I’ve just been exploring S4C’s Clic in search of past episodes of Pobol y Cwm (which is becoming an unhealthy interest) and I noticed that it was available with both English and Welsh subtitles. Now I can see the reason for the English subtitles, but the Welsh ones had me puzzled. I found them really useful (I read Welsh better than I hear it at the moment) but surely they haven’t gone to all the trouble of arranging Welsh subtitles on a Welsh language programme just for people like me. Who are they for? Does anyone know?
We spoke about subtitles yesterday, Steve, if you recall. Watching stuff with Welsh subtitles worked for me - like going in at the shallow end, but make sure you don’t become addicted to them like I did. I watched them for around six months before I was ready to go on without them, and it’s a great feeling. They definitely helped me to “tune in” to the spoken language when spoken at full speed.
Hi Bontddu, it was your prompt that led me to explore Clic (thanks for that). Did you use the Welsh or the English subtitles? I found this evening that I could keep up with the Welsh subtitles “fairly” well - in fact I was pretty surprised by how many of the words they used that I already knew. Really interesting to hear how some of the written words actually sounded.
Hi Steve. I used English subtitles from the start of learning for around 18 months, then I switched to Welsh subtitles only. I used Welsh-only subtitles for around six months, and then recently dumped them completely. Connecting what they said to the Welsh subtitles helped me enormously to understand spoken Welsh at normal speed. One thing I noticed is that like when I studied French - the more you study, the slower they speak… ! But muttering, whispering, slang, fast arguments, etc., still go mainly over my head but normal speech between two or three people I can comprehend for the main part unless the context changes drastically. My only advice is to make sure you don’t become dependent on them - use them in the clear knowledge that they are “back-up” and focus on the speech, then you will be able to turn them off and realise that basically you can understand spoken Welsh (until Dai “Llanilar” Jones comes along and ruins everything, that is) … . Rob.
LOL annoys me too. I do have a good sense of humour but it’s not often when you are reading or listening to something on your own that you actually laugh out loud.
Not watched/listened to PYC for a bit, but I usually try once without subs, and then repeat with English, and if I have time and patience, once more with Welsh.
I think it does actually make sense to watch with English subs when your vocab is still quite small, as it then becomes a way of helping to increase vocab, but I do take on board the advice not to get addicted to them, or even to the Welsh ones.
If you are reading, you will be listening that much less carefully, however hard you try.
. Rob.
I hear you on FM!