What's your most fun thing about learning Welsh?

I forgot this one yesterday. Writing poetry in Welsh is a very interesting experience!

P.S. People start to look at you with with a lot of respect when they see you can actually read these long words.

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Yes under a cross border agreement all the main Irish tv and radio stations are available for free in northern Ireland (on freeview) including TG4 (the Irish language station) and in return the bbc is available in the republic. TG4 also appears to be available internationally online (I can access it but I’m in England so not sure if it’s just available in the UK so that it is available in NI or whether it is international?)

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Thanks for adding this to my Welsh favorites Justin!

It also reminded me of another favorite song of mine:

-Jason

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I do that too! I don’t get that many cold-callers ringing me anymore though. I can’t think why


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Well I was inspired to learn the language seriously at Tafwyl, and I’m so glad that I did. As a PhD student, learning Cymraeg really balances my intense work.

First off, I’m suspicious of the origins of Welsh being a ‘hard language’. I actually think its easier than most European to get to a solid conversational level (though that maybe a testament to the SSIW method!) Siarad stays as siarad in the present past and future. As for mutuations- they’re no harder than learning irregular verb conjugations in English such as I do, he does, they do etc.
Perhaps this was propagated to stop people learning it?

Back to why it is fun.
Charlemagne supposedly said that a second language is like having a second soul and by learning Welsh I have certainly have been exposed to an entirely different culture whether that is music, art, film or television. As somebody who is fairly quiet and enjoys more rustic things, I actually enjoy the modesty in Welsh culture and it is a wonderful contrast to the anglo-american gloop we have spoon fed to us on a daily basis.

I think most of my reasons have been covered, so I thought One of the things I really enjoy though is the inherent beauty and flow in the linguistics. In spoken English, even at a high standard, about 80-90% are mono and disyllabic. Take for example the last sentence of my previous paragraph. Only 5 out of the 40 words have more than two syllables. I personally think this makes it quite a boring language to speak compared to Welsh where there are some beautifully long words. But it’s not a rarity as in English. As I look down at my list of 5 words to learn for today, there is just something nicer about saying ynhyfredu vs delight, cymharu instead of compare or tacluso instead of tidy. It’s hard to describe to be honest- but there is something more meaningful about it. It feels as though there is more ‘depth’ and elegance to it, rather than just a couple of short syllables strung together.

I hope that make sense!

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Makes perfect sense to me Mihil, and thanks for that word for “delight” which was totally new to me
(although an online dictionary I have looked in suggests it might be “ymhyfrydu”).
(although**2 you’d probably get away with your version in conversation! :slight_smile: ).

(p.s. “cymharu” was about the first word I managed to work out “from context”, although it took me a long time to get it).

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We used to have one particular company ringing us several times a day. I answered the phone twice in a row to them, both times speaking Cymraeg, and we haven’t heard from them since!

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I really enjoy Welsh idioms when translated literally.
“Mae’n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn” and “fel cael cachu o geffyl pren” are two of my current favorites.
:smiley:

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Me too!

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Wow, diolch bawb. I’ve enjoyed reading your comments! I’ll let you know when the blog post gets published. This has been of a great help and really quite heartwarming. Diolch!

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As a representative of these, diolch! Hapus to make you :smile:!

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I certainly agree that learning Welsh is great fun. Always a new challenge to overcome . It can sometimes be hazardous however. I usually listen while in the kitchen doing some boring chore or other. If the lesson is particularly challenging I tend to walk round and round the kitchen while trying to come out with the right words. Recently I was so absorbed that I walked into the open lid of the dishwasher ( I was unloading it at the time.) My language was definitely more Anglo Saxon than Welsh on that occaision!

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I laughed out loud at that 
 sorry, it really wasn’t funny
 :laughing:

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I love that one about " where’s the key and the Ci is in his basket" too and how about the hilarious one from @jenny_white_378
Not me but my wee girl -
We had been learning colours. Her favourite is red.
So we are walking around the shops and Iona says loudly “I like coch”, “my favourite is coch” etc.
Cue people looking at us and me being very embarassed.
She thought this was hilarious and has carried on doing it!!

Justin

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Mmm
 problem really is that it depends on pronouncing ‘ch’ as ‘ck’.

This comment is more about how I find Welsh so fascinating and beautiful than fun, because I love how descriptive is Yr Heniaith. Welsh has some wonderful onomatopoeics like “Byrlymu” which perfectly brings to mind a burbling brook. Brings out my inner Bard, which although timid and Tim-tiny, is growing in the soft, silver-gentle sprinkle of sun and shower that I occasionally remember to give Him.
And how about “Llygad y Ffynon”? Which translates as “Eye of the Fountain”, a perfect description of how a spring could look

I never appreciated Literature when at school, although I did pay attention during classes. Now, I am intrigued to know and understand just what meaning the author of virtually anything was intending to carry. And it does not always completely fit when attempting to traverse the language chasm

Now I’m off to work as a lorry-driver. Funny old world


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One of the most erudite and thoughtful men I know was a lorry driver for many years. But it looks as though he’s going to have some competition
 Must be all that thinking time?

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Fascinating and beautiful equal fun in my eyes. Diolch!

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My father-in-law told me of a poetic way to say “dawn” in Welsh, but I can’t remember it, can no longer ask him, and didn’t write it down, and neither dictionaries nor google have helped so far. Maybe someone here will know of it. It was a phrase, and not a particularly short one, so far as I can remember.

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