A new, updated version of the classic beginners’ Welsh course,  Welcome to Welsh , has been published by Y Lolfa. Written by Heini Gruffudd, bestselling author of materials for Welsh learners, the content of the new edition has been completely revamped and the book has been redesigned to bring it up to date. 

“Forty years have flown by! I would never have thought in 1984 that the book would be so popular. The grammar, stories and conversations needed updating, and humour has changed. The success of materials for learners show that there is an ever-growing wish for Welsh to be increasingly used as a spoken language. I hope this new version will still be around years after I’m gone!” said author Heini Gruffudd. 

First published in 1984, the original edition has sold over 70,000 copies. Carolyn Hodges, now Head of English-Language Publishing at Y Lolfa but formerly in charge of creating market-leading language coursebooks at Oxford University Press, said: “The original edition is an absolute classic and has helped tens of thousands of learners to take their first steps in learning Welsh. This edition builds on that success, with the content overhauled to teach up-to-date Welsh that you’ll hear around you in the real world today, and a fresh new design that will appeal to a brand new generation of learners!” 

Ideal for self-study, the course has 16 units, using engaging new strip cartoons by Welsh illustrator Osian Roberts to present sentence structures and grammar points. There is also a dictionary section at the back of the book, and free MP3 audio files to accompany the lessons are downloadable from Y Lolfa’s website. 

Swansea-born Heini Gruffudd has spent his life teaching Welsh to children and adults. He has for many years been at the forefront of the campaign for Welsh-language education, and is a prolific author of successful and popular materials for Welsh learners. Other titles written by him include  Welsh is Fun (which has sold over 200,000 copies) ,  The Welsh Learner’s Dictionary ,  Welsh Rules  and  Talk Welsh .  

Welcome to Welsh   by Heini Gruffudd (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Mae’r Lolfa wedi cyhoeddi argraffiad newydd o’r cwrs poblogaidd i ddysgwyr Cymraeg,  Welcome to Welsh .  Wedi’i ysgrifennu gan Heini Gruffudd, mae cynnwys yr argraffiad newydd wedi’i ddiweddaru a’i ail ddylunio er mwyn ei wneud yn addas i ddysgwyr heddiw. 

Mae’r adargraffiad hwn yn cynnwys nodiadau gramadeg gwerthfawr, ymarferion defnyddiol, sgyrsiau cartŵn a geiriadur cyffredinol ar gyfer dysgwyr.  

“Mae pedwardeg o flynyddoedd wedi hedfan heibio! Bydden i byth wedi meddwl yn 1984 y byddai’r llyfr mor boblogaidd. Roedd angen diweddaru’r gramadeg, y storïau a’r sgyrsiau, ac mae’r hiwmor wedi newid. Mae llwyddiant y deunydd ar gyfer dysgwyr yn dangos bod yna ddymuniad i siarad Cymraeg sydd yn parhau i dyfu. Rwy’n gobeithio bydd y fersiwn newydd yma ar gael ymhell ar ôl i fi fynd!” meddai’r awdur Heini Gruffudd. 

Cyhoeddwyd am y tro cyntaf ym 1984, a gwerthwyd dros 70,000 copi o’r fersiwn wreiddiol. Meddai Carolyn Hodges, Pennaeth Cyhoeddi Saesneg Y Lolfa sydd hefyd wedi bod yn gyfrifol am greu llyfrau cyrsiau iaith gydag Oxford University Press: “Mae’r fersiwn wreiddiol yn glasur ac wedi helpu degau o filoedd o ddysgwyr i gymryd y camau cyntaf i ddysgu Cymraeg. Mae’r fersiwn newydd yn adeiladu ar y llwyddiant yma, gyda chynnwys cyfoes, gyda Chymraeg fyddwch yn clywed ar strydoedd Cymru, a dyluniad ffres a fydd yn apelio at genhedlaeth newydd o ddysgwyr!” 

