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The Welsh Alphabet
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- Written by: Cymdeithas Madog
- Category: Gramadeg
- Hits: 6233
In order to help you pronounce Welsh words correctly, here is a guide to the Welsh alphabet. Note that there are a couple cases where a Welsh "letter" is actually made up of two characters (e.g., "ch", "dd", etc). So when you're next doing a Welsh crossword puzzle, remember that these double character letters fit into one box.
Yr Wyddor Gymraeg / The Welsh Alphabet
| Letter | Sound | |
| a | short: "a" as in "ham", e.g., "mam" long: "a" as in "hard", e.g., "tad" | |
| b | as in "boy", e.g., "bara" | |
| c | as in "cat" (never the "s" sound as in "cent"), e.g., "cant" | |
| ch | a non-English sound as in Scottish "ch" in "loch", e.g., "bach" | |
| d | as in "dog", e.g., "dros" | |
| dd | "th" (voiced) as in "the" (never the voiceless "th" sound as in "thin, e.g., "bedd" | |
| e | short: "e" as in "then", e.g., "pen" long: similar to "e" in "then spoken in a southern drawl, e.g., "hen" |
|
| f | as in "of", e.g., "afal" | |
| ff | as in "off", e.g., "ffŵl" | |
| g | as in "god", e.g., "glan" | |
| ng | as in "long", e.g., "ing" | |
| h | as in "hat", e.g., "hen" | |
| i | short: "i" as in "sit", e.g., "inc" long: "ee" as in "seen", e.g., "hir" |
|
| j | as in "jam", e.g., "jar" | |
| l | as in "lamp", e.g., "lol" | |
| ll | an aspirated 'l' which does not occur in English, sounded by placing the tongue so as to say 'l' and hissing out of one side of the mouth, e.g., "llan" | |
| m | as in "man", e.g., "mab" | |
| n | as in "name", e.g., "nos" | |
| o | short: "o" as in "gone", e.g., "llon" long: as in "more", e.g., "to" |
|
| p | as in "pet", e.g., "pen" | |
| ph | an aspirated 'p' occurring only as a mutated form, sounded as in "graph", e.g., "tri phen" | |
| r | as in "rat", e.g., "caru" | |
| rh | an aspirated 'r' which does not occur in English; the difference between 'rh' and 'r' is similar to that betwen 'wh' and 'w' in "when" and "went", e.g., "rhan" | |
| s | as in "sit", e.g., "sant" | |
| t | as in "top", e.g., "tan" | |
| th | as in "thin", e.g., "cath" | |
| u | short: as in "sit", e.g., "sut" long: as in "seen", e.g., "un" |
|
| w | as in "wind", e.g., "wedi" short: as in "look", e.g., "cŵm" long: as in "fool", e.g., "mwg" |
|
| y | short: as in "sit", e.g., "cyn" (clear sound) short: as in "gun", e.g., "yn" (obscure sound) long: as in "seen", e.g., "dyn" (clear sound) |
|
Notes:
- There are no 'k' and 'q' in Welsh and 'y' is a vowel
- Some language specialists do not consider "j" to be part of the Welsh alphabet. This being said, there are a number of words used in Welsh (such as "jam" and "garej") that use the letter "j" while most dictionaries contain a section for Welsh words beginning with the letter "j."
- There is no 'z' in Welsh, but the sound occurs in some borrowed words, in which case it is represented by 's', e.g., "sw"
- Two consonants, 'n' and 'r', are sometimes doubled in written Welsh, e.g., "tynnu," "torri." Note that 'dd,' 'ff' and 'll' are not doubled, but are consonants in their own right.
- When 'f' occurs at the end of words it is frequently silent, e.g., "ara" for "araf", but it is not incorrect to sound it.
- A vowel is sometimes interposed between pairs of consonants at the end of words, e.g., "llyfyr" for "llyfr" and "cefen" for "cefn."
- All vowels except 'y' have two sound only.
- Sometimes the long vowel is marked by a circumflex, e.g., "cân" or "pêl"
- Apart from the obscure sound of 'y', 'i', 'u' and 'y' are pronounced in essentially the same way in South Wales. There are, however, differences between the three in North Wales.
