A verwis hi?
A farwodd hi?
Did it die?
| Y'n jydh hedhyw y hwodhyn ni bos nebes 500 kernowegor freth ha moy es teyr mil a wor temmik a'n yeth, kyn hwor peub a Gernow styryans an ger “Kernow”. Yma lyvrow-termyn ha lyvrow ow pos dyllys, yma towlennow pellwolok ha radyo kevadow rag kowsoryon a dyskadoron an yeth, ha Konsel Kernow re dhyllas aga thowlen teyr bledhen rag fatel vynnons skoodhya'n yeth. Grondyes war an re ma yth yw diogel dhe leverel bos an yeth Kernowek bew y'n kensa kansvledhen warn ugens. Mes ny veu desedhans an yeth pub prys mar gler, nyns esa saw yn 2010 y chanjyas UNESCO aga hlassans a'n yeth a varow dhe beryllys yn sevur. Ytho y'n erthygel ma y fynnav dadhla onan a gavylekka testennow yn istori an Kernowek, ha henna yw a verwis an yeth? | Y dyddiau hyn dan ni'n gwybod bod 'na dua 500 o siaradwyr rhugl eu Cernyweg a dros tair mil sy'n gallu ychydig o'r iaith, er bod pawb o Gernyw yn gwybod ystyr y gair “Kernow”. Mae cylchgronau a llyfrau yn cael eu cyhoeddi, mae 'na raglenni teledu a radio ar gael i siaradwyr a dysgwyr yr iaith, ac mae Cyngor Cernyw newydd gyhoeddi cynllun tair blwyddyn am sut maen nhw am gefnogi'r iaith. Ar sail hyn mae'n saff i ddeud bod yr iaith Gernyweg yn fyw yn yr unfed canrif ar ugain. Ond dydy sefyllfa'r iaith ddim wastad wedi bod mor glir, dim ond yn 2010 newidiodd UNESCO eu dosbarthiad o'r iaith o farw i mewn perygl difrifol. Felly yn yr erthygl hon dwi am drafod un o bynciau mwyaf dadleuol yn hanes y Gernyweg, sef a farwodd yr iaith? | These days we know that there are about 500 fluent speakers of Cornish and over three thousand more who know a little of the language, although everyone in Cornwall knows the meaning of the word ‘Kernow’. Books and magazines are being published, there are television and radio programmes available to speakers and learners of the language, and the Cornish Council have recently published a three-year plan of support for the language. On the basis of this it is safe to say that the Cornish language is alive in the twenty-first century. But the prospects for the language have not always been so bright, it was only in 2010 that UNESCO changed its classification of the language from ‘dead’ to ‘in serious danger’. So in this article I want to discuss one of the most controversial subjects in the history of Cornish, that is, did the language die? |
| Yn kensa yma res gul mencyon a vernans yethow. Pyth yw mernans yeth, ha fatel geskelm henna dhe'n Kenowek? Y hyllir deskrifa mernans yeth avel hemm: Yn yethonieth y hwer mernans yeth pan gell yeth hy howser genesik finek (rag moy gwelewgh: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-language-death-1691215). Mar tevnydhyn an deskrifans ma gans an Kernowek yma res bos kowser genesik finek. Ytho piw o an person ma? Mars esons i vyth oll. | Yn gyntaf mae'n rhaid sôn am dranc ieithoedd. Beth yw tranc iaith, a sut mae hynny yn perthyn i'r Gernyweg? Gellir disgrifio tranc iaith fel hyn: Ym maes ieithyddiaeth mae tranc iaith yn digwydd pan golla iaith ei siaradwr brodorol olaf (Am fwy gweler: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-language-death-1691215). Os defnyddiwn ni'r diffiniad hwn efo'r Gernyweg mae'n rhaid bod wedi bod siaradwr brodorol olaf. Felly pwy oedd y person hwn? Os bodolon nhw o gwbl. | First, we must talk about the death of languages. What is the death of a language, and how does this relate to Cornish? The death of a language can be described thus: In the field of linguistics the death of a language takes place when a language loses it last native speaker (for further details see: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-language-death-1691215). If we apply this definition to Cornish, there must have been a last native speaker. So who was this person? If they existed at all. |
| Yma unn hanow re deuth aswonys dre vos junyes gans mernans an Kernowek, henn yw Dolly Pentreath. Gwerther puskes a-dhyworth Porthenys y'n 1700ow o Dolly a gowsis Kernowek. Yth esa hi a vri rag sevel orth kowsel Sowsnek ha leverel: “Me ne vidn cewsel Sawznek!” ('My na vynn kowsel Sownsek' y'n Furv Skrifys Savonek). Y tevnydh tus bledhen hy mernans 1777 avel dydhans mernans an yeth yn fenowgh. Mes yma nebes dout yn-kever hemma. Mamm o Dolly, ytho yth yw certan hi dhe basya tamm a'n yeth dhe's flogh, John, ha tus erel y'n gemeneth a's onderstondyas. Onan aral a lavaransow a vri Dolly o “kronek hager du” a leveris hi dhe'n filosofer David Barrington. Ytho gwirhaval yw Dolly dhe waynya titel an kowser finek dre vos gnas bras na vynnas gweles hy mammyeth mones dhe goll yn le an Kernowegor genesik finek gwir. | Mae un enw wedi troi'n enwog trwy gael ei gysylltu â marwolaeth y Gernyweg, sef Dolly Pentreath. Gwerthwr pysgod o Mousehole yn y 1700au oedd Dolly a siaradodd y Gernyweg yn rhugl. Roedd hi'n adnabyddus am wrthod siarad yn Saesneg trwy ddeud: “Me ne vidn cewsel Sawznek!” ('My na vynn kowsel Sowsnek' yn Ffurf Ysgrifenedig Safonol yr iaith. 'Dwi ddim eisiau siarad Saesneg'). Yn aml defnyddia pobl flwyddyn ei marwolaeth 1777 fel dyddiad tranc yr iaith. Ond mae 'na ychydig o amheuaeth ynglŷn â hyn. Mam oedd Dolly, felly mae'n rhaid iddi fod wedi pasio rhyw faint o'r iaith ymlaen i'w phlentyn, John, ac roedd pobl eraill yn y gymuned yn ei dallt hi. Un arall o ddywediadau enwog Dolly oedd “kronek hager du” ('llyffant hyll du') a ddwedodd hi wrth yr athronydd David Barrington. Felly mae'n debyg yr enillodd Dolly deitl y siaradwr olaf trwy fod yn dipyn o gymeriad nad oedd am weld ei mamiaith fynd ar goll yn lle y siaradwr brodorol olaf go iawn. |
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| There is one name that has become famous for its connection with the death of Cornish, namely Dolly Pentreath. Dolly was an 19th century fishwife from Mousehole and spoke Cornish fluently. She was well known for refusing to speak English, saying: “Me ne vidn cewsel Sawznek!” ('My na vynn kowsel Sowsnek' in the standardised form of the language. ‘I do not want to speak English’). Frequently people use the year of her death, 1777, as the date of the death of the language. But there is some doubt about this. Dolly was a mother, so she must have passed some amount of the language on to her children, and other people in the community could understand her. Another of Dolly’s famous sayings was ‘kronek hager du’ (ugly black toad) which she said to the philosopher David Barrington. So it is likely that Dolly gained the title of last speaker by being a bit of a character who did not want to see her mother tongue lost, rather than being the actual last native speaker. | ||
| Hogen mar pe Dolly an Kernowegor genesik finek, yth esa an yeth hwath owth eksistya ha bos devnydhyes gans niver a dus yn Kernow a dhysksa'n yeth – temmik avel an Manawek esa passyes dhe dhyskoryon gans Ned Madrell, an Manawegor genesik finek. Hag avel gans an Manawek y hyllyn leverel y kwithas an dhyskoryon ma an yeth Kernowek ow pewa. | Hyd yn oed os oedd Dolly y siaradwr Cernyweg brodorol olaf, roedd yr iaith yn dal i fodoli a chael ei defnyddio gan nifer o bobl yng Nghernyw oedd wedi dysgu'r iaith – tipyn bach fel y Fanaweg a basiwyd ymlaen i ddysgwyr gan Ned Madrell, y siaradwr brodorol olaf. Ac fel efo'r Fanaweg gallwn ni ddeud bod y dysgwyr hyn wedi cadw'r iaith Gernyweg yn fyw. | Even if Dolly was the last native speaker of Cornish, the language continued to exist and be used by a number of people in Cornwall who had learnt the language – a bit like Manx which was passed on to learners by Ned Maddrell, the last native speaker. And as with Manx we can say that these learners have kept the Cornish language alive. |
| Yn 1776, bledhen kyns Dolly dhe verwel, yth omdhiskwedhas lyther yn Kernowek gans pyskador henwys William Bodinar, keffrys a Borthenys. Y'n lyther ma y teskrif fatel dhyskas an yeth a-dhyworth pyskadoryon erel pan o va yowynk, mes herwydh ev yth esa le ha le a dus orth hy devnydhya dhe'n pols na. William a aswonnas Dolly hag i a gowsis yn fenowgh. A-barth dhe Dolly y leveris William ev dhe aswon pymp person aral y'n dreveglos a wodhya kowsel Kernowek. Y halsa hemm styrya bos tus yn leow erel a wodhya kowsel Kernowek. | Ym 1776, blwyddyn cyn i Dolly farw, ymddangosodd llythyr yn Gernyweg gan bysgotwr o'r enw William Bodinar, hefyd o Mousehole. Yn y llythyr hwn mae'n disgrifio sut dysgodd yr iaith oddi wrth bysgotwyr eraill pan oedd yn ifanc, ond yn ei ôl o roedd llai a llai o bobl yn ei defnyddio y dyddiau hynny. Roedd William yn nabod Dolly ac roedden nhw'n siarad yn aml. Yn ogystal â Dolly roedd William yn deud ei fod yn nabod pump o bobl eraill yn y pentref a oedd yn gallu siarad Cernyweg hefyd. Gallai hyn olygu bod pobl mewn llefydd eraill yn gallu siarad y Gernyweg. | In 1776, the year before Dolly died, a letter appeared in Cornish from a fisherman called William Bodinar, also from Mousehole. In this letter he describes how he learnt the language from other fishermen when he was young, but according to him fewer and fewer people were using it these days. William knew Dolly and they often spoke. As well as Dolly, William said he knew five other people in the village who could also speak Cornish. This could mean that people in other places could speak Cornish. |
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| Y merwis William yn 1796, hag awos hemma yth yw possybyl leverel nag esa'n yeth dhe's klowes war an stretys yn fenowgh erbyn dalleth an nownjekves kansvledhen. Ny styr hemma na veu'n yeth ow pos kowsys vytholl, mes yth o kalessa dhe's trovya. Unn Kernowegor aswonys a'n oos ma o'n tiek John Davey a Voswydnek a veu genys yn 1812. Y tyskas John an Kernowek a-dhyworth y das hag y hwodhya klappya yn-kever themys sempel herwydh nebes pennfentynnyow, kyn nyns yw kler yn poran pes a'n yeth esa dhodho. Byttegyns John a gemer kresys rag skrifa Rim an Grankan, an gan Gernowek hengovek mogha a-dhiwedhes. Y merwis John yn 1891, mes erbyn an poynt ma y tallathsa akademogyon kovadha'n yeth ha dalleth an hyns dhe's dasserghi. Dyllas A Sketch of Cornish Grammar gans Edwin Norris yn 1859 gans Gwask Pennskol Resoghen avel merkyansow dhe weres tus orth redya dornskrifow yn Kernowek hengovek. | Bu farw William ym 1796, ac oherwydd hyn mae'n bosib deud mai erbyn dechrau'r pedwaredd canrif ar bymtheg doedd yr iaith ddim i'w chlywed ar y strydoedd yn aml. Dydy hyn ddim yn golygu na siaradwyd yr iaith o gwbl, dim ond ei fod yn anos i'w ffeindio. Y siaradwr adnabyddus o'r adeg hon oedd y ffermwr John Davey o Boswednack a anwyd ym 1812. Mi ddysgodd John y Gernyweg oddi wrth ei dad ac roedd yn gallu sgwrsio am themâu syml yn ôl rhai ffynonellau, er nad ydy'n glir yn union faint o'r iaith oedd gynno fo. Serch hynny mae John yn derbyn y clod am fod wedi ysgrifennu Odl y Cranken, y gan ddiweddaraf yn y Gernyweg draddodiadol. Bu farw John ym 1891, ond erbyn y pwynt hwn roedd academyddion bellach wedi dechrau cofnodi'r iaith a dechrau ar y ffordd i'w hadfywio. Cyhoeddwyd A Sketch of Cornish Grammar gan Edwin Norris ym 1859 gan Wasg Prifysgol Rhydychen fel nodiadau i helpu pobl wrth ddarllen llawysgrifau yn Gernyweg draddodiadol. | William died in 1796, and because of this it is possible to say that by the beginning of the nineteenth century the language was not often to be heard on the streets. This does not mean that the language was not spoken at all, only that it became harder to find. A well-known speaker at this time was the farmer John Davey of Boswednack, who was born in 1812. John learnt Cornish from his father and according to some sources could converse on simple subjects, although it is not clear how much of the language he had. In spite of this John gets the credit for having written Odl y Cranken (the Cranken Rhyme), the last song in traditional Cornish. John died in 1891, and by this point academics had now begun to record the language and started on the road to reviving it. A Sketch of Cornish Grammar by Edwin Norris was published in 1859 by the Oxford University Press as notes to assist people in reading manuscripts in traditional Cornish. |