Mae’r gyfrol yn ddelfrydol ar gyfer dysgu ar eich pen eich hun, Mae’n cynnwys 16 uned a chartwnau gwych gan y dylunydd Cymraeg, Osian Roberts, sy’n cyflwyno strwythur brawddegau a phwyntiau gramadegol. Mae yna hefyd eiriadur, a ffeiliau sain MP3 am ddim i gyd-fynd â’r gwersi. 

Mae  Welcome to Welsh  gan Heini Gruffudd ar gael nawr, £9.99.

Many of our readers will be following Welsh Word of the Day on Facebook, Twitter or AmeriCymru. If not, here are the urls:

Facebook

Twitter

AmeriCymru

BUT how do you access older posts? How do you search for older Welsh Word of the Day entries?

Fortunately the Croeseiriau Cymraeg Geiriadur is now fully searchable from this page:

Geiriadur Introduction

When you search a term from this page e.g. peryglus-dangerous (as in the screenshot above) you will be taken to a search results page that looks like this:

Clicking on the links above will take you to the relevant wordcard pages for the linked terms. There is a wordcard for the term 'peryglus' itself ( pictured below)

On the wordcard page you will find a sample sentence, help with pronunciation and links to other wordcards, grammatical resources etc.

Furthermore, on the search results pages, you will find links to other wordcards where the search term has been used in the sample sentence . For example hudolus - magical (see below)

The AmeriCymru Geiriadur enables people to study these terms in a number of different contexts. We believe that providing the opportunity for people to thoroughly familiarise themselves with words and phrases that they search will greatly facilitate a more rapid mastery of the language. The search page is an important milestone in the development of our comprehensive Welsh language course: Croeseiriau Cymraeg .

Mwynhewch / Enjoy

Dafydd:  Shwmae / S’mae pawb. Pleser o’r mwyaf yw e i fi ateb eich cwestiynau ar wefan americymru.

Hello everyone. It’s my great pleasure to answer your questions for the AmeriCymru website.

My name is Dafydd Roberts and I was born and brought up in a village just outside the town of Wrexham (Wrecsam yn y Gymraeg) in north-east Wales about ten miles from the border with England.

I graduated in Welsh and the History of Wales from Cardiff University in 1978. Since then, I’ve taught Welsh to first language speakers and learners for over 40 years.

As well as teaching the language, I have worked as a subject expert for the Government and Qualifications Wales; marked and set papers for the Welsh Joint Education Committee; chaired and served on countless panels and forums and have written materials specifically designed for learners of the language.

I’ve been living in the west Wales town of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire (sir Gaerfyrddin) since 1997 and have been semi-retired for the past four years. At the moment, I teach Welsh for Adults classes (ranging in ability from total beginners to first language speakers who wish to improve their grammar); give private tuition to first and second language speakers at all levels both face to face and online; translate professionally; proof-read in both langauges and write in both Welsh and English for websites, magazines and other media. I am also the media coordinator for our local history society (www.llanellich.org.uk/20-misc/3-llanelli-community-heritage) and have made several TV appearances following the installation of blue plaques and interpretive panels.

AmeriCymru: How did Darllen a Deall , your regular column on Parallel.cymru, start?

Dafydd:  One of the publications I write a regular article for is IAW – the Urdd magazine for Welsh learners at secondary school level (www.urdd.cymru/en/projects/magazines/iaw/).

I’ve known Neil Rowlands (Parallel.cymru) for the past few years and he asked if I would write a series of articles for the website. The articles you see on Parallel.cymru are based on the material in IAW but are adapted and updated to suit adult learners.

Each series of articles has a different theme:

Ardal Arbennig (A Special Area) is the current theme. I’ve chosen particular areas of Wales and written about their history, geography, famous sons and daughters, events and attractions. Future themes will include Digwyddiad Arbennig (a Special Event), Mudiad Arbennig (A Special Organisation), Gweithle Arbennig (A Special Workplace) and Y Mis Yma yn Hanes Cymru (This Month in the History of Wales).

AmeriCymru: What learning level does one need to be at to fully benefit from 'Darllen a Deall'?