- The rules for the pronunciation of 'y' are as follows"
- Words of one syllable: The obscure sound occurs in a small group of words, e.g., "dy," "fy," "y," "yr," but otherwise the sound is clear. It may be short as in "mynd" or long as in "byd." Unless a circumflex is used (e.g., "ty^") there is no way of distinguishing the two cases
- Words of more than one syllable: In all syllables except the last, the sound is obscure, e.g., "byddaf." In the last syllable the sound is clear. It is short if the syllable ends in a consonant, e.g., "gelyn,", and long when no consonant follows, e.g., "gwely." Note that the obscure and open sounds can occur in the same word, e.g., "mynydd," "Cymry"
- The diaresis is sometimes used to indicate that a vowel must be sounded separately, e.g., "gweddïo"
Mutations And Their Side Effects
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- Written by: Diana Gehman
- Category: Humour
- Hits: 2494
Diana Gehman has attended a countless number of Cymdeithas Madog Welsh courses over the years, and thus is very familiar with the dangers of mutations. Therefore, heed her warning!
Mutations And Their Side Effects
Mutations are one of the terrors of learning Welsh. Many of us have dealt with them for a number of years. Those of you who are beginning to study Welsh may have only touched lightly on the subject of mutations. What the teachers don't want you to know is that you are opening Pandora's box. So, just wait until next year when the box opens wider and the meanings of soft, nasal, and aspirate will no longer be associated with complications accompanying pneumonia and influenza. However, when one gets into the real meat of mutations, one may find a preference for pneumonia or influenza.
The good news is there are only nine letters ever involved in a mutation. These letters are: p, t, c, b, d, g, m, ll, rh. Another surprise! Some double consonants are considered one letter in Welsh. So, who said it'd be easy? Besides, think of the added challenge of filling in a Welsh crossword puzzle. Yes, it does bring a few cross words to mind. Well, back to those nine all-important letters. Here's a mnemonic device to help you remember them (courtesy of Lucinda Myers). "Put That Cow Back Down, Goober. Memorize LLama RHapsodies." It is important to remember these famous nine in order. It'll make things easier (yeah, right...) later on.
The first mutation is the soft mutation. Any word beginning with any of the nine aforementioned letters qualifies for the soft mutation. Of course, whether or not the soft mutation is used or not depends on certain rules, which will be discussed later. Application of the soft mutation will change the above-mentioned nine letters to: b, d, g, f, dd, - , f, l, r. Now, so far I have no mnemonic device for these letters in English, German, French, Spanish, or Russian as I can find no words beginning with dd or " - ". I'm sure one could be made in Welsh, but I've spent too much energy on mutations already. The thing I find beyond comprehension is, if a p mutates to a b, and a b mutates to an f, then why doesn't a p just mutate straight through to an f? The same could be said for t to d to dd and c to g to " - ". And why do both b and m mutate to an f ? The only relation I can see between a b and an m is that in the upper case, a b looks like an m on its side. Life must have been very boring early on to have nothing better to do than sit around the fire and think up mutations.
The second mutation is the nasal mutation. It is aptly named, as will soon be seen. It involves only the first six letters of the nine. The changes are: mh, nh, ngh, m, n, ng. How in Heaven's name does one pronounce these? Well, remember that last attack of hayfever -- that sound that's made when trying to stifle a sneeze or clear clogged nasal passages? That's just about how these are pronounced. See what I mean? Aptly named.
The third, and thank goodness, final mutation is the aspirate mutation. It also earns its name. Only the first three letters of the nine are used. The changes are: ph, th, ch. The first two are pronounced the same as in English. It's the last one that causes problems for some. Remember that last bout with the flu when the doctor gave that prescription for cough syrup with codeine to help clear the lungs? The sound that's made trying to accomplish the task of clearing one's lungs is the sound needed here.
The basic rule that I use is, "When in doubt, mutate!" There are set rules for mutations, but it'll take a lifetime and a half to get them all down. Here are a few basics.