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| Mar mynnyn leverel y merwis yeth awos mernans hy howser genesik finek, yma keffrys res mires war styryans a gowser genesik. Deskrif Leonard Bloomfield kowsoryon enesik avel: pobel a veu gorrys yn kerghynnedh yeth a-dhia bos genys (Language, 1994). Y hyllyn styrya hemma avel nebonan a dhyskas yeth y'n chi ha/po a-dhyworth y dewgerens. Ny wra'n deskrifans ma mencyon a frethder an gowsoryon ma, hag ytho y kas temmik a wedhynder orth aswon Kernowegoryon enesik. | Os dan ni am ddeud bod iaith wedi marw achos marwolaeth ei siaradwr brodorol olaf, mae hefyd yn rhaid ystyried beth yw siaradwr brodorol. Diffinia Leonard Bloomfield siaradwyr brodorol fel: pobl sydd wedi'u rhoi mewn amgylch iaith ers ei enedigaeth (Language, 1994). Gallwn ni ddehongli hwn fel rhywun sydd wedi dysgu iaith wrth yr aelwyd a/neu oddi wrth ei rieni. Dydy'r disgrifiad hwn ddim yn sôn am rhuglder y siaradwyr hyn, ac felly mae'n caniatáu tipyn o hyblygrwydd wrth adnabod siaradwyr brodorol o'r Gernyweg. | If we are to say that the language died with the death of its last speaker, we must also consider what a native speaker is. Leonard Bloomfield defines a native speaker thus: a person who has been in the environment of a language from birth. We can interpret this as someone who has learnt a language at home and/or from his parents (Language, 1994). This description says nothing about the fluency of these speakers, and so we may allow ourselves a little flexibility in recognising native speakers of Cornish. |
| A-dhia ban dhallathas tus leverel bos an yeth ow merwel, y feu derivasow di-niver a bobel a wodhya temmigow a'n yeth, ha tus a wodhya kowsel yn freth ynwedh. An re ma a gomprehend fleghes a wodhya'n Pader ha tavosethow y'n Kernowek a veu dyskys y'n skol, y'n chi hag a-dhyworth aga dewgerens. Ytho hag ow tevnydhya'n styryans a-ugh, y hyllyn leverel bos an re ma kowsoryon enesik hag ytho ny verwis an Kernowek. | Ers i bobl ddechrau deud bod yr iaith yn marw allan, mae 'na wedi bod adroddiadau di-rif o bobl a oedd yn gwybod pytiau o'r iaith, a phobl oedd yn gallu siarad yn rhugl hefyd. Cynhwysa'r rhain blant oedd yn gwybod Gweddi'r Arglwydd ac idiomau yn y Gernyweg a ddysgwyd yn yr ysgol, y cartref ac oddi wrth eu rhieni. Felly gan ddefnyddio'r diffiniad uchod, gallwn ni ddeud mai siaradwyr brodorol oedd y rhain ac felly ni farwodd y Gernyweg. | Since people began saying that the language was dying out, there have been countless reports of people who knew a little of the language, and also people who could speak it fluently. This includes those children who knew the Lord’s Prayer and Cornish expressions that they had learnt at school, at home and from their parents. So by using the broadest definition, we can say that they were native speakers and so Cornish did not die. |
| Niverow a gowsoryon yethow a janj dre'n tremyn oll, treweythyow y kressons, treweythyow yth iselhons, ha nyns yw an Kernowek dyffrans. Istori an yeth ma re varyas meur ha hi ow kelli ha kavos kowsoryon nowyth. Yn anfeusik nyns a'n erthygel ma dhe vanylyon yn-kever istori kowethasek an yeth awos nag usi saw komendyans dhe'n govyn a vernans (sopposyes) an Kernowek. Mar krysowgh y merwis an yeth po na, an dra bosek dhe bethi kov anodho yw bos an Kernowek bew y'n jydh hedhyw. Hi a gowsir gans kansow (mar na milyow) a dus ha pob bledhen yma'n niverow a's kows ow kressya. Yma hogen kowsoryon a's dyskas y'n chi. Ha honna yw yeth bew mar kovynnowgh dhymm! | Mae niferoedd o siaradwyr ieithoedd wastad yn newid, weithiau maen nhw'n cynyddu, weithiau maen nhw'n lleihau, a dydy'r Gernyweg ddim yn wahanol. Mae hanes yr iaith hon wedi amrywio lot wrth iddi hi golli a chael siaradwyr newydd. Yn anffodus dydy'r erthygl hon ddim yn mynd mewn i fanylder am hanes cymdeithasol yr iaith gan mai dim ond cyflwyniad i'r cwestiwn o dranc (tybiedig) y Gernyweg ydy hi. Os credwch chi y marwodd yr iaith neu beidio, y prif beth i'w gofio ydy bod y Gernyweg yn fyw y dyddiau hyn. Siaredir hi gan gannoedd (os na filoedd) o bobl a bob blwyddyn mae'r niferoedd a'i sieryd yn cynyddu. Mae 'na hyd yn oed siaradwyr sydd wedi'i dysgu yn y cartref. A dyna iaith fyw os gofynnwch i mi! | The number of people who speak languages is constantly changing, sometimes increasing, sometimes becoming less, and Cornish is no different. The history of the language has varied a good deal as it has lost and gained new speakers. Unfortunately this article cannot go into details about the social history of the language, since it is merely an introduction to the question of the (supposed) death of Cornish. Whether or not you believe that the language died, the main thing to remember is that Cornish is alive today. It is spoken by hundreds (if not thousands) of people and every year the number it is spoken by increases. There are even speakers who have learnt it at home. And that, if you ask me, is a living language! |
| My a wayt hwi dhe dhyski neppyth yn-kever isotri an Kernowek ha mernans yeth. Mar mynnowgh trovya moy, yma lyvrow hag erthyglow kevadow a omles war an poynt ma. | Gobeithio bod chi wedi dysgu rhywbeth am hanes y Gernyweg a thranc iaith. Os ydach chi am ddarganfod mwy, mae 'na lyfrau ac erthyglau ar gael sy'n ehangu ar y pwnc hwn. | I hope that you have learnt something about the history of Cornish and the death of a language. If you want to discover more, there are books and articles which expand on this subject. |
Moddau Dysgu Ieithoedd: Fy mhrofiad i o ddysgu Cymraeg, Cernyweg & Almaeneg
Methods of Learning Languages: My experience of learning Welsh, Cornish & German
| Gall y proses o ddysgu ieithoedd godi ofn mewn pobl, yn enwedig ar ddechrau'r daith. Rwyf yn gwybod hyn gan fy mod i wedi dysgu tair iaith yn rhugl, ac rwyf yn dysgu pytiau o ieithoedd eraill o hyd. Felly, yn yr erthygl hon byddaf yn cynnig mewnwelediadau personol o wahanol foddau o ddysgu ieithoedd a byddaf yn trio rhoi cwpl o dipiau am sut i wneud y proses o ddysgu yn haws. Yr ieithoedd yr ydw i wedi eu dysgu i lefel dda o ruglder yw: Almaeneg, Cymraeg a Chernyweg, ac fel mae'n digwydd dysgais i nhw i gyd mewn ffyrdd gwahanol. Felly byddaf yn defnyddio fy storïau personol o ddysgu'r rhain i sôn am dri modd o ddysgu iaith, sef: mynd i ddosbarthiadau, cyrsiau clywed, a dysgu o lyfrau. | The process of learning languages can scare people, especially at the start of the journey. I know this as I have learnt to speak three languages fluently, and am still learning bits of other languages. So, in this article, I will be offering personal insights of different methods of learning languages and will try and give a few tips on how to make the learning process easier. The languages that I have learnt to a good level of fluency are: German, Welsh and Cornish, and as it happens I learnt each of them in a different way. So I will be using my personal stories of learning these to discuss three ways of learning languages: going to classes, audio courses, and learning from books. |
| I gychwyn rwyf am sôn am fy nhaith o ddysgu Almaeneg a ddechreuodd yn yr ysgol uwchradd, aeth â fi i'r brifysgol, ac wedyn i'r Almaen ei hun. Os nad oeddech chi'n gwybod yn barod, mae eithaf lot o ramadeg gan yr Almaeneg ac nid yw hwn wastad yn hawdd i'w ddeall (mae'n siŵr bod chi wedi clywed am y cyflyrau gramadegol). Un o'm hatgofion cynharach o ddysgu'r iaith hon yw eistedd yn yr ystafell ddosbarth ac yn adrodd y gwahanol fanodau penodol – mae 16 ohonynt yn Almaeneg! Cefais dipyn o drafferth wrth ddysgu yn wreiddiol, ni chefais ond gradd C yn fy arholiad TGAU, ac E y tro cyntaf sefais yr arholiad Lefel AS (sefais yr arholiad hwnnw tairwaith yn cael C isel ac wedyn C uchel). Pan gyrhaeddais i'r brifysgol roedd gennyf Lefel A ar radd C. Ond os neidiwn ymlaen pedair blynedd, dyna fi yn graddio yn yr Almaeneg â rhagoriaeth mewn sgiliau cyfathrebu. Felly, beth a ddigwyddodd? Dim ond mewn gwersi ffurfiol roeddwn i wedi dysgu'r iaith, felly beth a newidiodd? A yw'r stori hon yn dangos methiant yn y dull dysgu mewn dosbarth? A yw'n dangos llwyddiant? | To begin with I want to mention my journey in learning German, which began when I was in secondary school, took me to university and then to Germany itself. If you didn't already know, German has quite a lot of grammar and this isn't always simple to understand (I'm sure you've heard of the grammatical cases). One of my earliest memories of learning this language is sitting in the classroom and repeating the various definite articles – there are 16 of them in German! I had a bit of trouble learning initially, I only got a C grade for my GCSE, and an E the first time I sat my AS Level exam (which I took three times, getting a low C and then a high C). When I arrived at university I had a C grade A Level. But if we jump forwards four years, there I am graduating with a degree in German with a distinction in oral communication. So, what happened? I had only ever learnt the language by attending formal lessons, so what changed? Does this story show a failure in classroom based learning? Does it show a success? |
| Wel, mae'n dangos y ddau i raddau achos yr hyn na ddywedais yn y paragraff uchod oedd sut yr oeddwn i yn ymddwyn yn y dosbarthiadau. Y prif beth a newidiodd wrth symud ymlaen yn yr Almaeneg oedd fy oed. 13 mlwydd oed oeddwn i pan ddechreuais ddysgu Almaeneg. Nid oedd diddordeb gennyf mewn dysgu o gwbl. Roeddwn yn casáu'r ysgol, ac yr unig beth yr oeddwn amdano oedd gadael. Oherwydd hyn, nid oeddwn yn talu sylw mewn gwersi ac nid oeddwn yn gwneud fy ngwaith cartref byth! Ond roeddwn yn gwybod pa mor bwysig oedd cael iaith ar fy CV a daliais ati i ddysgu nes imi sylweddoli sut cymaint yr oeddwn wrth fy modd ag ieithoedd. Erbyn cyrraedd y brifysgol roeddwn am ddysgu. Dechreuais ofyn cwestiynau fel rhan o'r dosbarth, gorffennais fy ngwaith cartref bob dydd. Yn ystod fy mlwyddyn olaf yno, fi oedd yr un cyntaf (ac weithiau'r unig un) i roi fy llaw yn yr awyr i ateb cwestiynau gan y tiwtoriaid. | Well, it shows both to a degree as what I didn't tell you in the above paragraph was how I behaved during the classes. The main thing that changed as I progressed in German was my age. I was 13 years old when I began learning German, and I wasn't interested in learning at all. I hated school, and the only thing I wanted was to leave. Because of this I didn't pay attention in classes and I never did my homework! But I knew how important it was to have a language on my CV and I kept at it until I realised how much I loved languages. By the time I arrived at university I wanted to learn. I started asking questions in lessons, I finished my homework every day. During my final year there, I was first one (and sometimes the only one) to put my hand up and answer the tutors' questions. |
| Mae'n wir beth a ddywedir; rydach yn cael allan ohono'r hyn a roddwch mewn iddo. A dyna'n union sut mae cael y gorau allan o fynychu dosbarthiadau iaith (ac mae hyn yn gweithio ar gyfer unrhyw iaith, nid Almaeneg yn unig). Os eisteddwch yno heb ymrwymo â'r dosbarth, hyd yn oed os ydach chi'n cymryd nodiadau manwl, ni fydd eich sgiliau iaith yn gwella cystal â phobl eraill. Os ydach yn mynd i ddosbarth iaith, trïwch roi eich llaw yn yr awyr, cynigiwch fwy o atebion, a gwnewch eich gwaith cartref. Wrth gwrs, rwyf yn deall nad yw pawb yn gyffyrddus wrth wneud pethau fel hyn o flaen pobl eraill (mae yn ddychrynllyd wrth gychwyn!) ac nid ydwyf yn dweud bod yn rhaid ichi wneud hyn yn unig er mwyn dysgu siarad iaith yn well. Gwnewch yr hyn yr ydach yn gyffyrddus â fe. | It's true what they say; you get out what you put in. And that's exactly how to make the most of attending language lessons (and this works for any language not just German). If you sit there without engaging in the classwork, even if you take detailed notes, your language skills won't improve as much as others. If you go to a language class, try putting your hand up, offer more answers, and do your homework. Of course, I know that not everyone is comfortable with doing things like this in front of other people (it's horrible at the start!) and I'm not saying that you have to do this alone to be able to speak a language better. Do what you're comfortable with. |
