu ôl i'r cownter a gaethon ni sgwrs braf am ychydig o funudau cyn i mi brynu breichled arian i Jill a chrogdlws ar gadwyn i'r merch.

Wedyn es i mewn i Siop y Siswrn a phori trwy'r llyfrau am ddeg munud (yn trio ffeindio ysbrydoliaeth am anrhegion Nadolig i fy rhieni) cyn holi am gardiau nadolig Cymraeg. Yn anffodus roedden nhw wedi gwerthu allan bron, ond wnes i brynu hanner dwsin o'r rhai ar wahan (ffordd eitha drud o brynu cardiau), i ychydig o aelodau'r teulu sy'n Cymry Cymraeg.

gwibio - dart/dash
draw - over
er mwyn - in order to
tra - while
sylwi - notice
casgliad - collection
gemwaith - jewellery
dwyieithog - bi-lingual
breichled - bracelet
crogdlws - pendant
cadwyn - chain
p(h)ori - browse/graze
ysbrydoliaeth - inspiration
bron - almost
ar wahan - except
eitha drud - rather expensive
Cymry Cymraeg - Welsh speaking Welsh people

D-Plates

2009-11-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

This spoof documentary made by The Fiction Factory in South Wales called D-Plates (D for dysgwyr) sends up a Welsh residential course, the students and tutor, and was made as a pilot for possible series. It's only about 5 mins long and is worth a look.

http://www.ukindies.co.uk/programme_video.asp?name=D%2DPlates&id=845&video

Yr wythnos yma (this week)

2009-11-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

Yr wythnos yma, wnaethon ni gario ymlaen (we carried on) efo Uned 18 - 'Rhaid'.

We'll move on to Uned 19 yr wythnos nesaf.

Gyda llaw (by the way), Ges i sioc (I got a shock) ddoe. Wnes i weld fy mlog Cymraeg i 'Clecs Cilgwri' mewn rhestr (list) o'r 'Unofficial Top 10' Blogs Cymraeg Amateur! I suddenly thought though about all the grammar mistakes etc. which my Welsh posts are no doubt full of (well even more back in '04 when I started! though if I can make this list then anyone can, so stick at it....

Cerdd Dant (lit. String Music)

2009-11-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

Around this time of the year the annual Gŵyl Cerdd Dant (Cerdd Dant Festival) is held in Wales, like the National Eisteddfod its location moving from one year to the next. Cerdd Dant is one of those traditions unique to Welsh culture, and one that is fairly difficult (from my experience at least) to understand. Cerdd Dant does not mean 'Tooth Music' as I once read somewhere (though that is propably an easy mistake to make!), but rather 'String Music' (Tant/string, mutates after 'cerdd' giving Dant, which means 'tooth'!).

Basically 'Cerdd Dant' is singing accompanied by a harp, but one particular form called 'penillion' is perhaps unique to Welsh music. In penillion the harp plays a melody (known as a 'cainc') while the singer/s sing a completely unrelated song or 'counter melody' over the top. Normally the singing will start each verse a few bars into the 'cainc', with the object being to finish at the same time. Often the harp may be playing in 3/4 time for instance while the singing may be in 2/4 or 4/4, creating 'interesting' effects and rhythyms. Penillion may have developed from a sort of musical challenge, with bards competing to create the most unlikely marriages of song and melody, and there is undoubtedly a real skill to making the whole thing work.

Though much of modern day Cerdd Dant is fairly traditional, modern songs can be given the 'Cerdd Dant' treatment as well, giving the whole thing a more contemporary edge and keeping it a living tradition.

Cerdd Dant is I suppose a traddodiad enjoyed by many Wales, but one that many would be happy to see die out! being an aquired taste many have no wish to aquire! S4C give the annual Gŵyl Cerdd Dant plenty of coverage so you can make your own mind up!!

Rhaid.....

2009-11-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Yr wythnos yma yn flwyddyn 2, wnaethon ni ddechrau (we started) edrych ar sut i ddweud 'I must, you must' etc.

It's covered in 'Uned 18' of Cwrs Mynediad.