- All feminine singular nouns take a soft mutation after the definite article. Does this sound sexist to anyone else? Why does it have to be the feminine singular nouns that cause a problem? And where is the logic when feminine plural nouns don't mutate under the same condition? And, wrth gwrs, why would there need to be a rule unless there was an exception? Ll and rh don't mutate here. Perhaps they are lazy.
- Connecting yn causes a soft mutation in anything but a verb-noun (does verb-noun sound oxymoronic? Oh, and, wrth gwrs, ll and rh are excepted, again), but yn meaning in causes a nasal mutation. The nasal mutation itself can cause yn to alter its appearance as well. It can change to ym or yng depending on the mutation of what follows it. Perhaps that is called a kickback.
- Here is a really terrific rule about inflected verbs in the negative. To make matters worse, two types of mutations need to be considered here. If the inflected verb begins with the first three of the nine, then it takes an aspirate mutation. If it begins with the other six, then it takes a soft mutation.
So far, I haven't found any rule that requires all three mutations, thank goodness. Their use might depend on such things as, "If it's Tuesday and raining (quite likely in Wales), Wednesday and snowing, or Friday and sunny." These seem about as reasonable as not.
I have had the joy, too, of finding a place where Welsh strangles itself on its own mutations. The words ban, man, and fan. They are all feminine. Therefore, the first two will mutate after y. They will now become y fan, y fan, and y fan respectively. Did I hear someone whisper, "You can tell what they mean by the context of the sentence?" Sure.
Please be advised that Welsh IS the language of Heaven. I expect God threw mutations into it to weed out the undesirables. After all, who -- without a strong faith that she or he could master such nonsense -- would continue the venture into the study of Welsh and the mastery of mutations?
Battle Hymn Of Cwrs Cymraeg
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- Written by: Ellis Jones
- Category: Humour
- Hits: 1945
Ellis Jones was in the beginner's class at Cwrs Cymraeg Iowa, 1997, when he penned the following verses (set to the tune "The Battle Hymn of the Republic") about the experience of learning Welsh. Give it a go.
Battle Hymn Of Cwrs Cymraeg
Verse 1:
Mine eyes have seen the words of Cymru printed on the board
They have been pronounced and spelled and sung with such accord
We've learned the way to greet each other with a helping list
of sentences and songs including one in which we kissed!
Refrain:
We have tried to learn Cymraeg here!
We have tried to spell Cymraeg here!
We have tried to do our best here!
But the language still lives on!
Verse 2:
Cefin and Hefina, Paul and Marta, Basil, too
All of these besides our teacher who was tiwtor Sue
Lots of words, mutations, place names, numbers, and the days
Vocabulary soon to help us all in many ways.
Refrain
Verse 3:
Yes, Bore da and Noswaith dda and da bo chi as well
Saying wedi blino and, yes Dw i'n dod o Hell (Michigan)
The messages have sometimes not said what we really meant
But maybe that's the way they talk in little tiny Gwent
Refrain
Verse 4:
You've heard the valiant story of our efforts to excel
To master all the challenges our teachers do us tell.
But we really like their patience over all these many days
It's Dioch yn fawr! and all the other words of gentle praise.
Refrain
Webmaster's Note: The teaching staff of Cwrs Cymraeg Iowa 1997 (Cefin Campbell, Hefina Phillips, Paul Birt, Marta Weingartner Diaz, Basil Davies and Sue George) take pride of place in the second verse.
Llofruddiaeth Yn Y Manordy
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- Written by: Marta Weingartner Diaz
- Category: Readings In Welsh
- Hits: 2064
Dyma stori fer am y detecif byd enwog Herciwl Pwaro. Cafodd y stori hon ei hysgrifennu yn enwedig i ddysgwyr gan Marta Weingartner Diaz. Mae Marta'n athrawes Gymraeg brofiadol ac mae hi wedi dysgu ar lawer o Gyrsiau Cymraeg Cymdeithas Madog dros y blynyddoedd.
Llofruddiaeth Yn Y Manordy
Wrth lwc roedd Hercule Poirot, y ditectif Belgaid enwog, yn aros yng Ngogledd Cymru pan ddigwyddodd y trasiedi yno. Onibai am hyn, basai'r dirgelwch hwn yn dal heb ei esbonio hyd heddiw.