Dafydd: A good question. Based on the Welsh for Adults National Curriculum ( https://learnwelsh.cymru/media/2136/saesneg-final.pdf), I would say that the articles are most suited to learners at the Foundation and Intermediate levels, although learners at Entry level will be able to understand much of the content. I make the articles learner-friendly by using familiar syntax and vocabulary. On the other hand, the material is not patronising and content has in no way been dumbed down. Each article includes a vocabulary section containing words which I think could be unfamiliar to the learner. Readers are able to hover the mouse over a highlighted word in order to obtain the English translation (diolch Neil). Also included with each article is a language section which revises a particular element of grammar arising from the text.

AmeriCymru: What, in your opinion, is the best and most productive way to expand your Welsh vocabulary?

Dafydd:  From my experience, vocabulary acquisition comes naturally as the grammar is mastered. For me, sentence construction and syntax is the most important aspect of language acquisition. Once a sentence pattern has been mastered, that pattern can be adapted by the learner to suit a myriad of scenarios. The learner will then naturally acquire vocabulary relevant to him or her by using those patterns.

Rote learning of vocabulary has its merits but unless the newly acquired words are used in a context relevant to the learner, they tend to be forgotten.

AmeriCymru: Many of our readers are Welsh learners. I imagine that most of them of them would love to be able to read Welsh fluently. 'Darllen a Deall' is perfectly suited to assist with that. How much of a gap is there in your opinion, between being able to read fluently and speak fluently?

Dafydd:   When we are acquiring our mother tongue as infants, we learn to understand and copy what is being said. Reading and then writing skills develop much later. When I teach my adult beginners, ‘siarad a gwrando’ (speaking and listening) takes up 75% of our time. The reading material we use is based on the oral work. We write very little initially, but as learners progress, writing takes on a greater significance.

The articles in Parallel.cymru use patterns and vocabulary that learners will have encountered orally at their particular level.

Reading aloud is good practice when acquiring a second language. We are fortunate in that Welsh is a phonetic language and, as long as one is familiar with the alphabet, the vast majority of words are said as they are written.

As well as reading out aloud, other valuable techniques to aid understanding include looking at the pictures, punctuation, proper nouns, times, days and dates and numbers. Scan and speed reading and highlighting familiar (or unfamiliar) words and phrases is something that we all do when reading in our mother tongue and will help the reader to get the gist of the passage. It takes a while to understand everything, but keep in mind that when we read in our first language, the more difficult words and phrases rarely prevent us from fully comprehending or enjoying a piece of writing.

AmeriCymru: There are many online initiatives to help people learn Welsh at the moment. How much of a role can these sites play in preserving and extending knowledge of the Welsh language?

Dafydd: First of all it must be emphasised that there is no substitution for immersion in the target language. An intensive course in a centre such as Nant Gwrtheyrn, one of the Urdd camps or those organised locally by Welsh for Adults is worth countless hours of on-line learning. http://nantgwrtheyrn.org/

Having said that, the ever increasing pool of on-line resources can be an invaluable aid to language acquisition. The resources being developed by Welsh for Adults at every level ( https://learnwelsh.cymru) are invaluable when reinforcing work covered in lessons.

The online resources and courses available are too numerous to mention here and I wouldn’t like to recommend one over another. Suffice to say that if you were to type the necessary key words into your browser, you’ll come across pages and pages of them and you’re bound to find one suited to your needs.

For advanced learners and fluent speakers interested in language usage and dialectology, please join Guto Rhys’s group ‘Iaith’ on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/413517082015337

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Dafydd:   Yes - ‘Daliwch Ati’ (Keep it Up). Whatever level you’re learning at, we in Wales really appreciate the support and encouragement for the language from our friends in other countries. We have a saying in Welsh – Yn ara deg mae dal iâr (through stealth one will catch a hen). Learn at a pace and level comfortable to you.
Don’t worry if you feel that you haven’t the time or the inclination to take up the language. I often think that support for the survival and development of the language is just as important sometimes as the willingness to learn.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are interested in taking up regular or ad hoc online lessons . My email address is:

david_roberts@talktalk.net

Mwynhewch y darllen a hwyl fawr am y tro. Enjoy the reading and bye for now.