The word 'Rhaid' means necessity, and in Welsh we say '(Mae'n) Rhaid i mi' which literally translates as 'There is a necessity for me'. The (mae'n' part in speech is often dropped leaving 'Rhaid i mi' for 'I must', 'Rhaid i ti' for 'You must' etc.

e.g.

'Rhaid i mi fynd i Tescos yn y bore'

'Rhaid i ti ddod adre'n gynnar yfory' (you must come home early tommorow)

To turn it into a question we use 'Oes':

'Oes rhaid i mi wneud y gwaith cartre?' (do I have to do the homework?), the answer being 'Oes' or 'Nag oes'.

Pob Hwyl

Cyn ac Ar ôl (before and after)

2009-11-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

This week (3ydd Tachwedd/November) we spent most of the time looking at 'Before and After', Cyn ac Ar ôl , which is covered in 'uned' 17 of Cwrs Mynediad.

Points to look out for!

* When saying 'before/after I/he/you/they etc. the preposition 'i' comes before the I/he/you etc. part i.e.

Before I = Cyn i mi
After you = Ar ôl i ti/chi

* The 'i' bit in these structures changes, depending on what follows, giving the variations 'cyn iddi hi, Ar ôl iddo fo, Cyn iddyn nhw'.

*These structures are the same no matter what the tense. Look at these examples:

Cyn i mi fynd, dwi'n cael diod arall (before I go, I'm having another drink)
Cyn i mi fynd, ges i ddiod arall ( before I went, I had another drink)

Ta waeth(anyway), dwi'n edrych ymlaen at eich weld chi wythnos nesaf gobeithio, hwyl!

Calan Gaeaf

2009-10-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

The First day of a season or month is known as Calan in Welsh. Calan Mai is Mayday, Dydd Calan New Years Day, and Calan Gaeaf the first day of winter, and the begining of the Celtic New Yyear. Celts believed that at this time the souls of their ancestors could return to earth and created masks that would keep evil spirits away, and carved fierce faces from turnips to the same effect.

The Christian church adapted this pagan festival to become All Saints Day and All Souls Day, but most well known today is of course Halloween, the name coming from 'All Hallows Even'. Some traditions from its pagan origins are still observed (such as the carving of turnips and pumpkins). In Welsh Halloween is Nos Galan Gaeaf, and a tradition in a similar vein to trick or treating was known as 'gast neu geiniog', though many of the old traditions have been lost to more commercialy driven ones. Calan Gaeaf/Halloween remains though, a 'tradition' derived from our Celtic origins!

Ymddiheuriadau - um-thee-hay-rrree-ad-eye (apologies)

2009-10-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

I must apologise for missing some of the comments on this blog, as for some reason they are sent to an obscure e-mail address I rarely check! There must be a way of changing this, and I'll try to do this a.s.a.p. as I appreciate any response, comments etc.

Anyway, one of the problems people can encounter when learning Welsh is a Welsh speakers eagerness to turn the conversation back to English as soon as they sense you're a learner, and perhaps you're struggling to communicate something. Thank goodness many Cymry Cymraeg (Welsh speaking Welsh people) are happy for learners to practice on/with them, and resist the urge to help in this way.

This is not just a problem for dysgwyr Cymraeg, as highlighted in this post (part of this is in English) on Morfablog (Morfablog, by the way was one of the first blogs in the Welsh language, and is written by Nic Dafis, a learner turned tutor). Perhaps not suprisingly, practicing your Finish skills in Finland can be quite a challenge!

Diwedd yr Haf....