Ond gadewch if fynd yn ol i'r dechrau...
Bu rhaid i Monsieur Poirot adael ei fflat yng nghanol Llundain pan benderfynodd awdurdodau y ddinas ail-balmantu ei stryd. Roedd sŵn y peiriannau dan ei ffenestri yn ofnadwy, a'r llwch yn dod i mewn ac yn setlo ym mhobman. Dyn twt a thaclus ydy M. Poirot, fel mae pawb yn gwybod, ac yn casáu anrhefn a sw+n a llwch yn anad dim. Yn dilyn cyngor ei ffrind Colonel Hastings, felly, aeth M. Poirot i Gymru, i dreulio pythefnos yn yr awyr iach, ymhell o sŵn a mwg y ddinas fawr. Cyn hir roedd Poirot ymysg y mynyddoedd Cymreig, yn aros mewn Gwely a Brecwast mewn pentref gwledig yng nghysgod yr Wyddfa.
Er ei fod yn ddyn dinesig o'i gorun i'w sawdl, llwyddodd M. Poirot i fwynhau ei drigiad yn y pentref. Y diwrnod cyntaf, aeth i mewn i'r siopau, ymweld â'r hen gapel, ac edmygu'r maenordy gwych o'r ddeunawfed ganrif; yn fyr, gwelodd Poirot y golygefeydd i gyd. A'r dyddiau dilynol, beth a wnaeth? Mynd am dro yn y mynyddoedd, cerdded allan yn y cefn gwlad, edrych ar y ffermwyr yn hel eu defaid gyda chymorth eu cwn defaid du a gwyn. Byddai Poirot yn mynd allan bob dydd gyda'i het a'i ymbarel i grwydro rhyw lwybr mynyddig, gan gymryd gofal i ddod adre mewn pryd i gael te, a bob tro yn sychu ei esgidiau'n ofalus, rhag ofn iddo fe fod wedi sefyll yn rhywbeth cas roedd rhyw ddafad wedi'i osod ar y llwybr.
Un prynhawn tua diwedd ei drigiad yn y pentref, tra roedd M. Poirot yn cael te a bisgedi yn y Gwely a Brecwast, rhuthrodd y bwtler o'r maenordy i mewn. Roedd e wedi rhedeg o ben draw'r pentref i ofyn i M. Poirot ddod i'r maenordy ar unwaith: roedd rhywun wedi cael ei ladd!
Cydiodd M. Poirot yn ei het a'i ymbarel a brysio allan o'r tŷ, yn dilyn y bwtler trwy'r pentref i'r maenordy, lle trigodd yr Arglwyddes Prydderch-Jones are ei phen ei hen (gyda'i bwtler a'i chogyddes, hynny yw). Ar y ffordd, adroddodd y bwtler y hanes i M. Poirot: bachgen deg oed, mab y gogyddes, oedd wedi cael ei ladd. Roedd y gogyddes wedi dod o hyd i'w mab yn gorwedd ar lawr y gegin, yn farw. Nid oedd hithau na'r bwtler wedi gweld neu glywed dim byd o'i le ar y pryd.
Pan gyrhaeddodd M. Poirot, roedd yr heddlu wedi dod a mynd yn barod, ar ôl chwilio am gliwiau a gofyn cwestiynnau o bob math, ond yn ofer - ymadawodd y plismyn heb ddod o hyd i'r un prawf i ddangos pwy oedd wedi llofruddio'r bachgen.
Dechreuodd M. Poirot holi'r gogyddes; beichiodd hithau wylo a gallodd o'r braidd siarad. "Pardon, Madame," meddai M. Poirot, "Rydw i'n deall bod hyn yn anodd iawn i chi, ond mae rhaid i fi ofyn ychydig o gwestiynau, ac mae'n angenrheidiol i chi ateb mor fanwl ‚ phosib. Yn gyntaf, Madame, ble roedd eich mab pan ddaethoch chi o hyd iddo fe?"
"Roedd e'n gorwedd ar y llawr, wrth y bwrdd, a chyllell yn ei gefn," egurodd y gogyddes, gan sychu ei dagrau.
