We read an extract from this on the ‘About Welsh’ course over the weekend, and it came highly recommended for new Welsh speakers by Harriet Earis who was running the course. I enjoyed the extract and I’ll be adding the book to my reading list.
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It helps if you already know the story. When I read it I had no idea what “cauldron” or “owl” was in Welsh, but I knew the book from English, so I could easily guess many of the new words.
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I’ve only read “O! Tyn y Gorchudd” in English but completely loved it. Hope to be able to read it in Welsh some day (In fact I loved the book so much I then ordered the Welsh version but have not yet had the courage to have a go…). As I have somehow got over a block about getting through Level 1… I have also, ambitiously, ordered the Welsh translation of Alan Garner’s “The Owl Service”: “Llestri’r Dylluan” (translated by Bethan Gwanas) on the grounds that I loved Alan Garner’s books so much when I was a teenager. “The Owl Service” retells the story of Blodeuwedd interwoven with the lives of a group of teenagers and was my first introduction to the Mabinogi.
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Yes, I knew the story and it helped a lot. I still had the dictionary constantly to hand, though! What I did notice is that I was reading much faster by the end of the book, which was encouraging. Many of the same words crop up again and again, too, which is great for learning new vocabulary.
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I love the Owl Service!
As soon as I saw this post I rushed off to see where I could get a copy. I also found this little clip from Radio Cymru of Bethan Gwanas talking about translating it. (Sorry I don’t know if it’s available internationally)
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Yes I can play it here in Ireland. Thanks for finding this! Maybe she will do the other Alan Garner books also now… 
I wonder if anyone has translated Rosemary Sutcliff? Some of her books would be really appropriate to translate for Welsh speaking/learning teenagers as some are told in the first person by characters who are native Britons.
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Yes, I am sure almost all programmes on iPlayer Radio are available world-wide.
There might be a block on some sports programmes for licencing reasons for whatever; and the same might go for some extra-special live concerts or whatever, but by and large, if we can hear it on iPlayer Radio in the UK, then people abroad will be able to hear it as well.
This is not the case for “iPlayer TV” of course.
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Hi Isata,
firstly it was lovely to meet you at the SSiW parti. A fabulous night all round. When I first started learning Welsh I came across Bethan Jone’s (now Gwanas) book ‘Amdani’. At that stage it was a bit of a plod but with help from a family friend in Anglesey I enjoyed it immensely. It was a bit ambitious at that stage I know but I’m a stubborn and determined bugger and I find reading & learning by translating balances quite nicely with the SSiW lessons. ‘Amdani’ gave me my first taste of Welsh local idioms and sayings which has blossomed into a love for the richness of our amazing language. Bethan Gwanas is probably my favourite author now (especially ‘I Botany Bay’ and ‘Gwrach y Gwyllt’) along with Bet Jones and Marlyn Samuel (Llwch yn yr haul’ and ‘Cwcw’ especially). ‘Dysgu Byw’ by Sarah Reynolds is a fun read too.
I’m currently reading ‘Cysgod y Cryman’ by Islwyn Ffowc Elis and ‘Carwyn James - yn erbyn y gwynt’ and enjoying both (though totally different styles of language).
When I looked in my wardrobe the other day I have two English language books waiting for me and a pile of eight Welsh language books!
Whichever books you go for - dive in and enjoy. A bit like SSiW!
Hwyl, Chris.
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I noticed that too! It happens in most books, which is encouraging when you’ve got through the first couple of pages and the words you’ve just looked up like 5 times keep coming back and you actually remember them, but it happened a lot in HP1.
Btw a Top Tip for not having to look up the same word again and again is to write difficult words on a postit note that you keep on the inside of the front cover and then take out while reading (if you need to). I used to do this with English words when I was an undergrad (words like “ambient” and “perpendicular” used to do my head in).
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You too, Chris!
I agree with your approach to stubborn book reading. After all, you’re not going to learn much if a book is very easy. At least, that’s what I tell myself when I’m trying to unravel a particularly incomprehensible paragraph…
Interesting idea, and I might try it with the more stubborn words - thanks. Someone suggested that I highlight the words I didn’t know, and promised me that I’d be encouraged by how many fewer highlighter marks or pencil lines there were towards the back of the book. I’m sure it would work, but I can’t bring myself to write in a novel - it feels like vandalism. I’m almost convinced that looking words up repeatedy helps me to remember them anyway - even if it’s just out of determination not to have to reach for the dictionary app again!
I’m crossing my fingers for the Weirdstone of Brisingamen.
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I know what you mean about writing in a novel feeling like vandalism. I’ve found I can avoid that feeling by just underlining lightly with a HB pencil (archivists use them!) so I can rub it out later if I want to - and just the act also of writing a light pencil note of the meaning in the margin seems to help to fix it in my mind.
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Another possible approach, which might not be too intrusive / disruptive to the flow of reading, might be to have a voice recorder handy (e.g. there might be one on your phone - there is on mine).
When you come to any difficult words, say them out loud into the recorder, as clearly as possible, maybe repeating a few times. Maybe include the sentence or phrase the word is in for context. Maybe speculate into the recorder as to the meaning.
Then later, as a separate exercise, listen to the recording, with (probably electronic / online) dictionary to hand, and look up the meanings, and depending on your personal methods / preferences, write them into a notebook or whatever, or type them electronically into your tool of choice.
No need then to highlight, or even lightly underline any words, and books may remain pristine (apart from tea/coffee stains in my case…oops).
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On a slightly different note but about realising progress … about 5 years ago (maybe 2 years into this journey) I highlighted all the words I knew in a dictionary (actively knew, not just passively) and then maybe a year ago I did it again in the same dictionary (but in a different colour) highlighting the words that weren’t already highlighted of course. Wow, what an eye opener.
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That must have taken you hours, just getting through the dictionary!
I’m impressed with everyone’s dedication, and realising how lazy I am. Still, it’s not going to change, so why worry? (On that note, I really must get up!)
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Just saw this article. It’s quite depressing reading 
. Maybe I’ll follow @gruntius’ suggestion and start my list with some winners or books on this year’s shortlist.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/44620136
(For those who aren’t going to read this in Welsh, the gist of it (if I’ve read it right!) is that none of the Welsh language volumes on the Book of the Year shortlist have sold over 200 copies. 
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Yes, I’ll tell you about my complete lack of a boredom threshold one day.
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OK, but will it take long? I’ll want to talk to you about my short attention span. 
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That could sound rude, so in the interests of forum etiquette, I should clarify that that was just a joke. I don’t even have a short attention sp…
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Not much when you think that the author gets 10-12% of the sale price. Also worth remembering that they get 8.2p every time you take their book out of the library. So, rather than borrowing a book from a mate I’ll always try to get to the library.
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