2009-10-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

Today the clocks back (I think... spring forward, fall back is the only way I remember) which means the end of summer (diwedd yr haf), or at least 'British summertime'. Below is a small piece which shouldn't be too hard for those half way through Mynediad to understand (where there is a mutation I've highlighted it in italics :

Mae hi'n amser 'newid y clociau' unwaith eto. Yng Nghilgwri, mae hi wedi bod penwythnos digon tymhorol, efo glaw a gwynt, ond dydy hi ddim wedi bod yn rhy oer.
Mae'r ysgolion wrth cwrs wedi cau am (g)wyliau yr hanner tymor, ac mi fydd rhai bobol yn dianc am wythnos yn yr heulwen efallai, neu yn mynd i fwynhau yr hydref rhywle yng Nghymru. A dweud y gwir, dwi'n eitha hoffi'r hydref, er dwi ddim yn edrych ymlaen at ddyddiau byrion y gaeaf sydd ar y gorwel.

unwaith - once
digon - enough
newid - change
tymhorol - seasonal
a dweud y gwir - to tell the truth
eitha - rather
byrion - short(plural) byr = short (singular)
gorwel - horizon

Death of a language....

2009-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I heard a piece on Radio 4 this morning about the predicted death of 50% of the worlds languages over the next century, and have just read the related article on their website. Welsh interestingly is quoted as a success story, though in one response on the website, a correspondant from Cardiff suggests preserving 'dead' languages is through teaching them as a secondary language in schools, as with Welsh he goes on to say! ...not quite sure he understands the concept of Welsh medium education. Others clearly welcome the demise of minority languages as a positive thing and look forward to a world where we can travel without the inconvenience of encountering different tongues.

Clearly the most endangered languages are in remote areas where tribes have little autonomy and whos language is seen as a hinderance to progress, or to finding employment/education in rapidly changing cultures. This takes us back to Welsh in a way, a language that was seen as a hinderance by some and not passed on by parents, where they felt it would stop them getting on. This attitude to a smaller extent continues I'm sure. I remember a friend (a first language Welsh speaker) from Holyhead but living here being asked to say something in Welsh once, his mumbled reply was something like "Why, do you want to talk about combine harvesters?". This always struck me as strange, as if he was embarassed by his culture (past?) and associated Welsh as an agricultural language.

Thankfully though attitudes are changing, and Welsh has seen a small yet significant revival, on paper at least. Welsh is seen to be of value by many these days, and there is a confidence in Wales that no one could have dreamt of before 1998.

Gwthio'r ffin.... pushing the border....

2009-10-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

(apologies for the grammar, this is a quick translation of a posting on my Welsh blog Clecs Cilgwri)

Last year I rememmber one of the night class asking whether the Wirral had ever been a part of Wales. It's a good question, and one I hadn't really considered before then. It depends I suppose on how you define 'Wales' ("When Was Wales" asked Gwyn A Williams in the title of his book), and of course on the history of the torturously twisting border of today, a border confirmed under the Acts of Union between 1536 and 1543.

Anyway, I was reminded of the discussion once again by a picture which appeared in the October edition of the magazine 'Barn'(opinion), one that represents in paint (i think) Owain Glyndŵr's vision of extending his countrys border to include the 'marcher' counties, from the banks of the Mersey in the North to the Severn Estuary in the South, including places like Worcester, and the Wirral. Certainly neither the 'Welsh' nor the Welsh language where confined to the lands to the west of the border (like today!), but the Wirral had been colonised by Vikings from Ireland in the tenth century, and Saxons of course had arrived before that. So at the time of Glyndŵr, it's unlikely that many of the scattered population of Wirral would have felt 'Welsh'. But if Glyndŵr had won his 'argument' who knows, Wirral could have been a part of Wales, and us Wirralians genuine Welsh!?

Noson Cofrestru...enrolment evening

2009-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

It was great to see so many people turning up to enrol for Level 1 Welsh last night, as well as getting a chance to catch up with those returning to do Level 2.
I think there were around 16 who enrolled for the first year, and there may well be one or two more who turn up on the first night. It's always interesting for me to hear other peoples reasons for wanting to learn Welsh, and this year there seemed to be quite a few with direct Welsh family connections, as well as others who spend a lot of time in Wales for one reason or another.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out more over the coming weeks...

dysgu tra cysgu..... learn while sleeping....