"Mae'n debyg na welodd e ddim o'r llofrudd, felly," meddai M. Poirot. "Fasai fe wedi ei glywed, tybed?"
"O na fasai," atebodd y gogyddes yn bendant. "Dwi'n siwr na chlywodd e ddim byd? Roedd e'n bwyta cawl ar y pryd, ac yn llyncu'n swnllyd, fel arfer. Byddai fy meistres, yr Arglwyddes Prydderch-Jones, yn dweud y drefn wrth y bachgen truan o hyd ac o hyd am iddo wneud cymaint o sw+n wrth fwyta."
"Aha!" criodd Monsieur Poirot. "Rydw i wedi darganfod y llofrudd! Ffoniwch yr heddlu, a dywedwch iddyn nhw restio yr Arglwyddes Prydderch-Jones ar unwaith!"
Ar ôl i'r plismyn fynd â'r foneddiges ddiedifar i orsaf yr heddlu, cerddodd M. Poirot yn feddylgar yn ôl i'w Wely a Brecwast. "Gobeithio na chaiff yr Arglwyddes Prydderch-Jones ddyfarniad llym," meddyliodd Poirot. "Nid arni hi oedd y bai, wedi'r cwbl. Mae'n hollol warthus i rywun lyncu ei gawl yn swnllyd fel 'na o hyd ac o hyd. Dim rhyfedd i'r arglwyddes gracio dan y straen!"
Geirfa
- llofruddiaeth (masc.) - murder (also, llofruddio - to murder, and llofrudd, m - murderer)
- Maenordy (m) - manor house
- ymddiheuriad (m) - apology
- dirgelwch (m) - mystery
- dal heb ei esbonio - to remain unexplained
- awdurdod (m) - authority
- dinas (fem.) city (also, dinesig - urban)
- ail-balmantu - to re-pave
- peiriannau - machines (singular: peiriant, m)
- llwch (m) - dust
- ym mhobman - everywhere
- twt a thaclus - neat and tidy
- casáu - to hate (also, cas - nasty, hateful)
- anrhefn (f) - disorder (cf. trefn - order)
- yn anad dim - above all
- cyngor (m) - advice
- ymysg - among
- gwledig - rural (cf. gwlad - coutry; also cefn gwlad - countryside)
- cysgod (m) - shadow
- o'i gorun i'w sawdl - from head to foot
- llwyddo i - to succeed in
- mwynhau - to enjoy
- trigiad (m) - a stay (also, trigo - to stay)
- edmygu - to admire
- gwych - splendid
- deunawfed ganrif - 18th century
- golygfeydd - sights (sing. golygfa, f)
- hel - to herd
- cymorth (m) - help
- crwydro - to wander
- llwybr (m) - path
- mewn pryd - in time (also, ar y pryd - at the time)
- sychu - to dry
- rhag ofn - in case
- gosod - to drop or set
- rhuthro - to rush
- pen draw - the far end
- cael ei ladd - to be killed (cf. lladd - to kill)
- cydio yn - to grab
- yr Arglwyddes (f) - Lady
- cogyddes - cook
- adrodd - to recount
- marw - dead
- o'i le - wrong
- yr heddlu (m) - police (also, gorsaf yr heddlu - police station)
- pob math - every kind
- yn ofer - in vain
- ymadael - to leave
- yr un prawf - (not) a single proof
- holi - to interrogate
- beichio wylo - to sob
- o'r braidd - scarcely
- angenrheidiol - necessary
- mor fanwl â - as precisely as...
- tebyg - likely
- tybed - I wonder
- pendant - emphatic
- cawl (m) - soup
- llyncu - to swallow
- swnllyd - noisy (cf. sŵn, m - sound)
- fel arfer - as usual
- dweud y drefn - to scold
- truan - poor
- o hyd ac o hyd - again and again
- bonheddiges (f) - lady, noblewoman
- diedifar - unrepentant
- na chaiff - she will not get (from cael)
- dyfarniad (m) llym - harsh sentence
- bai (m) - blame
- wedi'r cwbl - after all
- gwarthus - disgraceful
- fel yna - like that
- dim rhyfedd - no wonder
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