Hi Gaynor - we must check to see if Cwdyn is a member of AC!!

Hi Gaynor - we must check to see if Cwdyn is a member of AC!! lol

Ah, now that is interesting. As I didn't go to a Welsh school (not my fault!) I didn't realise that. I suppose there's a marked difference between north and south and between "academic" Welsh in the two areas. People who have children atschoolin either area will no doubt be able to tell me. I must see if there's anything on the net about the Welsh curriculum.

Gaynor, I would agree that the Welsh language is more regional that just north and south. However, it would be interesting to know why the language is taught as either northern or southern Welsh.

Hi Iona - you're right about someone called Cwdyn being on Twitter! No profile details though and, mercifully, no picture. Thanks for correcting my spelling of it too, Welsh spelling not my forte (I spell as it sounds to me!).

You're right Gaynor we do say 'cwdyn' in the Gogledd. Oh dear there's someone called Cwdyn on Twitter!!

I didn't know about the variation of "cod" (despite codpiece - which my old Armenian landlady used to call "codfish"). My original query came from when my parents had a shop and we would ask if the customer required a "cwdin"; I remember someone mentioning at the time that "cwdin" meant something else in y gogledd so I've been careful about using the word ever since!

Gaynor, no need to remove post. Thank you for the contribution.

I think I was still on message. I made some points about pronunciation and meaning to which no one has responded. If anyone objects to that, I'll withdraw from the discussion, dim problem.

Not sure I know where this discussion is going

Nothing like lowering the tone!

Just thought of something but I don't know if it's true. Maybe someone from y gogledd can confirm it for me. The southern word for bag, "cwdin", I was once told is used in the north for scrotum.

Many, many years ago there was a quiz programme on Welsh TV during which the panel had to guess where someone was from (in Wales) by their accent/dialect. I don't know if anyone else remembers this or what it was called. It's not just north and south, dialect and accent differ between different areas. My paternal grandmother, who was born in Porthgain/Llanrian (Pembs) used to pronounce "haul" as "hoyl".

I am reviving the Welsh Dialects (North vs. South) discussion. Looking for new contributions.

Great Emyr - that's another one to add to the list for Carmarthen dialect. It must be true that every area has its own dialect. That's not just true of Welsh either; I have an Italian friend from Liguria who has difficulty understanding Italians from other areas.

Just down the road from Camarthen (Pencader) we say Wlyb stecs

Emyr, Thanks for sharing the BBC Page on Welsh Dialects. I am beginning to think that the differences in the Welsh language are much more regional than North vs. South. Nonetheless, a great language.

Where does Wenglish fit into this topic? Does anyone know of people who speak Wenglish?

@Gaynor, in the northsoaking wet is 'wlyb domen'.

Diolch o galon Emyr - chi'n seren!

I'll print that out to show to my parents when I next go to Carmarthen. Wnco mwnco, danjerus and some others are very familiar. Does anyone else use the word "stecs" for "soaking wet"?

@ Iona,some west wales words might intrest you, http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/cymraeg/safle/tafodiaith/tudalen/tafodiaith_deorllewin.shtml

Don't know what a sloppy kiss is in the north? How about lapswshian? lol

Of course it's also asws here in Dyffryn Clwyd!

John, Emyr, & Iona, Thanks for sharing!1

Thanks for sharing!!

SWS also stands for Social, Welsh & Sexy!! (I can manage 1 out of 3)

I don't know what part of the north you live in , but I live in Blaenau Ffestiniog and it's called a sws and swshian and it's the same in Machynlleth.

Cusanu in S W Wales,

Lapswchan a sloppy kiss lol

Kissing in the North=cusanu& in the South= lapswchan! mwa!

Llew, I'm trying hard not to say licio but it's so difficult!I should go back to school as the childrenare speakingbetter Cymraeg than me!

David,

Thank you for your comments.

Here's good one for you. A potato is called a TATEN in the south, TWTEN in Machynlleth and TYSEN in the north

Well, I left North Wales in 1957, so my list might be out of date. But my mother came from Abergynolwyn, in Merioneth, where I briefly attended elementary school, so I have some familiarity with mid-Wales dialects.

So: hoffi (never licio)

gyda fi is more literary than geni i ( maybe gennyf fi?)

gallu and medru both acceptable but gallu as a noun is ability with a hint of knowledge whereas medru contains a hint of practical abillity - but what do I know!

llaeth and llefrith are interchangeable

Pub is definitely Tafarn in the north! as a Calfinistic Methodist I should know!

Cwympo is to fall - disgyn is to descend (down the pit or to hell as the case might be)

The others are correct - many of the words of the South are strange to me but I do notice that nawr which is a contraction of yn awr is rwan spelled backwards - I hesitate to comment!

So which words are outside my limited vocabulary?

licio which sounds sexuall

cwpla which sounds similarly

moyn. mas and bant (Local dialect - did it come from the Irish?)

becso, gytre and gwbod (just bad spelling?)

I should comment that when I read current fiction - Atyniad, a brilliant novel on the Welsh condition by Fflur Dafydd - I do realise that the language has evolved - often by contraction.

So my comments may be out of date.

John,

Thanks for responding. While it seems that many Welsh Courses are taught as "Northern" or "Southern," I would expect that there would places where a a mixture of words are used. With Machynlleth being on the Southern end of Snowdonia, it would make sense that there is a mix of words used between North & South. Talking about it over a pint at the pyb sounds like a fantastic idea.

I come from Machynlleth where we mix words from north & south. I would not agree 100% with Brett's finding but hey! Well done for trying.A good talking point over a peint in a tafarn!!!

I don't know anyone in Carmarthen who uses "hoffi"; everyone says "licio". "Becso" and "poeni": if I'm worried about something then "becso" but if someone is bothering/annoying me it's "poeni".

Here's another 2 for you Brett

boyfriend in south= sboner in north = cariad

girlfriend in south= wejen in north = cariad

I have been learning Cymraeg (South) for a couple of years and have come across several differences is word usage and some structural differences between Northern and Southern Welsh. There may be some differences, that I am not aware of, between East and West Welsh . Much like the differences that exist between American and British English. I have listed below some of the differences I have noticed. Please share differences in Welsh Dialects that you are aware of.

South North

Like hoffi licio

Finish cwpla gorffen

With me gyda fi geni i

Can (able to) gallu medru

Want moyn eisiau

Milk llaeth llefrith

Need eisiau angen

Pub Tafarn pyb

Fall cwympo disgyn

Out mas allan

Wake (up) dihuno deffro

Away bant ffwrdd

Concern (worried)becso poeni

Return mynd nol dychwelyd

Go home gytre adre

Now nawr rwan

Grandmother mam-gu nain

Know gwbod gwybod