| Euthum i'r brifysgol ym Mangor, Gwynedd, a chyn imi symud yno ar ôl gorffen fy Lefelau A penderfynais fy mod i'n mynd i ddysgu Cymraeg er mwyn gallu siarad â phobl leol. Ond sut y medrai Cernywiaid 18 oed ddysgu iaith leiafrifol heb fod wedi symud i'r ardal lle y siaradir eto? Yr ateb – Say Something in Welsh (SSiW)! Dyma oedd yn ôl yn 2011 ac roedd y platfform hynod boblogaidd hwn yn ei ieuenctid o hyd. Pan ymunais â'r wefan, nid oedd ond un cwrs ar gael a wnaed o 26 o wersi unigol ac ychydig wersi ychwanegol i ddysgu cyfrif, y lliwiau, ac yn y blaen. Roedd y fforwm mor dda ag erioed, ond nid oedd mor brysur neu fawr fel y mae'r dyddiau hyn. Ar ôl gorffen y cwrs hwnnw a chyrraedd ym Mangor roeddwn yn gallu cynnal sgyrsiau eithaf hir yn y Gymraeg a chefais neidio dros y lefel gyntaf pan ddechreuais gwrs Wlpan â Chymraeg i Oedolion. O fewn i dri mis roeddwn wedi cwblhau pob gwers a oedd gan SSiW ar y pryd a dysgu digon o'r iaith i siarad yn fwy hyderus na phobl oedd wedi'i dysgu yn yr ysgol! | I went to university in Bangor, Gwynedd, and before moving there after finishing my A Levels I decided that I was going to learn Welsh to be able to speak with locals. But how could an 18 year old Cornishman learn a minority language without having moved to the area it's spoken in yet? The answer – Say Something in Welsh (SSiW)! This was back in 2011 and this popular platform was still in its youth. When I signed up with the website, there was only one course available which consisted of 26 individual lessons and some extra classes to learn counting, colours, etc. The forum was as good as always, but it wasn't as busy or large as it is these days. After finishing the course and arriving in Bangor I was able to hold quite long conversations in Welsh and I was able to skip the first level when I started the Cwrs Wlpan with Welsh for Adults. Within three months I had finished every lesson that SSiW had at the time and I had learnt enough of the language to speak more confidently than people who had learnt at school! |
| Llwyddais wrth wneud hwn trwy dorri dau o brif reolau'r cyfrwng; 1) ni chymrais fe'n araf, a 2) ysgrifennais eiriau i lawr. Ond cyn ichi fynd i ffwrdd a dechrau anwybyddu rheolau a chanllawiau SSiW, gadewch imi esbonio. Yn y cwrs roeddent yn awgrymu mai tuag unwaith yr wythnos oeddech chi i fod yn gwneud y cwrs i adael digon o amser i'r wybodaeth setlo yn eich meddwl. Ar y pryd nid oeddwn yn gweithio ac felly roedd gennyf bob dydd yn rhydd. Golygodd hyn fy mod i'n gallu codi yn y bore, gwneud gwers nesaf SSiW, ac wedyn defnyddio gweddill y dydd i ganolbwyntio ar y wers honno a dysgu'r patrymau a geiriau, ayyb. | I succeeded in doing this by breaking two of the medium's main rules; 1) I didn't do it slowly, and 2) I wrote down words. But before you go off and start ignoring SSiW's rules and guidelines, let me explain. In the course it was recommended that you did around one lesson per week to allow enough time for the information to settle in your mind. At the time I wasn't working and so I was free every day. This meant that I was able to get up in the morning, do the next SSiW lesson, and then use the rest of the day to focus on that lesson and learn the patterns and words, etc. |
| Weithiau gwrandawais ar yr un wers mwy nag unwaith, weithiau dwywaith y dydd, weithiau un dydd ar ôl y llall. Nid ysgrifennais eiriau i lawr o gwbl wrth wrando ar y wers. Yn lle hynny arhoswn i nes imi ei gorffen ac wedyn copïwn i'r geiriau oddi ar wefan mewn llyfr nodiadau. Ar ôl gwneud hyn cuddiwn i'r geiriau a thrïwn eu cofio heb sbïo arnynt. Roedd yn waith caled, ac am y tri mis hynny roedd yn swydd lawn amser imi. Ni fuaswn i'n awgrymu i unrhyw un drio hyn os maent yn brysur, ac os ydach chi am drio'r modd hwn allan, cofiwch pa mor bwysig yw cymryd egwyliau ac ymlacio trwy edrych ar y teledu, darllen llyfr da, neu drwy fynd am dro. | Sometimes I listened to the same lesson more than once, sometimes twice a day, sometimes two days in a row. I didn't write down words at all whilst listening to the lesson. Instead of that I would wait until finishing and then I would copy down the words from the website into a notebook. After doing this I would hide the words and try to remember them without looking. It was hard work, and for three months that was my full-time job. I wouldn't recommend that anyone try this if they're busy, and if you do want to try this out, remember the importance of taking breaks and relaxing by watching TV, reading a good book, or going for a stroll. |
| Mae Say Something in Welsh wedi newid lot ers imi ei wneud saith mlynedd yn ôl. Felly lle roedd yn rhaid imi fynd i ddosbarthiadau Cymraeg er mwyn parhau wrth ddysgu'r iaith, nid oes rhaid y dyddiau hyn. Mae gennyf sawl ffrind sydd wedi llwyddo i ddysgu'r Gymraeg yn rhugl trwy ddefnyddio SSiW yn unig a hynny heb ddefnyddio fy null rhyfedd i. Mae SSiW yn dda iawn os ydach am ddysgu siarad yr iaith yn gyflym heb orfod mynd i wersi ffurfiol, er nad ydwyf yn sicr ynglŷn â dysgu darllen ac ysgrifennu â'r cyfrwng hwn yn 2018. Efallai gallai rhywun gynnig y wybodaeth hon imi? | Say Something in Welsh has changed a lot since I used it seven years ago. So where I had to go to lessons to continue learning Welsh, you no longer have to now. I have many friends who have succeeded in learning Welsh fluently by only using SSiW and that's without employing my weird method! SSiW is really good if you want to learn to speak quickly without going to formal classes, though I'm not sure about reading and writing with this medium in 2018. Perhaps someone could offer this information to me? |
| Cernywiaid ydw i, a thrwy gymdeithasu a dod i adnabod Cernywiaid eraill sydd yn byw yng Nghymru, rwyf wedi darganfod rhywbeth diddorol iawn... Mae sawl un ohonynt wedi dysgu'r Gymraeg (neu wedi dangos diddordeb mewn dysgu) er mwyn teimlo'n agosach at eu cartref, hynny yw Cernyw. Fi oedd un o'r rhain, i raddau, ond ar ôl blwyddyn o fyw yng Nghymru roedd fy hiraeth wedi cynyddu gormod ac roedd yn rhaid imi wneud rhywbeth amdano. Roeddwn wedi darllen yn rhywle bod tua 70% o eiriau Cymraeg a Chernyweg yn dod o'r un lle. A chan ddefnyddio hyn fel man cychwyn dechreuais wneud tipyn o ymchwil ar y we. Dyma bryd penderfynais fynd ati a dysgu iaith fy hun, Cernyweg. | I'm a Cornishman, and through socialising and getting to know other Cornishmen who live in Wales, I have discovered something really interesting... Many of them who've learnt Welsh (or have shown interest in learning Welsh) want to do so to feel closer to their home, that is Cornwall. I was one of these, to a degree, but after a year of living in Wales my hiraeth had risen too much and I had to do something about it. I had read somewhere that about 70% of Welsh and Cornish words come from the same root. By using this as a starting point I began researching online. This is when I decided to set to it and learn my own language, Cornish. |
| Wel, os oedd yn anodd dysgu Cymraeg tra fy mod i'n byw yng Nghernyw, roedd yn mynd i fod yn fwy neu lai amhosib i ddysgu Cernyweg yng Nghrymu. Dyna beth yr oeddwn yn ei feddwl beth bynnag. Euthum yn syth i Amazon ac ar ôl chwilio am oddeutu awr roeddwn yn sicr fy mod i wedi ffeindio'r llyfr perffaith i ddysgu'r Gernyweg: Skeul an Tavas (Ysgol y Tafod). Cefais fy siomi ychydig pan gyrhaeddodd y llyfr o'r diwedd gan ei fod mor denau. Ond roeddwn am ei ddefnyddio i ddysgu beth bynnag, a dyna'r hyn a wneuthum. | Well, if it was difficult to learn Welsh whilst living in Cornwall, it was going to be nearly impossible to learn Cornish in Wales. That's what I thought anyway. I went straight to Amazon and after searching for about an hour I was certain I had found the perfect book to learn Cornish: Skeul an Tavas (The School/Ladder of the Tongue). I was a bit disappointed when the book came at last as it was so thin. But I wanted to use it to learn anyway, and that's what I did. |
| Bob dydd cwblheais bennod yn y llyfr, gan ddechrau â chenedl geiriau a gorffen â brawddegau llawn, er eu bod nhw'n fyr. Ond nid oedd y llyfr bach hwn yn ddigon imi- roedd eisiau mwy arnaf. Dyma le mae'r stori hon yn mynd mewn cyfeiriad gwahanol i'r ddwy flaenorol. Nid oedd cymaint o lyfrau neu adnoddau ar gael i ddysgwyr Cernyweg yr adeg honno, ond roedd geiriadur ar-lein, cymuned wych ar Facebook, a chwant siarad yn rhugl yn fy nghalon. | Every day I finished a chapter in the book, starting with noun genders and finishing with full sentences, albeit short ones. But this book wasn't enough for me- I wanted more. This is where this story deviates from the previous two. There weren't as many books or resources available to Cornish learners at the time, but there was an online dictionary, a great Facebook community, and a desire to speak fluently in my heart. |
| Y dacteg a ddefnyddiais oedd cyfieithu. Erthyglau byrion ar Wicipedia yn gychwynnol ac wedyn symudais ymlaen at bethau hirach a hirach nes imi ddechrau cyfieithu straeon y Brodyr Grimm. Wrth edrych yn ôl arnynt roedd fy nghyfieithiadau cynnar yn ofnadwy. Roedd yr amseroedd yn anghywir, roeddwn wedi camsillafu sawl gair, ac weithiau roeddwn wedi creu geiriau newydd ac wedyn anghofio beth y golygasant. Ond trwy wneud hyn cryfheais fy sgiliau Cernyweg nes imi ddeall fy nghamgymeriadau ac ailddysgu sut i dynnu fy ngeiriau ffug i ddarnau. | The tactic I used was translating. Short articles on Wikipedia to begin with, then I moved on to longer and longer texts until I started translating some of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales. Looking back at some of my early translation is cringe-worthy. The tenses were all wrong, I had misspelt several words, and on occasion I had created some new words and then forgotten what they meant. But by doing this I strengthened my Cornish until I understood my mistakes and re-learnt how to pull my fake words apart. |
| Her feunyddiol oedd hon, yn enwedig gan ystyried y dysgais heb fynd i ddosbarth ac nad oedd llawer o lyfrau gennyf. Felly'r tip gorau yr ydwyf yn gallu ei argymell ichi a ddysga drwy'r modd hwn yw dewis testunau yr ydach yn eu hoffi. Nid oes unrhyw beth gwaethaf na chyfieithu pethau nad ydach yn hoff ohonynt (rwyf yn cael ôl-fflachiau i wersi cyfieithu yn y brifysgol). Mae'n gwneud i'r proses yn llawer mwy hwyliog os ydach yn ymddiddan â'r testun ar fwy nag un lefel. Mae straeon byrion yn fan cychwyn da! | This was a daily challenge, especially considering that I learnt without attending any classes and that I didn't have many books. So the best tip I can offer to those who want to learn like this is choosing texts you like. There's nothing worse than translating things you aren't fond of (I'm having flashbacks to translation classes at university). It makes the process way more fun if you engage with the text in more than one way. Short stories are a good place to start! |
| Fel soniais amdano yn gynharach; rydach yn cael allan o ddysgu ieithoedd yr hyn a roddwch mewn i'w dysgu, a dyma fy mhrif dip ichi gael manteisio ar y geiriau hyn... Defnyddiwch eich ieithoedd. Bob dydd. Trwy'r amser. Pan ewch i'r archfarchnad, newidiwch iaith y peiriannau hunanwasanaeth i Gymraeg (gellir hyd yn oed gwneud hyn mewn bwytai McDonalds yn Lloegr), neu yn well na hynny, ffeindiwch aelod o staff a sieryd eich iaith darged. Ysgrifennwch ar Facebook ynddi, darganfyddwch ffilmiau a cherddoriaeth ynddi, darllenwch nofelau yn eich iaith newydd. Manteisiwch ar eich sawl tafod! | As I mentioned earlier; you get out of language learning what you put in, and this is my main tip for you to get the most out of these words... Use your languages. Every day. All the time. When you go to the supermarket, change the language of the self-service machines to Welsh (you can even do this in McDonalds restaurants in England), or even better, find a member of staff who speaks your target language. Write on Facebook in it, discover films and music in it, read novels in your new language. Make the most of you many tongues! |
| Gobeithio eich bod chi wedi mwynhau darllen fy narn yma ac rydach yn teimlo wedi'ch ysbrydoli! Ond mae'n fwy tebyg byddwch chi wedi blino erbyn cyrraedd y pwynt hwn, yn enwedig os ydach chi wedi darllen fy Nghymraeg academaidd (sori am honno). Felly cymerwch egwyl fechan â phanad poeth braf ac ymlaciwch. | Hopefully you've enjoyed reading my piece and you are feeling inspired! But it's more than likely that you're tired having gotten to this point, especially if you have read my academic Welsh (sorry for that). So take a short break with a lovely warm cuppa and relax. |
Cernywiaid ydw i, a thrwy gymdeithasu a dod i adnabod Cernywiaid eraill sydd yn byw yng Nghymru, rwyf wedi darganfod rhywbeth diddorol iawn... Mae sawl un ohonynt wedi dysgu'r Gymraeg (neu wedi dangos diddordeb mewn dysgu) er mwyn teimlo'n agosach at eu cartref, hynny yw Cernyw.