Cofiwch / Remember – Cenedl heb Iaith, Cenedl Heb Galon (A Nation without a Language is a Nation without a Heart)

Dafydd

A post currently going the rounds on Twitter and Facebook references an article in the Independent which quotes this old Welsh phrase approvingly. To read the article go here:-

A passion for the poetry of nature: writer Robert Macfarlane is on a quest to reconnect children with the outdoors

We have all been told at some point that we need to calm down, relax and take a walk in the woods. This old Welsh phrase captures that sentiment perfectly.

Dwi wedi dod yn ôl at fy nghoed. = I have returned to my senses/regained my mental equilibrium.

Literally: I have come back to my tree/s.

Clearly, these boys in Llanelwedd School, Builth Wells needed to chill before they entered the classroom!

Wish your mam a happy mother's day in Welsh this year (Sunday May 13th in the U.S.):-

Sul y Mamau Hapus

phonetically: seal uh mameye hapis (approx)

Here is my pronunciation sound file but I prefer the video version below

Correct answers below -  Cymraeg - Vocabulary Crossword 1

Try our new interactive crosswords here -  Welsh Crosswords

NEW!! Welsh language vocabulary section - Geriadur  

If, like us, you arrive late for your flight at BWI and are desperately scrambling to get through TSA to avoid an eight hour stopover, you might fail to notice the mural at the head of the line. We didn't make our  flight BUT we were left with ample time to take the photos reproduced below. Kudos to whoever was responsible for including Cymraeg amongst the languages of the world displayed on the security notice below

A course in Welsh on Duolingo , the free language-learning platform, was launched earlier this year. There are now 405,000 registered Duolingo users from around the world learning Welsh – this compares with 18,000 adults attending Welsh language classes in Wales. There are also 499 virtual Welsh language classrooms in Duolingo serving schools and colleges.

Duolingo includes a language-learning website and app for mobile devices, and provides extensive written lessons and dictation, with speaking practice for more advanced users. The app is available on iOS, Android and Windows 8 and 10 platforms and there is also a Facebook group where Welsh learners can discuss matters related to the course. For more information, visit the Duolingo website on https://www. duolingo .com or download the mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Congratulations to the developers of the Welsh language course in Duolingo on the success of the enterprise, and in particular to Draig Werdd committee member Richard Morgan, who is one of eight contributors to the course.

Lansiwyd cwrs Cymraeg Duolingo , y platfform dysgu iaith am ddim, yn gynharach eleni. Erbyn hyn mae 405,000 o ddefnyddwyr Duolingo o bob cwr o’r byd yn dysgu Cymraeg – mae hyn yn cymharu â 18,000 o oedolion sy’n mynychu dosbarthiadau Cymraeg yng Nghymru. Mae yna hefyd 499 o ystafelloedd dosbarth Cymraeg yn Duolingo sydd yn gwasanaethu ysgolion a cholegau.

Mae Duolingo yn cynnwys gwefan ddysgu iaith ac app ar gyfer dyfeisiau symudol, ac yn darparu gwersi ysgrifenedig ac arddweud, gydag ymarfer siarad i ddefnyddwyr profiadol. Mae’r app ar gael ar iOS, Android a llwyfannau Windows 8 a 10 ac mae yna hefyd grŵp Facebook lle gall dysgwyr y Gymraeg drafod materion sydd yn ymwneud â’r cwrs. Am fwy o wybodaeth, ewch i wefan Duolingo ar https://www. duolingo .com neu lawrlwytho’r app symudol o’r Apple App Store neu’r Google Play Store.

Llongyfarchiadau i ddatblygwyr y cwrs Cymraeg yn Duolingo ar lwyddiant y fenter, ac yn arbennig i aelod pwyllgor Draig Werdd Richard Morgan, sydd yn un o wyth o gyfranwyr i’r cwrs.

