Well look what I found! from 1831

dianne-1 · July 16, 2019, 1:59pm

A Welsh Phrase book for the gentle traveller into Wild Wales, Invaluable if you need some plain snuff (not scented) or need a rushlight in your room. And what if your horse stumbles and you have to recourse to a local peasant for help?

sandrahulland · July 16, 2019, 7:53pm

What an interesting find. Some useful stuff and love some words and phrases like llodau ( pantaloons) and how to ask for silk ladies shoes! Fascinating

stephenbranley · July 16, 2019, 10:38pm

Interesting that what he calls “aspirate mutation” is what we call “nasal mutation”, and what he calls “Light mutation”, we call “aspirate mutation”.

stephenbranley · July 19, 2019, 1:54pm

I notice a lot of the question sentences in it start with “A…”. For example, page 62, “A oes gwestai ar y ffordd?”. Is that a common way of starting a question? It’s not what I’m familiar with either on here or DuoLingo where I would ask simply, “Oes gwestai ar y ffordd?”

Is it more formal?

margaretnock · July 19, 2019, 5:18pm

It’s more old fashioned. It’s also a root of mutations apparently appearing out of nowhere. The causative A has disappeared but the mutations it caused remain.

AnthonyCusack · July 19, 2019, 6:25pm

On yhe Northern Course we’re taught “ai eich plant ydy rheina?” Are those your children?

stephenbranley · July 19, 2019, 8:27pm

That’s interesting… on the Southern it’s “ife eich plant chi yw rheina” (I think). Yw and Ydy are interchangeable, but I wonder what relation “ife” bears to “ai”?

@aran?

AnthonyCusack · July 19, 2019, 8:59pm

Ife kinda means “is it” and is more colloquial than “ai” in this instance

stephenbranley · July 19, 2019, 9:06pm

We’re very casual down south. Not like you stuffy northerners

aran · July 19, 2019, 9:27pm

I’d say it’s wrong talking… but I’ve got hiccups at the moment, so I deserve sympathy and understanding.

stephenbranley · July 19, 2019, 9:44pm

Awww, poor you. What’s Welsh for “there, there”?

aran · July 19, 2019, 9:54pm

O, bechod… yeah, too right.

davidneale · July 23, 2019, 11:55am

You might also like The Tourists’ English-Welsh Vocabulary from 1853. It can be downloaded in PDF format.

stephenbranley · July 27, 2019, 10:28pm

If I ever need to say “I feel very languid” or “sudden deaths are frequent” in old fashioned, formal Welsh I now know where to look!

margaretnock · July 30, 2019, 5:54pm

Was listening to Radio Cymru this morning. Lots of stuff about the coming Eisteddfod. During the main prize giving ceremonies the Prifardd, the chair of ceremonies, asks
‘A Oes Heddwch?’ Is there peace? I knew that, but had forgotten while thinking about this discussion.

Bleddyn · July 31, 2019, 8:53pm

This is cool, nice find! There are loads of things in there that are different. For example, cloron instead of tatws for poatoes; boreufwyd instead of brecwast for breakfast!

Also, a whole section called “Travelling over the mountains. Meeting a peasant”!!

impishwriter · September 10, 2019, 10:00am

Bendigedig! I love these old phrasebooks and dictionaries… thanks @dianne-1 and @davidneale for these links!