Map o enwau llefydd Cernyweg / A map of Cornish place-names
Gwaun Bodminm ger prentre Minions / Bodmin Moor, near the village of Minions
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gwilymbowenrhys.bandcamp.com/album/arenig / GwilymBowenRhys
Huw Dylan Owen yw awdur y llyfr Sesiwn yng Nghymru, sydd yn gyfrol o ysgrifau difyr ac unigryw ar fyd sesiynau gwerin yng Nghymru.
Huw Dylan Owen is the author of the book Sesiwn yng Nghymru, which is an entertaining and unique collection of articles dealing with the folk sessions in Wales.
Sesiynau gwerin misol yn Abertawe: Monthly folk sessions in Swansea: cyrfe
Neil Rowlands
| Bydd pum pencampwr yn cael eu cyhoeddi yn ystod yr wythnos, ac rydym yn falch iawn o gyhoeddi mai Neil Rowlands, yn wreiddiol o Gaerdydd a nawr yn byw yng Nghasnewydd, yw ein pencampwr cyntaf am 2019! Dadansoddydd Data yw Neil, a sefydlwr y cylchgrawn dwyieithog arlein Parallel.cymru – cylchgrawn sydd yn gwneud darllen yr iaith yn fwy hygyrch i ystod ehangach o bobl. | Five champions will be announced during the week, and we are very pleased to announce that our first champion for 2019 is Neil Rowlands, originally from Cardiff, now living in Newport. Neil is a Data Analyst and the founder of the online bilingual magazine Parallel.cymru – a website that makes reading the Welsh language more accessible to a wider audience. |
| "Dw i wedi dysgu Cymraeg yn Abertawe dros y chwe blwyddyn ddiwethaf pan ro'n i'n byw yno. Y cyfle i ddarganfod diwylliant a llenyddiaeth Cymru, a datblygu cannoedd o ffrindiau wedi cael eu galluogi yn unig drwy ddefnyddio'r iaith. | "I've learnt Welsh in Swansea over the last six years when I was living there. The opportunity to discover Welsh culture and literature and develop hundreds of friendships was directly enabled through using the language. |
| "Mae lot o bobl yng Nghymru gyda rhyw fath o brofiad yn yr iaith, ond weithiau dydy ni ddim yn defnyddio'r iaith ddigon. Does dim ots os dyn ni'n iaith gyntaf neu gefndir di-Gymraeg; am yr hen iaith barhaol mae angen amdanom ni ddefnyddio hi cymaint â phosibl- mae'n well cynnal sgwrs gyda thipyn o Gymraeg a rhai geiriau Saesneg na siarad Saesneg yn unig. Fel mae rhywun call wedi dweud, gwell Cymraeg slac na Saesneg slic! | "There are lots of people in Wales with some experience of Welsh, but sometimes we don't use the language often enough. It doesn't matter if we are first-language speakers or from a non-Welsh language background; for the language to continue there is a need for us to use it as much as possible- it is better to hold a conversation with a bit of Welsh and some English words than speak English only. As someone wise once said: it is better to use rough Welsh than smooth English! |
| "Mae'n bwysig dros ben i bobl ar draws y wlad glywed yr iaith ar strydoedd, mewn siopau ac ysgolion, a hefyd arddangos angen defnyddio'r iaith mewn tiliau a pheiriannau arian parod er mwyn creu rhesymau i gwmnïoedd mawr darparu gwasanaethau trwy'r iaith. | "It's very important for people across the country to hear the language on streets, in shops and schools, and also show that there is a need to use the language in tills and ATMs in order to create reasons for large companies to provide services through the medium of Welsh. |
| "Ces i fy ysbrydoli i ddysgu'r iaith trwy glywed lot o bobl siarad yr iaith o gwmpas yr adran Gymraeg ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe. Ar y pryd, ro'n i'n gweithio drws nesaf iddyn nhw, ond roedd e y tro cyntaf i fi sylweddoli bod cymunedau o bobl yn defnyddio'r iaith bob dydd. Hyd yn oed yn well na hyn, roedd yr un gymuned yn gefnogol dros ben i fi fel dysgwr newydd, er ro'n i'n cymysgu geiriau, cam-ynganu termau syml a hollol gamddeall beth roedd pobl yn dweud wrth siarad â fi! | "I was insprired to use the language through hearing lots of people speaking it around the Welsh department in Swansea University. At the time, I was working next door to them, and it was the first time that I realised communities of people use the language every day. Even better than this, the community was very supportive to me as a new learner, even though I was mixing words, mis-pronouncing simple terms and completely mis-understanding what people were saying to me! |
| "Trwy ddefnyddio'r iaith â phobl yn y Brifysgol ac yn y ganolfan iaith Tŷ Tawe, dechreuais i siarad mwy na'r un chwe brawddeg (Neil dw i, dw i'n dod o Gaerdydd, dw i'n gweithio i Brifysgol Abertawe ayyb...). Ymestynnais i fy medr wrth siarad, ac wedyn dechreuais i gyfrannu at y gymuned trwy wirfoddoli yn ac wedyn rhedeg y grŵp sgwrsio wythnosol i ddysgwyr, Siop Siarad, gweithio ad-hoc yn y siop, bod yn bresennol mewn gigiau. Dwy flwyddyn yn ôl, yn fy amser sbâr sefydlais i'r cylchgrawn digidol parallel.cymru er mwyn gwneud darllen yr iaith yn fwy hygyrch i ystod ehangach o bobl. Tu fewn un flwyddyn, roedd e'n derbyn pum mil o ymwelwyr y mis. Mae'r cyfrifoldeb hwn wedi agor y drws i fi gwrdd â channoedd o ddysgwyr a phobl yn y meysydd cyhoeddi a technoleg, cynnal sesiynau yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol a hyrwyddo llyfrau a gramadeg Cymraeg. | "Through using the language with people in the University and in the language centre Tŷ Tawe, I started speaking more than the same six sentences (I'm Neil, I'm from Swansea, I work for Swansea University etc...). I extended my ability through speaking, and then I started contributing to the local community through volunteering and then running the weekly chat session for learners, Siop Siarad, working ad-hoc in the shop, and being present in gigs. Two years ago, in my spare time, I founded the digital magazine parallel.cymru in order to make reading Welsh more accessible to more people. Within one year, it was receiving 5,000 visitors a month. This responsibility has opened the door for me to meet with hundreds of learners and people in the publishing and technology fields, hold sessions in the National Eisteddfod and promote Welsh-language books and grammar. |
| "Felly, tasen i ddim wedi trio dweud Shwmae i fwy o bobl ar y dechrau o fy nhaith dysgu, faswn i ddim wedi ennill yr holl brofiadau na chael y cyfle i rhoi yn ôl i’r diwylliant Cymraeg- ac yn nawr, faswn i ddim yn gallu dychmygu fy mywyd heb yr iaith." | "So, if I hadn't tried to say Hello to more people at the start of my language journey, I wouldn't have earned the experiences nor had the opportunity to give back to Welsh-language culture- and now, I can't imagine my life without the Welsh language." |
Fiona Collins
| Rydym yn hynod o falch o gyhoeddi taw ein hail bencampwr am 2019 yw’r Chwedlonwraig ac enillydd cystadleuaeth Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Dysgwr y Flwyddyn, Fiona Collins, yn wreiddiol o Swydd Hampshire yn Lloegr, ac erbyn hyn yn byw yng Ngharrog, Sir Ddinbych. Dechreuodd Fiona ddysgu Cymraeg yn Llundain, cyn parhau i ddysgu mwy pan benderfynodd symud i Gymru. Hiraeth a ddaeth â Fiona i Gymru. Roedd ei mam yn Gymraes o Rymni, nyrs a symudodd i ysbyty bach yn Hampshire ar ôl fod yn gweithio yn Llundain yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd. Roedd gan ei thad dafarn gyferbyn â’r ysbyty bach hwnnw, a dyna sut wnaeth ei rhieni hi gwrdd! Hi yw’r cyntaf o’i theulu i ddysgu Cymraeg. Chwedleuwraig yw Fiona, oedd yn teimlo ei fod yn angenrheidiol iddi allu adrodd chwedlau Cymru yn yr iaith Gymraeg – “chwedlau’r wlad yn iaith y wlad” fel y dwedai. Wrth esbonio pwysigrwydd Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae, a’i rôl hi fel un o bencampwyr y diwrnod eleni, meddai Fiona: | We are very proud to announce that our second champion for 2019 is the Storyteller and National Eisteddfod Welsh Learner of the Year, Fiona Collins, originally from Hampshire, and now living in Carrog, Denbighshire. Fiona began learning Welsh in London, before continuing to learn once she decided to move to Wales. It was ‘hiraeth’ or longing that brought Fiona to Wales. Her mother was from Rhymney, a nurse who moved to a small hospital in Hampshire after working in London during the Second World War. Her father ran a pub opposite the hospital, and that is how her parents first met! Fiona is the first of her family to learn Welsh. She is a professional Storyteller and believes that to retell the stories of Wales, it was essential to have the ability to recount the stories in the Welsh language – “the lands legends through the language of the land” as she explains. Describing the importance of Shwmae Sumae Day, and her role as a champion, Fiona says: |
| “Mae Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae yn annog pobl i ddechrau bob sgwrs yn Gymraeg, a does dim ffordd gorau i godi hyder na defnyddio pob smic o Gymraeg sydd gennoch chi. Dwi’n credu bod pawb sydd yn byw yng Nghymru yn gallu tipyn o Gymraeg. ‘Dan ni i gyd yn deall fod ‘Araf’ ar y ffordd yn golygu ‘lleihau’r cyflymder’, a bod ‘Maes Parcio’ yn rhywle i adael y car! Felly dwi wastad yn annog pobl sy ddim yn Gymry Cymraeg i beidio dweud ‘Dydw’i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg’, ond yn hytrach dweud, ‘Dwi’n siarad tipyn bach o Gymraeg’. Fel hyn, maen nhw’n cydnabod y Gymraeg SYDD ganddyn nhw, hyd yn oed os dim ond ‘Cymraeg arwyddion y ffordd’ yw hi.” | “Shwmae Sumae Day encourages people to start each conversation in Welsh, and there’s no better way to give people confidence than by encouraging them to use every single word that they possibly can. I think everybody in Wales has a little bit of Welsh. We all know that ‘Araf’ painted on the road means slow down, and that ‘Maes Parcio’ is somewhere to leave your car! So, I always encourage people who aren’t Welsh speakers not to say ‘I don’t speak Welsh’, but rather to say: ‘I speak a little bit of Welsh’. In that way, they can acknowledge the Welsh that they DO have, even if it is only ‘road sign Welsh’” |
| Basau Fiona yn hoff o weld mwy o siopau bach a mawr yn annog eu staff i gyfarch pawb trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ar Ddiwrnod Shwmae Sumae eleni, er mwyn normaleiddio’r iaith a chreu mwy o fwrlwm. Hoffai hefyd weld ysgolion yn annog mwy o angerdd ymysg disgyblion sydd eisoes yn weithgar dros faterion hinsawdd i fod yn angerddol dros eu hiaith hefyd. Ar Ddiwrnod Shwmae Sumae eleni, mi fydd Fiona yn teithio i de Cymru i gefnogi gweithgarwch lleol yno i ddathlu a defnyddio’r Gymraeg: | Fiona would like to see more shops, small and large, encouraging their staff to greet everyone in Welsh on Shwmae Sumae Day this year, normalising the language and creating more of a celebratory feeling. She would also like to see more passion encouraged amongst school pupils who are already active in climate issues, to be passionate for their language too. On Shwmae Sumae Day this year, Fiona will be travelling to south Wales to support local activities there to celebrate and use the Welsh language: |
| “Dwi newydd dderbyn wahoddiad i fynd i Lantrisant ar gyfer y diwrnod i gefnogi grwpiau dysgwyr a changen leol Merched y Wawr tra eu bod nhw’n dathlu’r Gymraeg. Dwi’n edrych ymlaen at ymweld ag ardal sy ddim yn gyfarwydd iawn i mi, er mwyn cwrdd â dysgwyr eraill a phobl sydd yn falch o’u Cymraeg.” | “I have just received an invitation to go to Llantrisant on the day to support Welsh learning groups and the local Merched y Wawr branch as they celebrate the Welsh language. I’m looking forward to visit an area that is not familiar to me, and to meet other learners and those proud of their language.” |
Nic Davis
| Rydym yn hynod o falch i gael cyhoeddi taw ein trydydd pencampwr yw Nic Dafis – yn wreiddiol o’r Waun ger Wrecsam, ac sydd erbyn hyn yn byw yn Pontgarreg ger Llandysul. Mae Nic yn diwtor iaith gyda Dysgu Cymraeg i Oedolion trwy Prifysgol Aberystwyth, ac yn dysgu yn Aberteifi. Nid oedd Cymraeg ar aelwyd ei deulu yn Y Waun; y Cymry Cymraeg olaf oedd cenhedlaeth ei hen neiniau a theidiau. Nid tan iddo symud i fyw yng Nghaerdydd a chael swydd mewn siop lyfrau Cymraeg yn y ddinas benderfynodd Nic ddechrau meddwl o ddifri am ddysgu Cymraeg. Gyda chefnogaeth gref ei gyflogwr, mynychodd ddosbarthiadau “Wlpan” dan ofal Prifysgol Caerdydd, a dysgu’n gyflym: erbyn diwedd y tymor cyntaf roedd yn gallu ateb y ffôn, ac erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn, roedd yn gallu ymdopi â’r cwsmeriaid wyneb yn wyneb, yn lle llechu yng nghefn y siop yn dadbacio bocsys! Yn fuan ar ôl pasio’r arholiad “Canolradd”, symudodd Nic i fyw ger Llangrannog, ac yn fuan ar ôl hynny, ffeindiodd ei hunan yn dysgu dosbarth nos lefel Mynediad fel tiwtor. | We are very proud to announce that our third champion this year is Nic Dafis – originally from Chirk near Wrexham, and who now lives in Pontgarreg near Llandysul. Nic is a Welsh language tutor for adults, working through Aberystwyth University and teaching in Cardigan. Welsh was not spoken in his family home in Chirk, the last Welsh speaking ancestors were from the generation of his great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. It wasn’t until he moved to Cardiff and started work in a Welsh book shop in the city that Nic decided to think seriously about learning Welsh. With the strong support of his employer, he attended “Wlpan” classes through Cardiff University, and learnt quickly: by the end of the first term he could answer the phone in work, and by the end of the first year, he could cope with interacting face to face with customers, rather than hiding in the back of the shop, unpacking boxes! Soon after finishing his “Canolradd” (intermediate) exam, Nic moved to west Wales, to live near Llangrannog, and soon after found himself teaching night ‘Mynediad’ (beginner) classes as a tutor. |