...

AmeriCymru: Hi Susan and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. How and when did you first become aware of your Welsh heritage?

Susan: I'm a history nerd from a family with quite a few history nerds, so I don't actually really remember "learning" that I had Welsh ancestry. I've always known my surname was Welsh, but my earliest memories about it are sitting in my great aunt's living room and going through some genealogies and family history materials when I was probably about eight or nine years old. And I remember learning that we supposedly came from Brecon (which I have been totally unable to document!), so I always wanted to go there.

When I was in college, I had a Welsh flag on the wall in my apartment, but I've also always been a Britophile, generally. I always read as much as I could about Britain and wanted to live there, since I can remember. Like a lot of Americans, I've always been interested in when, where, how, and why my ancestors came here--and from where. I still haven't been able to make the jump across the pond on my Floyd line, but I have--thanks to the ability we now have to search, view, and share primary source documents using the internet--found out quite a lot about various ancestors, including immigrants to Virginia on my mother's side who came from Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire. So that's all very exciting.

But , I also have to add: some of the most inspiring, most successful dysgwyr Cymraeg are people with no known Welsh ancestry. They learn the language because they moved to Wales, or they got into Welsh music, or they encountered Welsh literature, or they fell in love with a Welsh person, and then with the language. Welsh is for everybody.

AmeriCymru: Many people in America were excited by Wales performance in Euro 2016? Can you give our Welsh readers some impression of the excitement that was generated by the contest here in the US?

Susan: I go to a couple of pubs in downtown Austin regularly to watch Liverpool matches with our devoted and rowdy LFC overseas supporters club; Fado Irish Pub shows all of the Premier League fixtures as well as CONCACAF, USA national games, the Euros, and World Cup. The Euros are always my favorite tournament to watch there, though. They decorate the place in the flags of all the competing teams, and give away T-shirts for all the participating countries. One of my friends in the Liverpool group is also a former Swansea academy player. So we planned ahead and took off work on the days Wales was playing. I'd been looking forward to it for months. So that was a blast. We started out with about 10 Wales fans but ended up more like 50 by the quarter-final. I'd say it was about half Welsh folks and half American Wales fans--most of whom, like me, seemed to have some Welsh ancestry but never the opportunity to even see the team play, never mind in the Euros! I still can't believe they made it to the semi-finals. It was just fantastic--like a dream. And also the catalyst for me becoming a Welsh learner.

AmeriCymru: What advice would you give to Americans who want to learn Welsh?

Susan: Americans who want to learn Welsh should know that there has never been a better time to learn the language! Thanks to the internet, it's easy to connect with other learners and Welsh speakers, most of whom are excited by the interest and are therefore very encouraging! I have met some truly astounding, friendly, wonderful people. And AmeriCymru has been an absolutely wonderful resource. As far as actual learning tips, I've just started, but I'd say that taking an actual class has made all the difference. Even though we meet online using Google Hangouts, the regular meetings and expert tutelage keep me on track and motivated to stay serious. It's hard to fit in second language acquisition as an adult--both because of the many demands on your time and the sluggishness of your brain. But practicing daily makes it more of a delight than a chore. I find listening to BBC Radio Cymru is invaluable--just hearing the language spoken as often as possible (even though you necessarily won't understand all that is being said!). If you can locate a real, live person to speak to in person , that's even better! Again, the internet can facilitate connections. I also listen to Jason Sheperd's Learn Welsh Podcast.

So if you're thinking about learning more about the language or doing a course--start now! I've only been studying for eight months, and seriously for only about five, and it's been so fun. To an Anglophone, Welsh looks very difficult. It's not the easiest language. But it's not impossible, either. You'll be surprised how quickly you start making sense of things. And every time you understand a phrase or exchange, you'll want to learn more. Conversations lead to poems lead to songs. It doesn't hurt that the spoken language is quite singularly beautiful.

