Thank you for that, I watched the first one live so was n’t able to get that one. Now all we have to do is understand them 
1 Like
I’ve really enjoyed reading the comments in this topic. I felt that both Carol and Colin have done really well. I also felt that both Owain and Eleri did a great job. I felt that they really added their respective personalities to the programmes. I found them to be really comfortable to listen to and so funny. Fair play to Eleri for having a go at the physical tasks, which seemed to mirror (in a way) the language challenges that Colin was happy to face up to.
2 Likes
I really enjoyed it, watching as a learner myself, I could understand quiet a lot of what she was saying, watching Carol and Colin Jackson being put into situations where they had to speak Welsh for the first time I though how brave of them
1 Like
I really enjoyed it but could definitely relate to Colin more. Carol was like that bright kid at school who always made look easy. I think Colin made me feel not so bad about my own learning
1 Like
I’ve seen just the second half of Ruth Jones episode this evening, cause I was late (I’ll see first part tomorrow).
It’s fun like the first two and her Welsh is probably the best so far.
However if I didn’t understand wrong, Ruth and Carol did Welsh up to O levels, while Colin Jackson only a tiny bit at kindergarten or something like that.
Since I studied German at school, and even occasionally heard relatives speak it since childhood but I’m not able to put together a full sentence I know very well that neither of them is enough to make you a fluent speaker.
Then, of course a good method is essential, an outgoing personality helps, determination and self-discipline matter (I’ve read that Carol has got engineering degree in Oxford…I mean!).
But I’m quite sure that if I seriously decided to study German, I’d have some advantage over those who know nothing at all - don’t you think so?
2 Likes
Carol graduated with an engineering degree from Cambridge which is same thing really. I agree, studying a language at school would give you a good start if you went on to learn the language. I (like you) had no school Welsh lessons and not even Welsh history lessons. But growing up in Wales and seeing and hearing the language is also an advantage as is studying datblygu lyrics to O level standard. 
3 Likes
Right, Cambridge. 
As a side off-topic note: in Italy, Oxford and Cambridge are usually mentioned together or interchangeably when referring to very traditional, hard British University - or ironically when someone uses a very rude or impolite Italian slang expression (“Oh you studied at Oxford/Cambridge I see!”) 
Oh excellent, then! 
1 Like
Really enjoyed the dynamic of the programme with Ruth Jones. Her Cymraeg is amazing and it was lovely to see her visting locations just a few minutes from where I live. Best of the 3 (for me) so far. I also have never seen Gavin and Stacy or Stella!
2 Likes
It should be said that Alex Jones brings a lot to the programme too. 
2 Likes
Overall, this programme has been encouraging and very enjoyable. The latest episode with Ruth Jones just seemed to flow and although I didn’t get every word that just didn’t seem to matter.
Here is Ruth’s englyn for those, like me, who are collecting them.
4 Likes
I’ve really enjoyed the 3 programmes so far.
Ruth seemed incredibly at ease with the language and attempted more complex vocabulary.
Carol was excellent and willing to make mistakes to learn.
Colin was very much learning from a ‘standing start’ and you could see the struggle he was having trying to connect brain and mouth. He wanted everything to be right before he spoke and didn’t want to make mistakes. I hope he continues to speak Welsh with his sister.
…and I agree, that font on the englyn is terrible.
4 Likes
It’s very interesting seeing the reactions to the little you can see about the language learning journey on the screen - and you’re pretty close to the mark with a lot of your interpretations - Colin was coming to it almost as if from new, with nothing more than a few words here and there - Carol studied Welsh up to O Level, but not as a first language speaker, so if you take anyone’s school French and add 40 years of not using it, you’ll understand that she was in a very similar position to someone starting from scratch - the main difference between Colin and Carol is that as Carol built and strengthened the core networks, she started to wake up some of her older Welsh - largely (although not exclusively) nouns and verb stems - but the vast majority of her communicative structure came from the huge amount of work she did on Level 1 and Level 2 prior to filming.
It’s also relevant that Carol did two intensive days with me - Colin said he’d like a second, but wasn’t able to schedule it, and didn’t keep in touch for advice otherwise - so I actually don’t know how far he got with the lessons. By Carol’s second intensive day, she’d finished Level 1 and we were able to spend almost the entire day only in Welsh - so for sheer steepness of the learning curve, she really was in a league of her own.
Ruth was a different story again - not only did she do Welsh to O Level, she’s done other stuff since then, and she’s a very fast learner. She’s absolutely lovely about crediting SSiW with her biggest change, which was mostly about confidence - her sister (who was one of our stars in the ‘refer a friend’ competition last year!) gets all the credit for twisting Ruth’s arm to try SSiW, and Ruth says the chance to work with SSiW was why she agreed to do Iaith ar Daith - so it’s clear that she sees SSiW as the key piece of the jigsaw for her.
Nonetheless, it was obvious that there was a huge amount of Welsh in there already on the first day we worked together, and by the end of the day she managed an hour and a half without using any English - and I think that hour and a half was the moment when the confidence switch happened for her - she went to the Welsh Baftas the following day, and used her Welsh with every single Welsh speaker she met there, she was on such a high… 
On our second day, I don’t think we used any English at all, and it was clear that the whole landscape had just shifted for her. I’ll never need to use English with Ruth again - Carol’s got a bit further to travel before she gets to that point, but it’s abundantly clear that she’s going to.
I think having a range of learners starting from a range of different points is interesting, and gives different kinds of input - you can feel in the trenches with Colin, and inspired by Ruth and Carol (and entertained by Adrian and Scott, I reckon!) - although I do think it would be helpful for the learners watching to know a little more about the learning context, or you get the same risk as with Dysgwr y Flwyddyn - people thinking that it doesn’t look possible for them to achieve…
16 Likes
What a lovely interview Ruth gave on Heno last night and it was lovely to hear her talk about SSIW. I got the impression that she had started SSIW before the program because her sister had suggested it? What a lovely enthusiastic lady.
5 Likes
…oo sounds interesting - thanks - I’ll have a look at that later.
Rich 
1 Like
Enjoyed that, thanks for the link, and a great plug for team SSiW 
2 Likes
Yes, you are right - the interview is absolutely lovely isn’t it…a credit to all concerned…
I still think it would be realllllly great, if it was promoted and shown on BBC Wales with subtitles…almost like they do with the Welsh dramas - s4c first - BBC afterwards.
I think the people who have taken on the challenge are interesting and entertaining people - the programs themselves are very well done and show that learning Welsh a) is absolutely possible b) a lot of fun into the bargain…
…I think there would be real interest - especially in this lock down period - it would do well and ‘yr hen iaith’ could get even more of a boost.
Even my ‘very English’ wife has been happy to tune into these programs with subtitles just to see how these celebrities got on - and that’s a first 
- and she had a right good laugh at some of the moments on Ruth’s program on Sunday
…it’s a sure fire winner on the BBC in Wales!
Rich
8 Likes
That link didn’t work from the US, but this does:
https://www.s4c.cymru/clic/programme/807470178
1 Like
Nes i joio y rhaglen gyda Ruth Jones. I’m enjoying this more and more as it goes on. Especially because this week they were close to where I live, I’m from Bridgend. I didn’t know Ruth Jones was from Porthcawl.
4 Likes
I just watched Ruth’s episode and I loved it. The end when they were at Rest Bay was so moving.
2 Likes