| Tua’r un amser, dechreuodd gadw blog ar morfablog.com (sef y blog cyntaf yn y Gymraeg), ac yn 2002, lansiodd y wefan drafod maes-e.com – roedd y cyfnod yna yn un prysur iawn: dyddiau cynnar “y We Gymraeg”. Ac mae’r gwaith ar-lein yn parhau wrth iddo ddarparu cylchlythyr ar-lein i ddysgwyr yn ardal Aberteifi, sydd yn cynnwys y blog dysgu.com. Mae hefyd wedi bod yn sianeli mwy o’i egni mewn i gyfrannu tuag at ymgyrchoedd Gwrthryfel Difodiant (Extinction Rebellion/ XR) dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, yn ceisio ‘Cymreigio’ y mudiad hinsawdd o du fewn, fel petai, a denu rhagor o Gymry Cymraeg at y mudiad. Fel yr esboniai: | At the same time, he began keeping a blog called morfablog.com (the first ever Welsh language blog in Welsh), and in 2002, he launched the discussion website maes-e.com. The online work continues as he currently provides an online newsletter to learners in the Cardigan area, which includes the blog dysgu.com. He is also channelling more of his energy into contributing to the Extinction Rebellion/ XR campaign. He works with others to make sure that the Welsh language is used within the climate movement, whilst also trying to attract more Welsh speakers to be a part it. As he goes on to explain: |
| “Mae gyda fi ddiddordeb arbennig mewn pontio rhwng y ddau fyd o ddysgu Cymraeg a bod yn weithredol yn yr ymgyrch i daclo’r Argyfwng Hinsawdd. Mae XR, fel mudiad rhyngwladol, wedi bod yn hapus iawn i gefnogi siaradwyr Cymraeg tu mewn i’r mudiad, ond rydym yn lleiafrif bach ar hyn o bryd, gyda llawer llai o bresenoldeb yn y mudiad nag sydd gyda ni ar lawr gwlad. Mae canran fwy o Gymry mewn grwpiau XR yn yr ardaloedd traddodiadol “di-Gymraeg” nag sydd yn y “Fro Gymraeg”, ac mae awydd mawr ‘da fi i ddarbwyllo rhagor o “Rebels XR” i fynd ati i ddysgu’r iaith ac yr un pryd i ddarbwyllo rhagor o siaradwyr Cymraeg bod lle iddyn nhw yn yr ymgyrch hinsawdd. | “I have a particular interest in bridging the two worlds of learning and teaching Welsh and being active in the campaign to tackle the Climate Emergency. Extinction Rebellion, as a global movement, have been more than happy to support Welsh speakers within its organisation, but we are a small minority at the moment, with much less presence within the organisation compared to that on the ground. There is a higher percentage of Welsh speakers in Extinction Rebellion groups in traditional ‘non-Welsh speaking areas’ than there are in the traditional Welsh speaking areas. I am eager to encourage more “XR Rebels” to learn the Welsh language and at the same time, persuade more Welsh speakers that they have a role to play in the climate campaign.” |
| Wrth esbonio pwysigrwydd Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae, meddai Nic: | Explaining the importance of Shwmae Sumae Day, Nic says: |
| “Rwy’n ei weld yn gyfle arbennig i hybu’r iaith Gymraeg yn ein cymunedau lleol, ac i ddathlu ein hiaith a diwylliant. Mae’n bwysig i gael y neges allan at “siaradwyr ansicr” y Gymraeg – pobl sy falle ddim yn cael cyfle bob dydd i ddefnyddio’r iaith – bod eu Cymraeg nhw yn wych, a bod rôl iddyn nhw yn yr ymdrech o gyrraedd Miliwn o Siaradwyr erbyn 2050. Fel rhywun sy wedi defnyddio llawn cymaint o Gymraeg ar-lein ag ydw i yn fy nghymuned leol “go iawn”, hoffwn i feddwl bod rôl gyda fi i drafod fy hanes yn y cyfryngau traddodiadol, ac i hybu’r Diwrnod trwy fy ffrydiau lu yn y cyfryngau cymdeithasol.” | “I see it as a very special opportunity to promote the Welsh language in our local communities, and to celebrate our language and culture. It’s really important to get a message through to those who might be uncertain about their proficiency in Welsh – maybe people who don’t have the opportunity to speak the language every day – that their Welsh is brilliant, and that they have a role to play in the effort to reach One Million Welsh Speakers by 2050. As someone who has used just as much Welsh online as I do in my surrounding community, I would like to think that I have a role to play in discussing my learning experience with others, and to promote the Day via the network of friends and contacts I have through social media.” |
Valerie Humphries
| Ein pedwaredd bencampwraig i’w chyhoeddi eleni yw Valerie Humphreys, yn enedigol o Iwerddon mae erbyn hyn yn byw a gweithio yng Nghaerfyrddin. Mae’n gweithio rhan amser yn Ysbyty Glangwili fel seingraffydd (yn neud sganiau uwchsain), yn fam i dri o blant ac wedi bod yn dechrau ar y daith o ddysgu Cymraeg ers i’w phlant ddechrau yn yr ysgol Gymraeg lleol. Credai bod ysgolion yn gallu chwarae rôl bwysig iawn i gyflwyno’r iaith i deuluoedd heb y Gymraeg, gyda’r capasati o ddangos faint o hwyl sydd bosib cael gyda’r iaith – dyma beth ddechreuodd ei theulu ar y daith. Meddai Val: | The fourth champion to be announced this year is Valerie Humphreys, originally from Ireland she now lives and works in Carmarthen. She works part-time in Glangwili Hospital as a sonographer and is a mother of three. She started her journey of learning Welsh when her children began attending the local Welsh medium school. She believes that schools have an important role to play in introducing the language to families without any Welsh language background – as they can show how much fun there is to have through the language. This is what started her and her family on their journey with Welsh. Val says: |
| “Dechreuais i ddysgu Cymraeg pan benderfynon ni i hala ein plant i Ysgol Cymraeg. Mae fy ngŵr yn dod o Iwerddon hefyd, felly doedd dim Cymraeg gyda ni yn y tŷ cyn hynny! Ond ro’n ni eisiau cefnogi ein plant gyda’u haddysg – darllen gyda nhw, helpu gyda gwaith cartre’ a hefyd i fod â’r gallu i gymryd rhan yn eu bywyd ysgol yn gyffredinol. Ro’n i’n dysgu Gwyddeleg a Ffrangeg pan o’n i’n yn yr ysgol, felly o’n i’n gobeithio byddwn i’n gallu dysgu Cymraeg yn ddigon hawdd hefyd! Roedd e’n anodd ar y dechrau, ond roedd y plant yn help mawr gyda fy nysgu, achos roeddwn i’n gallu ymarfer gyda nhw heb boeni! Fe wnaethon nhw fy nghywiro i gydag ynganiad a geirfa a phopeth! | “I began learning Welsh when we decided to send our children to the Welsh medium school. My husband is also from Ireland, so we had literally no Welsh in the home before then! But we wanted to support our children with their education – read with them, help with homework and also be able to take part in their school life in general. I learnt Irish and French when I was in school myself, so I was hoping that I could learn Welsh quite easily too! It was difficult at the beginning, but the children were a massive help with helping me learn, because I could practice with them, without worrying. They corrected my pronunciation and vocabulary and everything! |
| "Erbyn hyn, dwi’n mynd i wersi Cymraeg yn Yr Atom yng Nghaerfyrddin pob wythnos, a dwi’n joio mas draw dysgu gyda fy nhiwtor a chyd-ddisgyblion, a byddaf yn dechrau Cwrs Uwch eleni! Mae llawer o ffrindiau gyda fi sy’n siarad Cymraeg, ac mae’n hyfryd i gael bywyd cymdeithasol gyda nhw heb boeni am ddeall pethau. A be sy’n grêt yw does ddim rhaid iddyn nhw newid eu hiaith er fy mwyn i! Mae’r iaith yn fy helpu gyda gwaith hefyd. Dwi’n gweithio gyda phobl ifanc, ac weithiau dydyn nhw ddim yn siarad Saesneg o gwbl. Ond nawr fy mod i’n gallu siarad Cymraeg dwi’n gallu helpu nhw i deimlo yn fwy cyfforddus achos maen nhw’n gallu cyfathrebu yn eu hiaith nhw.” | "Now, I’m attending Welsh language lessons in ‘Yr Atom’ in Carmarthen every week, and I love learning with my tutor and classmates, and I will begin an Advanced course this year! I have a lot of friends that speak with me in Welsh, and it’s lovely to have a social life with them without worrying about understanding everything – and what’s great is that they don’t have to switch their language on my behalf! The Welsh language helps with my work too. I work with young people, and sometimes they don’t speak English at all. Now that I can speak Welsh, I can help them feel more comfortable because they can communicate in their own language.” |
| Wrth esbonio pwysigrwydd Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae a’i gyswllt â dysgu Cymraeg, meddai Val: | Explaining the importance of Shwmae Sumae Day and learning the Welsh language, Val says: |
| “Mae Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae yn helpu lot gyda hyder. Mae dechrau dim ond wrth ddweud Shwmae wrth bobl – heb bwysau – yn meddwl does dim byd gyda chi i golli! Mae e’n hawdd i’w wneud. Ffordd mewn yw e, i ymuno’r gymuned Cymraeg, a phan dych chi’n dechrau dysgu’r iaith dych chi’n sylweddoli pa mor groesawgar yw ei phobl a faint dych chi’n gallu ennill! Ydy, mae e’n cymryd ymdrech i ddysgu iaith. Llawer o amser, llawer o boeni, llawer o gamgymeriadau. Y peth caletach yw ffeindio’r hyder i siarad â phobl – a phoeni am sut dych chi’n swnio neu os dych chi’n neud camgymeriadau. Er y bydda i yn Lloegr ar Ddiwrnod Shwmae Sumae eleni, dwi’n gobeithio bydda i’n ddechrau pob sgwrs gyda Shwmae, a drwy hynny, dechrau sgwrs amdano’r iaith gyda phobl heb wybodaeth o Gymraeg. Pwy sy’n gwybod, efallai wnaiff rhywun arall ddechrau dysgu?” | “Starting a conversation by just saying Shwmae to people – with no pressure – means that you have nothing to lose! It’s simple to do. Shwmae Sumae helps a lot of people with confidence too. It’s a way in, a way of joining the Welsh speaking community, and if you go on to learn Welsh you soon learn how welcoming the people of that community are and how much you can gain by being a part of it. Yes, it takes effort to learn a language. A lot of time, a lot of worrying, many mistakes. The most difficult thing is finding the confidence to speak with people – and worrying how you sound or if you’re making mistakes. Although I will be in England on Shwmae Sumae Day this year, I hope to start my interactions with a Shwmae, and by doing so, start a conversation about the language with people that have no knowledge of Welsh. You never know, maybe someone else can be inspired to learn!” |
Dan McCallum
| Ein pumed pencampwr, a’r pencampwr olaf i gael ei gyhoeddi go gyfer Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae 2019 yw Dan McCallum o Tairgwaith ger Rhydaman, sydd yn dod yn wreiddiol o Aberplym (Plymouth). Gweithiodd gynt fel Rheolwr Oxfam yn Kurdistan, Gogledd Irac; fel Rheolwr Rhaglen Grŵp Hawliau Lleiafrifoedd Affrica a’r Dwyrain Canol; ac fel athro gyda ffoaduriaid Eritreaidd yn Sudan. Ers symud i Gymru ugain mlynedd yn ôl, a dechrau ar ei daith o ddysgu Cymraeg, mae Dan erbyn hyn yn rheolwr Awel Aman Tawe, elusen sy’n ymwneud â phrosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy, effeithlonrwydd ynni ac amgylcheddol yng Nghymru. Mae’n gyfarwyddwr i Grŵp Cydweithredol Awel sydd wedi datblygu fferm wynt cymunedol ar Fynydd y Gwrhyd, i’r gogledd o Abertawe. Mae hefyd yn gyfarwyddwr ar fwrdd Grŵp Cydweithredol Egni Solar, sydd wedi bod yn gosod paneli solar ar adeiladau cymunedol ac ysgolion ers 2015, ac sydd yn gweithio nawr ar brosiect i osod hyd at 5MW o solar to ar draws Cymru. Mae ei wraig Emily, bardd ac artist, hefyd wedi dysgu Cymraeg, a buodd ei merched yn mynychu’r ysgol Gymraeg lleol. Wrth esbonio pwysigrwydd y Gymraeg iddo, a’i brofiad o ddysgu, meddai Dan: | Our fifth and final champion to be announced this year is Dan McCallum from Tairgwaith near Ammanford. Originally from Plymouth, he has worked as a Manager for Oxfam in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq; as a Manager for the Programme for Minority Rights Group in Africa and the Middle East; and as a teacher for Eritrean refugees in Sudan. Since moving to Wales twenty years ago, and starting on his journey of learning Welsh, Dan is now the manager of Awel Aman Tawe, a charity that works on developing renewable energy, energy conservation and environmental programmes in Wales. He is a director for Awel Coop which has developed a community wind farm on Gwrhyd Mountain to the north of Swansea. He is also a director for Egni Solar Coop, a project that has been placing solar panels on community buildings and schools since 2015, and who are currently working on a project to place 5MW of roof solar across Wales. Dan’s wife, poet and artist, Emily Hinshelwood has also learnt Welsh, and both daughters have attended the local Welsh medium school. Explaining the importance of the Welsh language, and his experience of learning, Dan says: |