2009-09-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

As a learner I've tried many techniques over the years to try and improve my Welsh, one of which was to set our clock radio to Radio Cymru (perhaps more suited to couples learning together!). At saith o'r gloch yn y bore there is no music (good news for many..) and the gentle sounds of 'Post Cyntaf' are sure to wake you up as well as anything. To be honest the fact that the clock radio has still been tuned to Radio Cymru on those occasions when it has, has sort of been accidental, propably a result of me failing to tune it back to Radio 4 after listening to a football match the previous evening. Jill doesn't quite see the need for such dedication! However the effect of a torrent of Welsh disturbing my sleep from time to time did I believe help in some way. In recent years (and this is going to sound equally sad..) I've taken to downloading podlediadau Cymraeg (Welsh podcasts) and occasionally listening to them on my i-pod before going to sleep, which inevitably ends up with me waking up in the middle of the night amongst a tangle of wires.

I don't have any evidence to back up claims that this actually helps, but any familiarisation with the language has got to be helpful, and to do it on the edges of sleep can sort of take the pressure off any expectation that you should be understanding more than you are...

So: dysgu tra cysgu, so long as it's not in the class...

Penblwydd arbennig a special anniversary

2009-09-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

on this day, September 16th, in the year 1400 one of Wales' most famous sons was proclaimed Prince of Wales. Owain Glyndŵr, whos name derives from the village of his birth near Llangollen: Glyndyfrdwy, remains a fascinating figure. As the last Welsh born Prince of Wales, Owain remains an important figure symbolically, but he was a man with far reaching visions for his country such as universities in North and South Wales, and an independant church. Interestingly, the borders he was trying to negotiate for Wales included Cheshire, and other border counties, meaning the Wirral could well have ended up as part of modern Wales!

Huw Edwards tells us more:

Paid Edrych i Lawr

2009-09-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Cerys Matthews will create history next month by releasing two albumns similtaneously, One called 'Paid Edrych i Lawr', and one called.... I'm sure you guessed.... yes, 'Don't Look Down'. As you will have realised by now these two records are Welsh and English versions of the same collection of songs, some of which appeared in Welsh only on last years EP release 'Awyren=Aeroplane'. So hopefully before long Radio Cymru will be playing plenty of new Cerys Matthews tracks.... can't be a bad thing!

Release date is Hydref 5ed, though I've pre ordered a Welsh copy (wrth cwrs). You can preview the songs (but only in English) on the same site.

Google translate....

2009-09-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

Google have recently added Welsh to their 'translate' tool which is quite something given that only around 50 or so of the worlds languages are there. Cymraeg appears to be the first of the Celtic languages made available.

As I'm sure everyone's aware, translation tools are a mixed blessing and are responsible for many of the disasterous and unintelligable translations that appear on the internet, as well as on 'occasional' signs in Wales. One fine example was of an establishment near Ruthin that translated Brasserie as 'Y Bronglwm', which as you can guess is the Welsh for bra!

However if you're not sure of something it's a useful tool, and obviously translating from Welsh to English you'll spot any results that makes no sense. English to Welsh though is a bit more risky for the learner...

Learn to pronounce LlanfairPG with a catchy ditty....mmm...

2009-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

This video will drive you mad, but some people say it's helped them learn how to pronounce the name of the famous Welsh village, mae'n ddrwg iawn iawn gen i...

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllarghhhhhh......

noson cofrestru - enrolment evening

2009-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

S'mae! I hope you're all having a good summer!! After two seperate holidays in different parts of 'Gogledd Cymru', the British seaside holiday has lost its shine somewhat, though we did have one fine afternoon on the beuatiful 'Traeth Tywyn' nr. Tudweiliog, an old favourite of Jills family, and succeeded in 'encouraging' Miriam (12) and 'Layla' (ci) to the top of 'Yr Wyddfa' and 'Cadair Idris', both 'yn yr heulwen'.

This years enrolement evening takes place on Wed 23rd of September at Wirral Grammar School for Girls (advert in last weeks globe). Classes start the following week. Year 1 is on Wednesdays, and year 2 on Tuesdays. If you can't make the enrolement evening you can always call the Language College office to put your name down. I look forward to seeing you there...

Hwyl, Neil