Challenge 12, why is the word for woman ‘dynas’? It’s not in the dictionary, only ‘dynes’. Is it Gogledd?
Yes, an e often changes to an a in colloquial North Welsh. You’ll also hear/see it in things like rhywbath (rhywbeth), 'falla ('falle - both from ‘efallai’), adra (adre) and many others.
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I see, that’s great thank you. I live in NE Wales, that’ why I went for the NW version.
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Adra, that is one great song from Gwyneth Glyn…
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Beautiful song and fabulous guitar playing. Thank you.
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Just wait until you hear how people from Montgomeryshire pronounce their As!
I don’t know anyone here in Montgomeryshire who speaks Welsh!
There’s definitely some around the further north and west you go, Llanfyllin, Carno, Llanfair areas. And of course Machynlleth.
Siaron, in my conversations with some local native Welsh speakers I have come to think that most of them have learned their Welsh as a spoken language rather than as a written one. I think that this is especially true of the ’older generation’ of whom I am one - though I’m a native English speaker. I suspect that due to the terrible attitude of the ‘authorities’ in past times when Welsh was frowned upon (my mother in law was Southern Welsh and never learned Welsh because it was frowned upon - she would have been 101 this year but lived to 100, bless her) those who spoke it learned from their families and communities - not schools where the written language is more important and would have been hammered home. So, I have heard comments like ‘I always fill forms out in English!’ Presumably because their spelling was learned in school. When language use is mainly oral then spelling becomes irrelevant (and I used to be a teacher 
).
Personally, I like to get Welsh ‘right’ - spoken or written but I’m a pedant 
.
What are your thoughts on my ‘theory’? What has been your experience?
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Yes, I think there’s a lot of truth in your theory, and it rings true with my experience. I have often come across contributors for our TV shows who - whilst perfectly fluent 1st-language speakers - have asked for their contracts to be in English.
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Croeso mawr!
Ah, that explains Lleuwen’s pronunciation in the song ‘Mi wela’i efo llygad bach…’ . I was puzzled… Diolch yn fawr iawn
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