| “Mae’r Gymraeg yn bwysig i mi, oherwydd mae fy ngwaith i yn digwydd o fewn y gymuned leol a llu o gymunedau eraill yng Nghymru, a’r Gymraeg yw iaith naturiol llawer o’r bobol rwy’n gweithio gyda. Fel profais gyda fy ngwaith rhyngwladol cyn dod i fyw yng Nghymru, mae gallu deall iaith, bod yn barchus ohoni ac o’i siaradwyr ac o’i hanes a’i gysylltiadau diwylliannol, yn hanfodol, os ydych chi am gydweithio gyda chymunedau. | “The Welsh language is important to me because my work takes place within the local community and a number of other communities across Wales, where the Welsh language is the natural language of many people that I work with. As I experienced with my international work before coming to Wales, the ability to understand a language, be respectful of it and its speakers and of its history and cultural ties is essential, if you want to work with communities. |
| "Ers dysgu Cymraeg, dwi wedi neud sawl cyflwyniad yn y Gymraeg, a chyfathrebu yn y Gymraeg yn naturiol. Mae hyn yn bwysig i mi, ac rwy’n gallu teimlo’n falch o fy hun, fy mod i nawr yn gallu cyfri fy hun yn siaradwr Cymraeg! Wy’n mwnau hefyd siarad â fy ewythr a fy nheulu o Fetws, Rhydaman ble mae fy mam yn dod o yn wreiddiol. Cymraeg oedd ei iaith cynta’ hi a’i hochr hi o’r teulu – felly roedd fy ewythr yn hapus iawn fy mod i wedi dysgu Cymraeg, a reit o’r dechrau, newidiodd e i siarad dim ond Cymraeg da fi. Mae llawer o bobl yng Nghwmllynfell ble wy’n gweithio yn siaradwyr Cymraeg, fel Mark y Cigydd sy’n helpu fi i siarad yn y Gymraeg!” | "Since learning Welsh, I have made many presentations in Welsh, and communicate in Welsh naturally. This is really important for me, and I can feel pride in myself that I can now count myself as a Welsh speaker! I also enjoy speaking with my uncle and my family from Betws, Ammanford where my mother is originally from. Welsh was her first language and her whole side of the family – so my uncle was really happy that I have learnt Welsh, and right from the very beginning, he switched to speaking only in Welsh with me. There are many people in Cwmllynfell where I work, who are Welsh speakers, like Mark the Butcher, who helps me to speak in Welsh!” |
| Ar Ddiwrnod Shwmae Sumae eleni, mi fydd Dan yn tywys grŵp o ddisgyblion o Gasnewydd o gwmpas y tyrbin gwynt cymunedol ar Fynydd y Gwrhyd, ac yn gobeithio bydd bosib anfon neges arbennig o brosiect celf diweddar Egni Coop, sydd yn codi ymwybyddiaeth o newid hinsawdd drwy anfon artist lleol i’r lleuad! Disgwyliwn ymlaen i gael Shwmae a Sumae o’r gofod eleni! | On Shwmae Sumae Day this year, Dan will be leading a group of pupils from Newport around the community wind turbine on Mynydd y Gwrhyd, and also hopes to send a special message from Egni Coops current art project which is raising awareness about climate change by sending a local artist to the moon! We look forward to receiving an interstellar Shwmae and Sumae this year! |
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sainwales.com/cy/store/sain/sain-scd28091 / sainrecords / gaitoms
Huw Dylan Owen yw awdur y llyfr Sesiwn yng Nghymru, sydd yn gyfrol o ysgrifau difyr ac unigryw ar fyd sesiynau gwerin yng Nghymru.
Huw Dylan Owen is the author of the book Sesiwn yng Nghymru, which is an entertaining and unique collection of articles dealing with the folk sessions in Wales.
Sesiynau gwerin misol yn Abertawe: Monthly folk sessions in Swansea: cyrfe
Ontario Welsh Festival, London, Ontario, April 26–28
by Hefina Phillips
Even non-Welsh people are totally familiar with the fact that we are famous for our male voice choirs. Everyone is aware of names such as Treorchy, Pontarddulais, Morriston and Godre’r Aran, but how many of you, prior to this weekend, had heard of Côr Meibion Machynlleth? Well, you are excused, as they are very new on the choral scene. When I first heard them at the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny in August 2016 I discovered that they had only recently been formed in order to compete in the National Eisteddfod at Meifod, which is in the area where they all live.
You will need to check your map of Wales to confirm exactly where that is. First, find the town of Machynlleth, then search the surrounding rural area for villages with lovely sounding names such as Aberhosan, Glantwymyn, Commins Coch, Llanbrynmair or just simply Llan. You are now well and truly in rural Wales, therefore you will not be surprised to learn that the majority of these choristers are farmers.
Another extraordinary fact is that many of these choristers are in their 30s—so utterly refreshing when we think of members of male voice choirs in Wales as being quite elderly (or, at least, I confess that I do.)
Their conductor, Aled Myrddin, (a teacher of Physical Education) and who has a superb solo voice, was approached by a group of would-be choristers back in 2014 and asked if he would form a choir. And the rest is history! From the get-go they made a huge name for themselves, winning second prize in their very first competition. Check their website or their Face Book page for more details!
Were we pleased with them? I can honestly report that we were beyond DELIGHTED!
The weekend began, as usual, with the Noson Lawen on Friday evening, and, of course, “the boys” participated. As soon as we heard their opening number we knew we had made the best choice in inviting them to be this year’s guest choir. Such is the calibre of the choir that they have several soloists, the most famous being Aled Wyn Davies, one of the Three Welsh Tenors and whom you will hear in Milwaukee with Rhys Meirion and Aled Hall. Aled Wyn (yes, he is a farmer!) and his friend Aled Griffiths (notice how many Aleds there are??) sang a hysterically funny and clever duet “O Ble Cest ti'r Ddawn..?” What had us in stitches? The two of them managed to deliberately sing every note off key, without cracking a smile once—an extremely difficult achievement.
There were also several home grown items, such as a song of welcome to the choir by Mairwen Thornley, songs by Merched Dewi, Merched Ottawa, Meriel Simpson, and Sheryl Clay, to name but a few. Alan Thomas played a solo on the piano. It was a great start to the weekend.
As usual Saturday was busy, busy, busy, starting with the Annual General Meeting presided over by Meriel Simpson. We were delighted to welcome Christine McSorley to the board of directors. Vice President is Dr. Geraint Lewis of Ottawa. Meriel remains as president for another year.
After the AGM there was a Welsh workshop for beginners, immediately followed by Welsh movies, arranged by Alison Lawson and facilitated by David Jeans.
The winner of this year's Gold Award was Donna Morris. Her many achievements were lauded and after Alison Lawson presented Donna with the award, Donna was serenaded by Merched Dewi and greeted by her friend Sheryl Clay. Well done, Donna. The award was truly deserved.
Then on to St Andrew’s First United Church for a musical feast. What a beautiful church—and the acoustics are superb. As stated previously, but cannot be overemphasized, the choir was excellent and everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the concert. Diolch o galon, fechgyn.
On Sunday morning we shared the service with the congregation of St Andrew’s First United and were welcomed warmly by their minister, Rev. Michelle Down. Our president, Rev. Meriel Simpson, introduced the service and an inspirational sermon was delivered by our own Rev. Dr. Cerwyn Davies.
Aled Myrddin introduced the hymns and led the singing with gusto. Along with our own Alan Thomas at the organ, the wonderful acoustics, Aled’s enthusiastic conducting, and the splendid backing of Côr Meibion Machynlleth, it was a gymanfa to remember.
A huge Thank You to everyone who worked so hard to make the Festival such a success. It certainly was a weekend to remember.
Blodwen: The first Welsh-language opera given US premiere
by Brooke Martin
Blodwen, composed by Joseph Parry in 1878, was given its US premiere in Billings, Montana on May 10th, 2019 by the Rimrock Opera Foundation and NOVA Center for the Arts. As Wales’s first opera in its native language, Blodwen holds special significance to the Welsh language. In writing the opera, Parry proved that Welsh was a flexible, modern language that could be used in one of the most popular and elite forms of entertainment at the time, opera. In its day, Blodwen was very popular in Wales. Parry took it on tour across Wales on several occasions, and by 1896, it is estimated to have been performed over 500 times. After Parry’s death, however, the number of performances declined sharply, and the opera fell into relative obscurity. The opera’s plot takes place in 14th century Wales during one of the many wars between Wales and England and is backdropped with the budding romance between Blodwen and Sir Hywel Ddu. The music is full of vigour and Welsh patriotism, with Welsh folk melodies woven in throughout the opera. However, it is musically inconsistent from one scene to the next, with the musical style ranging from Mozart to Verdi to Handel. The wedding waltz, for example, is obviously modeled after Johann Strauss II, yet the popular Welsh tune, ‘Men of Harlech’, makes an appearance in both the Verdi-like overture and the final choral fugue reminiscent of Handel. The plot is likewise historically inaccurate, but entertaining nonetheless.
Parry’s original orchestration is haphazard at best, since it was created to accommodate the odd assortment of instruments that Parry’s musicians had access to in the small villages of Wales of the 19th century. Dulais Rhys created both a full and chamber orchestra arrangement of the opera that better suits the expectations of modern audiences. This production, using the chamber orchestra edition, is quite possibly the first time Blodwen has received a full staging complete with sets and costumes. In Parry’s day it was performed in chapels and village halls with little to no adornments, and the last time the opera was performed (1978), it was just a concert version.
Most of the lead singers in this production were professionally trained American opera singers, but there were two Welsh singers in this production as well: Nerys Jones as Lady Maelor and Jeremy Huw Williams as Arthur. Jones nearly stole the show with her rich melodic voice. Being a native speaker of Welsh, she easily put meaning behind the lyrics which shone through even if one did not understand Welsh. Jeremy Huw Williams likewise gave a strong and emotional performance. Of the American lead singers, Scott Wichael, who performed in the role of Sir Hywel Ddu, was by far the best. His strong tenor voice captivated the audience and his Welsh diction was equally as strong as the native speakers. Douglas Nagel, the baritone who sang the role of Iolo the bard, was also very good, but perhaps a bit over emphatic of the hard Welsh consonants. Janie Sutton, in the lead role as Blodwen, had a graceful voice, but at times had difficulty cutting across the 13 piece orchestra and was sometimes overpowered by the other singers on stage. Meanwhile, Kate Meyer gave an excellent performance in the role of Elen, displaying both dramatic flair and clarity in the lyrics. The amature chorus, while small, was impressive, and their Welsh pronunciation was correct and understandable, no doubt to the hard work they put in prior to the performance.
Considering the small budget, this was an excellent production of a little known opera with special significance to Welsh language and culture. To see Americans enthusiastically taking up the challenge of performing Wales’ first opera in Welsh was truly inspiring. This performance surely would have make Joseph Parry proud!
Captain John Mason’s map 1625 – First English map of Newfoundland
Cambriol at upper left
Pottery from Buckley, North Wales (1720 – 1775)
Shelley Hughes @ Parallel.cymru:
Llywodraeth Cymru yng Ngogledd America / Welsh Government in North America
Rhestr lawn o gerddoriaeth Gŵyl Ffurfiol / The full line-up for the festival:
- The Joy Formidable
- Blood Red Shoes - deuawd roc amgen o Brighton
- Walt Disco - band pum darn o Glasgow
- Bryde (acwstig) – canwr a chyfansoddwr Sir Benfro
- Islet - band pop seicedelig o Ganol Cymru
- Chroma - band roc tri darn o Bontypridd
- Candelas - Band roc o Ogledd Cymru
- Gwenno (set d.j) - artist Cernyweg a Chymraeg o Gaerdydd
- Rhys Peski (set d.j.)
