Diolch yn fawr iawn! Calan Gaeaf Hapus! I love the video
Thanks for the info about re-subscribing (receiving emails) about this topic. It works a treat. Thanks.
Word of the Day 01/11/2018
Gaeaf = gay-ave
Rhew = hre-oo
Rhewi = hre-we
Wedi Rhewi = wed-dee hre-we
Barrug = bar-rig
Pibonwy = peeb-on-we
Eira = air-rah
Eirlaw = air-lah-oo
Lluwch Eira = llee-ooch (Welsh ll and ch sounds)
Lluwchio = llee-ooch-io (Welsh ll and ch sounds)
Cenllysg = ken-lleesg (Welsh ll sound) (Northern term)
Cesair = kess-air (Southern term)
Gaeaf means winter
Rhew means ice or frost
Rhewi means to freeze
Wedi Rhewi means is is frozen or it has frozen
Barrug means hoar frost
Pibonwy means icicles
Eira means snow
Eirlaw means sleet
Lluwch Eira means snow drift
Lluwchio means blizzard or to drift/driving snow
Cenllysg means hail
Cesair means hail
Sound file -
Ugh! Is it winter already? I shall dutifully add these words to the SSiW living dictionary, but hopefully I won’t have to unpack them until January or February. It’s too early to contemplate some of them, wedi rhewi, pibonwy, lluwchio. Yuck!
Is hail a winter phenomena in Wales? Where I’ve lived in the United States it is exclusively a summer thing. Hail totaled my car back in the 80’s during a summer hailstorm.
Pibonwy is going on my list of favorite words!
Yes, mainly a winter thing here. It often comes a day or so before sleet, then the actual snow. To be honest it’s usually more common than snow in the South.
We do occasionally get hail in the summer, sometimes with thunder. When it happens, we like to talk about it for the next month - a bit like when we get an earthquake
Hail can be common in early spring too in Cymru. Iasoer a good one for Halloween times too …
Isn’t that the truth! Weather is universal it seems.
It depends if you identify as a meteorologist, an astronomer, a pagan, or Gaelic…
Isn’t it totally glorious!!! Iasoer is also a wonderful word @brynle, and as you so rightly say, is a good word for winter and Hallowe’en!
Word(s) of the Day 06/11/2011
I know I’m a little late but…
Tân Gwyllt [tahn goo-weellt] = fireworks
Coelcerth [coyle-kerth] = bonfire
Gwreichion [goor-eych-yon] = sparks
Ffrwydrad [froo-id-rad] = explosion
Guto Ffowc [git-toh folk] = Guy Fawkes
Afal Taffi [ave-al tah-fee] = toffee apple
Taffi Triogl [tah-fee tree-ogl] = treacle toffee
Cawl [kaool] = soup/broth
Ci Poeth [key po-ith] = hot dog
Taten Bob [tat-ten baub] = baked potato
Ffon Gwreichion [fon goor-eich-yon] = sparkler
Sound file -
Hi @CatrinLliarJones,
Thank you so much for another excellent collection of words.
The attached sound file seems to be the previous collection of winter words, but I found the fireworks words by going to SoundCloud.
“Ffrwydrad” has already come in useful. Maybe I am reading the wrong sort of books.
Sue
Thank you so much for the heads up! Have now shanged.
Or my Wife apparently. She told me this weekend it is Halloween (Calan Gaeaf) when she reluctantly admits to herself summer is over and hopes her vitamin D she has stored from the summer sun carries her through the cloudy, bleak Delaware winters until Spring…or until we visit the Florida family who still has 80 degree (26 Celsius) through most of the winter.
Word(s) of the Day 09/11/2018
Tymestl = tum-est-tl
Tymhestlog = tum-hest-logg
Tymestl means tempest or storm
Tymhestlog means tempestuous, blustery or stormy
Storm is the most commonly used word for storm in Welsh. Then sometimes, but not very often, you may hear the word drycin = druck-inn. Though I would personally say that it’s a word mostly in use by the older generation and also in literature. But somewhere in the middle, you have these glorious words tymestl and tymhestlog, which are wonderful to say once you get your tongue round them and in my opinion, sound as dramatic as the weather they’re describing. What’s more, just like the word tempestuous in English, tymhestlog can be used to describe an impassioned and fiery relationship - perthynas dymhestlog, a volatile and often angry individual - person tymhestlog and an erratic and turbulent life - bywyd tymhestlog.
Sound file -
I keep hearing in Wales “but that word is restricted to older generations/literature” … is this anything to do with the decline of first language Welsh speakers (100,000 estimate out of 600,000 overall speakers (very rough estimate for now from Welsh language commissioner).
I say this because I hear it a lot. Young people not using words of the older generation is common everywhere I admit, but when I went to Caernarfon and the youth were speaking more welsh-english mix than some older types … mor slow for mor araf"…just got my braining ticking :). peace/heddwch
merrily walks into minefield!
Just thinking out loud -
Another simplified statistic, well three added together actually:
Around 120,000 children in Welsh medium education. Nursery, primary and secondary schools.
Just something that I’m throwing into the generation mix subject.
I don’t think this includes children in bilingual schools.
I appreciate that this doesn’t tell the whole story. Could they all be counted as (defacto) first language speakers? How many of these children actually speak Welsh outside school?
It’s just that a part of me wants to think that 100,000 first language speakers might be slightly academic/pessimistic. However, as I say, that’s just me thinking.
I think you’ve got something there John - my grandchildren at Welsh primary school have all their lessons in Welsh & have to use Welsh on the school yard too. BUT at home they speak English between themselves & friends & don’t want to watch teledu Cymraeg - this may be because Mam & I don’t have enough laith for them. Having said that, they do help me out with learning, bless’em.
yes hmm… its a tough one… gotta keep the process of learning Welsh fun for kids and not just the “oh its the language of school work” - cos when they leave school they won’t feel particularly good vibes in using it (personal experience from friends).
teledu Cymraeg is literally S4C and there is very little Welsh footprint online compared to English mass media omnipresence.
Maybe buy some dvds in Welsh like superted or wil cwac cwac? might help them interact more with you in Welsh?
Thanks for the suggestion. We have an excellent library in Caerphilly - books & DVDs in Welsh & English.
Bore da to you all and thank you so much for keeping this thread lively whilst I’ve been quiet! Aran and I went to Cardiff for a short while last week for some much needed Mam and Tada time, then on Monday our son Beuno had to go to Ysbyty Gwynedd for surgery - he’s now home and recovering slowly, but it’s been a busy, busy week laced with a sprinkling of sleep deprivation.
New words coming your way this morning, though, so watch this space!