Anyone here heard about this? I came across it, amusingly enough, on a US-based website called Americymru.
2 Likes
Yes. It has been ramping up on social media for some weeks. It’s the second year of this. It’s specifically a celebration of popular music sung in Welsh.
2 Likes
Worth browsing the hashtag on Twitter/Facebook. Good way of finding people favs and new stuff you might like!
2 Likes
Or just be very lucky to be in Cardiff and hob nob with Huw Stephens and other S4C clebs; whom don’t even consider themselves clebs. They just don’t understand how important they really are.
1 Like
I was listening to a really interesting discussion afterwards about schools. I didn’t realise quite how many kids from places like Pontypridd, now come out of school fluent. Then stop using the language because it ‘isn’t cool’ ??? Though the really really cool ones keep using the language :O) I wanted to learn Welsh so badly, so I could beall fluent and cool. Have times really changed?
2 Likes
I think it’s not so much that they don’t think it’s cool but more that English is their first language and kids will always play in the language they feel most comfortable in . If you go to strong Welsh areas you will hear kids play in Welsh as it is their first language . It is concerning however how the language of play in a peer group and on the playground can turn to English , even in the Fro Cymraeg if there are a certain percentage of kids of who cymraeg isn’t their native toungue .
I don’t think there is any solution at all in terms of trying to get kids from English speaking areas (who are second language Welsh speakers) to play in Cymraeg . I have tried many times with my daughter and her friends but they just say it feels too wierd although my daughter has happily played with children in Welsh a number of times when we have gone to strong Welsh areas and she’s made friends with kids in the park there
2 Likes
I think there’s stuff that could be done in the education system itself - if they had a set of games they really enjoyed that were built on a Welsh framework, I’m sure it would at least add an element of code-switching to their play…
2 Likes
That’s a good idea Aran . It would be great to see the education system come up with some ideas to address the situation . In my daughters school they have awards for pupils at the end of each week who have been heard speaking Welsh with their friends but the problem is that they only tend to speak Welsh with each other when the teacher is in earshot
2 Likes
This drags me back to my own schooldays. I learnt very little Welsh at school, partly because there was nowhere to use Welsh outside of the Welsh lesson. There was the attitude from some that Welsh would be useless when we left school.
, because most planned to move away for work. So Welsh seemed an unambitious thing to do, as it would only be useful if you moved to a Welsh speaking area.
I think the focus should be on the advantages of bilingualism and that Welsh is simply the easiest language to learn in Wales, because of ease of exposure. So activities where code switching happens are perhaps to be encouraged.
I was asked last night ‘Pam wyt ti’n dysgu Cymraeg?’, to which my answer was: Well I’d like to learn a foreign language, but I’m Welsh, so I feel I should learn Welsh first.
The emphasis should be on the importance of using the language, to create things, like music, with the language. In the British isles, there is this attitude of language learning as an academic discipline, to be grammatically correct. Whereas I’m realising that using two languages to communicate is much more useful than learning two grammars This is SSiW’s strength…
When you leave school, you don’t know where you may end up, so learning French or German, may also be ‘useless’. Having two languages just helps with communication with generally, so say you end up working in Poland, Polish can be more easily understood if you have two languages to use to make sense of Polish and then more rapidly acquire proficiency in Polish
Bilingual schools have great possibilities to develop skills with code switching, this should be embraced. For example studying a foreign language text by examining a Welsh and an English translation.
3 Likes
it would worry me hugely if a child was put in the position of thinking language is associated with some kind of teacher led reward system, whatever the language, whatever the mix.
Using a language is about communicating.
In my opinion, particularly at primary level, as soon as it is linked to a positive or negative reward system then it has become a ‘subject’ to be dropped or pesued depending on academic ability.
Learning that is experiential is always going to be the learning you love the best. Isn’t that why bootcamp, with wine and friendship, work so well?
I like the idea of embedding the learning in peer games that can be learned and then played as an when you feel like it. That has the added bonus of directing lonely and unfocused/disruptive pupils into joining in something that helps them socially and helps them with learning a language without them knowing it.
Stealth learning is ace!
2 Likes
I’ve been a bit slow getting around to posting this, but Rainy, one of our learners, put together her own song for Welsh Language Music Day (some of the lyrics may seem oddly familiar to you!):
3 Likes
Welsh Language Music Day 2020 is next week and there are several Spotify playlists available here, including one for kids;
1 Like
For anyone in the mood for a bit of Welsh language music on Dydd Miwsig Cymru, BBC Radio Cymru 2 have Huw Stephens from 06:30 'til 08:30 then non-stop music until 2pm, when Tudur Owen takes over. There’s even a Learners hour at 11:00.
Full schedule:
2 Likes
Ywain Gwynedd (Yws Gwynedd os Sebona Fi fame) has some fabulous playlists on Spotify. They are really worth a listen as he puts lots of thougt and effort in to compiling them.
Just type Ywain Gwynedd in to the search bar and his profile should pop up! 
1 Like
Welsh Learners!!!
Tune in to Radio Cymru 2 at 11am today! Right now!
2 Likes
Europe is listening too! 
Budapest café undergoes Welsh language rebrand for a day: https://nation.cymru/news/budapest-cafe-undergoes-welsh-language-rebrand-for-a-day/