Mae Meleri wedi ysgrifennu'r casgliad mawr o lyfrau poblogaidd i blant, Na Nel!, a llyfrau i oedolion fel Blaidd Wrth Y Drws, yn ychwanegol i fod yn olygydd i gyhoeddwr Y Lolfa. Yma, mae'n ddigon caredig i ateb rhai cwestiynau gan Ilid o'r siop Cant a Mil a Neil o Parallel.cymru.
Meleri has written a large collection of popular books for children, Na Nel!, and books for adults such as Blaidd Wrth Drws (Wolf At The Door), and in addition to being an editor at the publisher Y Lolfa. Here, she is kind enough to answer some questions from Ilid at the Cant a Mil shop and Neil from Parallel.cymru.
O ble ddaeth yr ysbrydoliaeth am y cymeriad Nel - oddi wrth blentyn rwyt ti'n nabod?
Dwi ddim yn meddwl i'r ysbrydoliaeth ar gyfer Nel ddod wrth un plentyn - mae'n siwr bod y ferch fach fywiog, ddireidus hon yn gyfuniad o sawl un - gan gynnwys fi! Dwi'n fam i ddwy o ferched, ac yn fodryb, ac rwy'n nabod llawer o ffrindiau fy mhlant i. Erbyn hyn, dwi'n mynd i lawer o ysgolion, i wyliau ac i Eisteddfodau i arwain gweithdai yn annog plant i ddarllen ac ysgrifennu, ac fe fydda i'n gwrando ar beth sydd gan y plant i'w ddweud, ac yn eu gwylio nhw hefyd. Mae plant yn ddigri iawn!
Beth sy’n well gyda ti, ysgrifennu ar gyfer plant neu ysgrifennu ar gyfer oedolion?
Mae hwnna'n gwestiwn anodd iawn i'w ateb. Dwi'n cael lot o sbort yn meddwl am anturiaethau newydd i Nel a'i ffrindiau, ac yn creu sefyllfaoedd bach doniol (gobeithio) ar eu cyfer nhw.
Roedd ysgrifennu'r nofel ddiwethaf i oedolion yn brofiad hollol wahanol. Mae Blaidd Wrth y Drws yn nofel ddirgel sy'n dechrau gyda cholled. Mae yna ymosodiad ar blentyn bach, gan gath wyllt, yn ôl y rhieni. Roedd ei hysgrifennu'n brofiad emosiynol iawn, ac roeddwn yn llefain wrth fyw rhai o'r golygfeydd.
Hoffet ti weld dy lyfrau Na, Nel! yn cael eu cyfieithu i ieithoedd eraill?
Cwestiwn difyr. Mae e wedi croesi fy meddwl i, ond rwy wedi bod mor brysur gyda'r straeon Cymraeg, a sioe theatr Arad Goch haf llynedd, dwi heb gael cyfle i drafod hyn. Cymraes fach yw Nel, ac mae hynny'n hollbwysig i mi. Yn fwriadol, mae'r straeon yn llawn cyfeiriadau at chwedlau, hanes, caneuon, llyfrau a phobol Cymreig. Felly, fe fyddai'n rhaid ystyried hyn wrth addasu i iaith arall. Ond os yw plant Cymraeg yn eu mwynhau, mae'n bosib iawn y bydden nhw'n boblogaidd y tu hwnt i Gymru hefyd.
Ydy dy ddwy swydd, fel golygydd ac fel awdur, yn helpu ei gilydd?
Rwy'n ddigon ffodus i gael cydweithio gyda rhai o olygyddion, awduron, artistiaid a dylunwyr gorau Cymru, a rwy'n siwr fy mod i wedi elwa'n fawr o'r profiad hynny. Pan fydda i'n sgrifennu, rhaid 'anghofio' am fy hun fel golygydd dros dro, er mwyn bod yn rhydd i greu.
Sut roedd y profiad o addasu'r straeon i mewn i sioe lwyfan y llynedd?
Ro'n i wrth fy modd i gael y cyfle hwn gan gwmni theatr mor uchel ei barch ag Arad Goch, a chael cydweithio gyda'r Cyfarwyddwr Jeremy Turner.
Mae ysgrifennu ar gyfer y llwyfan yn wahanol iawn i ysgrifennu straeon mewn llyfr. Does dim naratif wrth gwrs, ac felly mae'n rhaid cyfleu pob dim trwy ddeialog, ystum, props, sain neu olau. Roedd yna gyfyngiadau ymarferol o ran sawl actor fyddai yn y sioe, ac felly pa gymeriadau fyddai'n bosib eu cynnwys. Fe fuais i'n ysgrifennu geiriau ar gyfer rap a chaneuon i Nel am y tro cyntaf. Rwy'n meddwl i'r criw wneud gwaith gwych, ro'n i'n hapus iawn gyda'r sioe derfynol a dwi'n gobeithio bod plant - ac athrawon - wedi ei mwynhau hi cymaint â fi! Pwy a wyr, efallai y bydd Nel a'i ffrindiau ar antur newydd ar lwyfan yn y dyfodol agos...
Dw i'n deall bod dy ŵr, Siôn Ilar, yn dylunio'r cloriau - ydy e'n hwyl i baratoi'r llyfrau gyda'ch gilydd?
Yr artist John Lund sy'n creu'r lluniau ar gyfer y llyfrau, ac Alan Thomas, sy'n ddylunydd yn y Lolfa, sy'n dylunio'r llyfrau darllen, a Dyfan Williams ddyluniodd y llyfr creu Na, Nel! - Waw!. Ond, ie, Sion, sy'n dylunio'r cloriau a fe ddyluniodd Dyddiadur Nel. Dwi'n meddwl fy mod i'n lwcus iawn i fod yn briod â dylunydd!
Rydyn ni'n aml yn cydweithio ar wahanol brosiectau ac mae ein chwaeth gweledol yn debyg iawn. Mae bywyd yn brysur, achos rydym yn rhedeg llety gwyliau Cae Bach (@underthethatch) hefyd, ond ry'n ni'n lwcus ein bod yn rhannu'r un hiwmor, ac yn dal i wneud i'n gilydd chwerthin.
Fersiwn dwyiethiog / Bilingual version
| O ble ddaeth yr ysbrydoliaeth am y cymeriad Nel - oddi wrth blentyn rwyt ti'n nabod? | Where did the inspiration for the character Nel come from – was it from a child you knew? |
| Dwi ddim yn meddwl i'r ysbrydoliaeth ar gyfer Nel ddod wrth un plentyn - mae'n siwr bod y ferch fach fywiog, ddireidus hon yn gyfuniad o sawl un - gan gynnwys fi! Dwi'n fam i ddwy o ferched, ac yn fodryb, ac rwy'n nabod llawer o ffrindiau fy mhlant i. Erbyn hyn, dwi'n mynd i lawer o ysgolion, i wyliau ac i Eisteddfodau i arwain gweithdai yn annog plant i ddarllen ac ysgrifennu, ac fe fydda i'n gwrando ar beth sydd gan y plant i'w ddweud, ac yn eu gwylio nhw hefyd. Mae plant yn ddigri iawn! | I don’t think that the inspiration for Nel came from any one child – I have no doubt that the lively, mischievous little girl is a combination of many – including me! I am a mother to two daughters, and an aunt, and I know many of my children’s friends. By now I have been to many schools, on holidays and to Eisteddfods to lead workshops encouraging children to read and write, and I listen to what the children have to say, and also watch them. Children are very funny! |
| Beth sy’n well gyda ti, ysgrifennu ar gyfer plant neu ysgrifennu ar gyfer oedolion? | Which do you prefer, writing for children or for adults? |
| Mae hwnna'n gwestiwn anodd iawn i'w ateb. Dwi'n cael lot o sbort yn meddwl am anturiaethau newydd i Nel a'i ffrindiau, ac yn creu sefyllfaoedd bach doniol (gobeithio) ar eu cyfer nhw. | That’s a very difficult question to answer. I have a lot of fun thinking up new adventures for Nel and her friends, and in creating what I hope are entertaining little situations for them. |
| Roedd ysgrifennu'r nofel ddiwethaf i oedolion yn brofiad hollol wahanol. Mae Blaidd Wrth y Drws yn nofel ddirgel sy'n dechrau gyda cholled. Mae yna ymosodiad ar blentyn bach, gan gath wyllt, yn ôl y rhieni. Roedd ei hysgrifennu'n brofiad emosiynol iawn, ac roeddwn yn llefain wrth fyw rhai o'r golygfeydd. | Writing my latest novel for adults was a quite different experience. Blaidd Wrth Y Drws (Wolf At The Door) is a mystery novel that opens with a loss. There is an attack on little children, by a wildcat, according to the parents. Writing it was a very emotional experience, and I was in tears as I lived out some of the scenes. |
| Hoffet ti weld dy lyfrau Na, Nel! yn cael eu cyfieithu i ieithoedd eraill? | Would you like to see your Na, Nel! books translated into other languages? |
| Cwestiwn difyr. Mae e wedi croesi fy meddwl i, ond rwy wedi bod mor brysur gyda'r straeon Cymraeg, a sioe theatr Arad Goch haf llynedd, dwi heb gael cyfle i drafod hyn. Cymraes fach yw Nel, ac mae hynny'n hollbwysig i mi. Yn fwriadol, mae'r straeon yn llawn cyfeiriadau at chwedlau, hanes, caneuon, llyfrau a phobol Cymreig. Felly, fe fyddai'n rhaid ystyried hyn wrth addasu i iaith arall. Ond os yw plant Cymraeg yn eu mwynhau, mae'n bosib iawn y bydden nhw'n boblogaidd y tu hwnt i Gymru hefyd. | A good question. It has crossed my mind, but I have been so busy with the Welsh stories, and an Arad Goch theatre show last summer (Arad Goch is a theatre company in Aberystwyth) that I haven’t had time to deal with this. Nel is a little girl who is Welsh, and that is all-important to me. The stories are deliberately full of references to Welsh stories, history, songs, books and people. So, this would have to be taken into account when adapting for another language. But if Welsh children enjoy them, it is very possible that they would be popular beyond Wales too. |
| Ydy dy ddwy swydd, fel golygydd ac fel awdur, yn helpu ei gilydd? | Do your two jobs, as editor and as author, help each other? |
| Rwy'n ddigon ffodus i gael cydweithio gyda rhai o olygyddion, awduron, artistiaid a dylunwyr gorau Cymru, a rwy'n siwr fy mod i wedi elwa'n fawr o'r profiad hynny. Pan fydda i'n sgrifennu, rhaid 'anghofio' am fy hun fel golygydd dros dro, er mwyn bod yn rhydd i greu. | I am fortunate enough to get to work together with some of the best editors, authors, artists and illustrators in Wales, and I am sure that I have profited greatly from this experience. When I write, I have to ‘forget’ myself as editor for a while, so as to be free to create. |
| Sut roedd y profiad o addasu'r straeon i mewn i sioe lwyfan y llynedd? | What was the experience like of adapting the stories for a stage show last year? |
| Ro'n i wrth fy modd i gael y cyfle hwn gan gwmni theatr mor uchel ei barch ag Arad Goch, a chael cydweithio gyda'r Cyfarwyddwr Jeremy Turner. Mae ysgrifennu ar gyfer y llwyfan yn wahanol iawn i ysgrifennu straeon mewn llyfr. Does dim naratif wrth gwrs, ac felly mae'n rhaid cyfleu pob dim trwy ddeialog, ystum, props, sain neu olau. Roedd yna gyfyngiadau ymarferol o ran sawl actor fyddai yn y sioe, ac felly pa gymeriadau fyddai'n bosib eu cynnwys. Fe fuais i'n ysgrifennu geiriau ar gyfer rap a chaneuon i Nel am y tro cyntaf. Rwy'n meddwl i'r criw wneud gwaith gwych, ro'n i'n hapus iawn gyda'r sioe derfynol a dwi'n gobeithio bod plant - ac athrawon - wedi ei mwynhau hi cymaint â fi! Pwy a wyr, efallai y bydd Nel a'i ffrindiau ar antur newydd ar lwyfan yn y dyfodol agos... | I was in my element having this opportunity with so highly respected a theatre company as Arad Goch, and getting to work together with the Director Jeremy Turner. Writing for the stage is very different from writing stories in a book. There is no narrative, of course, and so everything has to be conveyed through dialogue, gesture, props, sound or lighting. There were practical restrictions on how many actors could be in the show, and so on what characters it would be possible to include. I was writing words for rap and songs for Nel for the first time. I think the crew did great work, I was very happy with the final show and I hope that children – and teachers – enjoyed themselves as much as I did. Who knows, perhaps Nel and her friends will appear in a new venture on stage in the not too distant future… |
| Dw i'n deall bod dy ŵr, Siôn Ilar, yn dylunio'r cloriau - ydy e'n hwyl i baratoi'r llyfrau gyda'ch gilydd? | I understand that your husband, Siôn Ilar, designs the covers – is it fun preparing books together? |
| Yr artist John Lund sy'n creu'r lluniau ar gyfer y llyfrau, ac Alan Thomas, sy'n ddylunydd yn y Lolfa, sy'n dylunio'r llyfrau darllen, a Dyfan Williams ddyluniodd y llyfr creu Na, Nel! - Waw!. Ond, ie, Sion, sy'n dylunio'r cloriau a fe ddyluniodd Dyddiadur Nel. Dwi'n meddwl fy mod i'n lwcus iawn i fod yn briod â dylunydd! | The artist John Lund creates the illustrations for the books, and Alan Thomas, who is a designer for Lolfa, designs the reading books, and Dyfan Williams did the book creation for Na, Nel! – Waw!. But yes, it is Siôn who designs the covers and he designed Dyddiadur Nel (Nel’s Journal). I think I am very lucky to be married to a designer! |
| Rydyn ni'n aml yn cydweithio ar wahanol brosiectau ac mae ein chwaeth gweledol yn debyg iawn. Mae bywyd yn brysur, achos rydym yn rhedeg llety gwyliau Cae Bach (@underthethatch) hefyd, ond ry'n ni'n lwcus ein bod yn rhannu'r un hiwmor, ac yn dal i wneud i'n gilydd chwerthin. | We often work together on different projects and our visual tastes are very similar. Life is busy, because we also run a holiday let Cae Bach (@underthethatch), but we are lucky in sharing the same sense of humour, and in constantly making each other laugh. |
The Cymro is Wales’ monthly newspaper (£1 per issue) which is full of articles and columns about Welsh culture and current affairs. To give a taste to Parallel.cymru readers, Gruffydd Meredith has republished an item here, with an English translation.
