Hi,
I’m going to start the course but I don’t know which one suits me better, North or South, as I am in Machynlleth and it’s just in the middle!
Thanks,
Carlos
1 Like
To be honest, it doesn’t really matter all that much, but something you could do is to try and listen in to what Welsh is spoken around you.
See if you can pick out people using the word moyn (it sounds like it’s spelt), or ask a few people what the Welsh for “milk” or “now” is. These will give you an idea of whether the people around you are using mostly South or mostly North, and then you can choose the course that fits with the majority (or the ones you particularly want to chat with first!)
moyn is used more often in Southern Welsh
“milk” = llaeth (one syllable pronounced LL-eye-th) in Southern and = llefrith (two syllables pronounced LL-ev-rith) in Northern
“now” = nawr (one syllable pronounced now-rr) in Southern and = rwan (two syllables pronounced roo-ann) in Northern
But to be honest, the amount of differences are not as big as they’re sometimes made out to be, and it’s not as if people won’t understand “the other version”.
4 Likes
Moyn stops around Aberystwyth, while Llefrith doesn’t really start until you’re north of Dolgellau, so in practical terms the fabled border between North and South is fuzzy and fluid.
For Mach, the best advice would be to go North, but I agree that it’s important to get out in the community with your Welsh as soon as you feel comfortable and take your lead from local people.
Also be aware that they do weird stuff with their 'a’s in Maldwyn - Mêm for Mam, for example!
4 Likes
I agree about the border being fuzzy. I also agree, based on people I’ve met in the past at summer schools, that the northern course would fit Machynlleth better.
4 Likes
Thanks for all the replies, I did ask some friend from Mach but they were not sure themselves so I’ll try with those words to test. And I’m case of doubt I’ll go for north.
Thanks again 
2 Likes