And, of course, if you can--go to Wales! Flights from the US have been historically cheap for the past year or so, and the exchange rate is still good for Americans traveling to Britain. Who knows what's going to happen with the political situation. But I will say this: walking through the ancient landscape of Cymru and--especially--hearing the living language being spoken all around you... well, it really helps keep things in perspective. Yma o hyd, and all that.

AmeriCymru: AmeriCymru offers an online Welsh class - AmeriCymraeg. As a current student how would you rate the course?

Susan: The course--and especially John Good, our teacher--has been excellent. I am really impressed, especially considering the course fees (very reasonable!) and only one required textbook. Gruffudd's Welcome to Welsh is really user-friendly. I've enjoyed the way John brings his expertise as a musician and music teacher to his methods. I'm so glad there are multiple levels, so that I can continue taking these classes with AmeriCymru. I look forward to Monday nights and missed the class during our Christmas hiatus.

AmeriCymru: You were recently interviewed by the Western Mail Online. How did that come about?

Susan: I'm friends with a lot of other dysgwyr Cymraeg online, and particularly on Twitter. We've all been reading and enjoying Carolyn Hitt's adult learners column for the Western Mail. She saw the photos I posted from my recent trip, and we got to chatting, and then she asked if I'd be willing to be interviewed for her column. I hope to see profiles of more distance learners soon. I know there are a lot of us in the US. Because of the interview being published on Wales Online, numerous people have contacted me. I'm now in contact with a Brecon historian, was asked to do a radio interview in Welsh about my passion for football (maybe in another year!), and have a new weekly standing meeting to speak Welsh with another learner right here in Austin. The internet has made the world very small in a lot of ways, and I'm finding that the Welsh internet is especially tight-knit. It's nice.

AmeriCymru: What's next for Susan Floyd? How do you intend to further pursue your Welsh studies?

Susan: I'm going to continue with the AmeriCymraeg class as far as possible, and I hope to do an intensive wlpan in Wales sometime this year or next. I'd like to do two full weeks. I'm leaning toward Nant Gwrtheyrn, but suggestions are welcome! Just trying to save up the money.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Susan: I think I've said enough. The most important thing is to never give up! And come say hi on Twitter at @Texarchivist.

Pilot Welsh Language Program Starts July 4

Tegid, living in New England, only speaks to his mother in Welsh. Christine moved to Ohio as a young girl and tries to share her Welsh stories with friends. Ana's family fled to Argentina over 100 years ago, where she teaches Welsh as the first language in a Spanish speaking country. The language and history of Welsh is complicated. Thousands of native Welsh speakers are scattered all over the world. Cada Dia Welsh brings them together in a daily online meeting, to share Welsh culture and language.

Through a grant from the Welsh Government , the University of South Wales has teamed up with Point-Productions, to produce an authentic language learning program. The pilot program will run eight weeks, July and August, when students and native born Welsh speakers will share stories, songs and talk about the Welsh language and culture.

This innovative approach to language learning is based on the idea that authentic language is not taught through grammar or even vocabulary. Rather it is an effort to understand, based on contextual cues, in a social language learning environment. The program sessions start in English. Facilitators help participants understand how to participate. Then they start a "virtual immersion" experience. Students will hear and see native language Welsh in the daily web meeting, and figure out what is happening, by reading the helper text on the screen.

Beginners as well as native language speakers are welcome to participate at their own level. "We found that student want to talk... not study language," according to one of the program designers, Michael Henry, at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. "After some experimentation, we developed an environment for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers, and they don't even realize they are learning" Henry adds. Advanced speakers help the beginners, by sharing stories, culture and history of Wales, in Welsh.

The program is offered for free, during the pilot program, through a course on the Canvas Network, ( https://www.canvas.net/) Open house meetings are being conducted the month of June. More information for individuals and organizations that would like to be a part of the pilot program are encouraged to visit CadaDiaWelsh.com

See the Full Schedule of CDW Webcasts .

Ernesto Suarez - Ariel Media 877-708-2093

Produced through a grant from the Welsh Government, administered by the University of South Wales.