| ’De ni gyd wedi clywed y trafod syrffedus am ddyfodol y Gymraeg. Oes, mae heriau yn wynebu’r Gymraeg, yn arbennig yr allfudo o Gymru, y mewnlifiad direolaeth o weddill Prydain a thu hwnt, a pholisi Llywodraeth Cymru i adeiladau degau o filoedd o dai dros Gymru nad sydd yn rhoi unrhyw flaenoriaeth i bobol Cymru - yn sicr rhywbeth pendant sydd angen ei herio drwy gyfraith a’i wrthdroi. Ond y gwir syml yw, er gwaethaf yr holl ymosod- iadau, y drwgdybio, y darogan a’r traethu academaidd, mae’r iaith Gymraeg mewn sefyllfa anhygoel o gryf o ystyried popeth. | We have all heard the tedious discussion about the future of Welsh. Yes, there are challenges facing the Welsh language, in particular the migration out of Wales, the uncontrolled influx from the rest of Britain and beyond, the Welsh Government’s policy of building tens of thousands of houses across Wales without giving any priority to Welsh people – certainly something that needs challenging in law and overturning. But the simple truth is that despite all the onslaughts, the distrust, the predictions and the academic pronouncement, the Welsh language is, all things considered, in an incredibly strong position. |
| Nid hynny’n unig chwaith, ond mae’n tyfu, nid yn unig yng Nghymru ond drwy weddill Prydain, ble bu’n iaith frodorol gynt. Wrth gwrs mae’r rhan fwyaf o’r diolch yma i’r Cymry Cymraeg eu hunain ac i athrawon. A rwan, drwy’r we yn enwedig, gwelir diddordeb cynyddol yn yr iaith gan ddysgwyr ym Mhrydain, Ewrop a gweddill y byd. | And not only that, but it is growing, not only in Wales but throughout the rest of Britain, where it was formerly a native language. Of course, most of the thanks for this must go to the Welsh-speaking Welsh themselves and the teachers. And now, especially though the Web, one can see an increasing interest in the language among learners in Britain, Europe and the rest of the world. |
| Ac nid diddordeb yn yr iaith yn unig sydd, ond hefyd yn hanes anhygoel Cymru a’r Prydeinwyr/Brythoniaid cynnar. Ac wrth i’r Saesneg droi yn iaith robotaidd, iwnifform, unffurf a llwydaidd y globaleiddwyr sydd am weld byd heb ffiniau nac amrywiaeth, mae pobol gwledydd Prydain yn arbennig fel ’taent yn awchu am rywbeth sy’n golygu rhywbeth go iawn iddynt yng nghyswllt eu gwlad a hanes anhygoel yr ynys mae’r gwledydd yn bodoli ynddi. Efallai bod llwyddiant ysgubol y gyfres anhygoel Game of Thrones yn destament i hynny - mae’n amlwg fod llawer iawn os nad y rhan fwyaf o ysbrydoliaeth y gyfres yma wedi dod o hynt a helynt y Brythoniaid/Celtiaid. | And not just interest in the language, but also in the remarkable history of Wales and the early Britons. And as English turns into a robotic, uniform, colourless language of globalizers who want to see a world without borders and without variety, the people of the countries of Britain in particular are as it were itching for something which means something real to them in connection with their country and the remarkable history of the island within which their countries exist. Perhaps the sweeping success of the remarkable Game of Thrones series is a testament to this – it is obvious that much if not the greater part of the inspiration for this series has drawn on the fortunes of the Britons/Celts. |
| Ac efallai bod elfen ysbrydol ddyfnach i hyn i gyd. Efallai, jisd efallai, bod pobol yn teimlo ym mêr eu hesgyrn fod gan ysbrydiaeth a’r Gymraeg gysylltiadau mwy nag yr ydym yn ei sylweddoli. Beth bynnag, dyma resymau i ni ddathlu ein hiaith anhygoel a pham fod popeth i’w ennill: | And perhaps there is a deeper spiritual element in all this. Perhaps, just perhaps, people feel in the marrow of their bones that there are more connections than we realise between spirituality and the Welsh language. Anyway, here are reasons for us to celebrate our wonderful language and why there is everything to be gained: |
| Cyn 1999, roedd mewnlifiad net i Brydain yn amrywio o rhwng 0 i 50,00 y flwyddyn. Ond o 1999 ymlaen, yn dilyn polisi llywodraeth Llafur o dan Tony Blair i agor y llifddorau, bron, mae’r ffigwr yma wedi bod yn agosach i 300,000 net y flwyddyn - ffigwr abswrd o uchel sydd yn cyfateb â dinas newydd maint Coventry bob blwyddyn. Ond er gwaethaf hyn i gyd, mae’r Gymraeg yn dal i fod yn ail o ran niferoedd siaradwyr ym Mhrydain. | Before 1999, annual net migration into Britain varied from between 0 to 50,000. But from 1999 on, following the policy of the Labour government under Tony Blair in opening the floodgates, almost, this net annual figure has been closer to 300,000 – an absurdly high figure which corresponds to a new city the size of Coventry every year. But despite all this, the Welsh language continues to hold second place in terms of number of speakers in Britain. |
| Er ei fod dipyn o sbel yn ôl erbyn hyn dwi’m yn deud, yn ôl cyfrifiad 2011 mae 712,000 o siarad-wyr brodorol Cymraeg ym Mhrydain (562,000 yng Nghymru a hyd at 150,000 yn Lloegr, yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon). Mae hyn yn golygu bod mwy yn ei siarad na Phwyleg (546,000), Punjabi (273,000), Urdu (269,000), Bengali (221,000), Arabeg (159,000) a Tsieinëeg (141,000) - ac mae’n ail i’r Saesneg yn unig. Gellir amcangyfrif hefyd bod o leiaf 20,000 o siarad-wyr (a chymdeithasau o wahanol feintiau) Cymraeg rhugl ar draws gweddill y byd, ar gyfandir Ewrop, yr Unol Daleithiau, Canada, Awstralia, a’r Ariannin yn arbennig, sydd yn gwneud y cyfanswm o siaradwyr Cymraeg swyddogol yn 732,000 o leiaf. | Although it is a little after what I am talking about, according to the 2011 census there are 712,000 native Welsh speakers in Britain (562,000 in Wales and up to 150,000 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This means that more people speak it than Polish (546,000), Punjabi (273,000), Urdu (269,000), Bengali (221,000), Arabic (159,000) and Chinese (141,000) – and it is second only to English. In addition to the millions of Welsh people scattered around the world in general it is estimated that there at least specifically 20,000+ fluent Welsh speakers (and societies of various sizes) across the rest of the world, on the continent of Europe, in the United States, Canada, Australia and in particular in Argentina, which makes the total number of official Welsh speakers at least 732,000. |
| Gellir tybio mai 800,062 yw’r ffigwr cywir fodd bynnag oherwydd yn ôl yr ONS, 630,062 (ac nid 562,000) yw’r nifer o bobol yng Nghymru sydd â’r gallu un ai i sgwennu, siarad neu ddeall Cymraeg, sydd yn awgrymu nad yw nifer helaeth o bobol yn nodi eu bod yn siaradwyr Cymraeg ‘go iawn’ gan nad ydyn nhw o bosib yn ddigon hyderus neu yn poeni nad yw eu Cymraeg yn ddigon da neu yn ramadegol gywir ayb. | However, it can be supposed that the true figure is 800,062, because according to the ONS, 630,062 (and not 562,000) is the number of people in Wales who can either write, speak or understand Welsh, which suggests that there are a considerable number of Welsh speakers who do not designate themselves ‘proper’ Welsh speakers because they are possibly not confident enough or worry that their Welsh is not good enough or grammatically correct etc. |
| Heb anghofio wrth gwrs fod yna 6,296,702 miliwn o bobol sydd yn cyfri eu hunain yn Gymry yn y byd yn gyffredinol, yn cynnwys 1,980,323 miliwn yn yr Unol Daleithiau (0.6 % o’r boblogaeth), 609,711 yn Lloegr, 474,805 yng Nghanada,125,597 yn Awstralia a 50,000 yn yr Ariannin - i enwi dim ond ambell i wlad amlwg. Ac yn ôl adroddiad a wnaethpwyd gan Gynulliad Cymru mae gan 16.3 miliwn o bobol yn y byd enwau teuluol Cymreig- yr hyn a elwir yn diaspora Cymreig. | Not forgetting of course that, as mentioned, 6,296,702 people identify themselves as Welsh in the world as a whole, including 1,980,323 in the United States (0.6 of the population), 609,711 in England, 474,805 in Canada, 125,597 in Australia and 50,000 in Argentina – to name but some of the obvious countries. And , according to a report made by the Welsh Assembly, 16.3 million people in the world have Welsh family names – what is called the Welsh diaspora. |
| Ond mae mwy! Yn 2018 cyhoeddodd y rhaglen dysgu ar-lein/ar ffôn, Duolingo, fod mwy na miliwn o bobol rwan yn dysgu Cymraeg drwy ei meddalwedd - bron i ddwbl y nifer oedd yn gallu siarad Cymraeg yn ôl Cyfrifiad 2011. Mae’r Gymraeg yn fwy poblogaidd ar Duolingo na Hwngareg a Rwmaneg - dwy iaith â llawer iawn mwy o siaradwyr brodorol. Yn dechnegol mae hyn yn golygu fod o leiaf 1.8 miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y byd erbyn hyn. Anghofiwch sloganu pitw, tocenistaidd a diystyr llywodraeth Cymru am gael miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050. Mae bron i ddwy filiwn yn ei siarad yn barod! | But there is more. In 2018 the online/smartphone learning program Duolingo announced that more than a million people are now learning Welsh by means of its software – almost double the number that could speak Welsh according to the 2011 Census. Welsh is more popular on Duolingo that Hungarian and Rumanian – two languages with very many more native speakers. Technically this means that there are now at least 1.8 million Welsh speakers in the world. Forget the Welsh government’s feeble, tokenistic and meaningless slogan about getting a million Welsh speakers by 2050. Almost two million speak it already! |
| Mae’r ffigyrau yma a’r ffaith fod y Gymraeg yn dal yn un o brif ieithoedd modern Prydain yn destament anhygoel i ddygnwch y Gymraeg yng Nghymru, Prydain a’r byd. A gan mai’r Gymraeg/Brythoneg yw iaith frodorol Prydain a bod mwy a mwy o bobol yn dod i ddeall hyn, mae’n teimlo fel yr amser iawn i gynnig i ysgolion ac awdurdodau addysg Lloegr a’r Alban y syniad eu bod yn dysgu Cymraeg fel ail iaith. | These figures and the fact that Welsh continues to be one of the chief languages of modern Britain are an amazing testament to the persistence of Welsh in Wales, Britain and the world. And since Welsh/Brythonic is the native language of Britain and more and more people are coming to understand it, one feels that it is the right time to approach schools and educational authorities in England and Scotland with the idea of that they should teach Welsh as a second language. |
| Ac oherwydd cefndir yr iaith a’r ffaith ei bod yn dal i fod yr ail iaith fwyaf poblogaidd ym Mhrydain, mae’n anodd gweld sut y gallai swyddogion addysg Lloegr a’r Alban wrthod ystyried y syniad. Os ydi Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Almaeneg, Ffrangeg, Sbaeneg a Phwyleg yn cael eu dysgu drwy Brydain pam ddim y Gymraeg hefyd? Os mai penderfyniad i adran addysg ganolog Lloegr a’r Alban fyse hyn, yne gellid eu targedu a dwyn pwy-sau arnyn nhw yn ogystal â’r awdurdodau lleol. Joben fach i Ddyfodol i'r Iaith a Chymdeithas yr Iaith efallai? | And given the background of the language and the fact that it continues to be the second most popular language in Britain, it is hard to see how the educational officials could refuse to consider the idea. If Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, German, French, Spanish and Polish are taught throughout Britain, why not Welsh? If this is a decision for the central educational department in England and Scotland, then they could be targeted and weight brought to bear on them as well as on local authorities. A little job for the campaign groups Dyfodol i'r Iaith (Future of the Language) and Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society), perhaps? |
| Efallai y bydde hefyd modd cyfuno’r gwersi Cymraeg gyda dysgu hanes go iawn Brythoneg/Celtaidd Prydain, ac olrhain gwreiddiau’r Cymry i hanes Ewrop, ac ymhellach na hynny hefyd. | Perhaps there would also be a way of linking Welsh lessons with teaching the proper history of Brythonic/Celtic Britain, and tracing the origins of Wales in the history of Europe, and beyond that too. |
| Felly, ie, Brythoneg/Cymraeg cynnar yw iaith frodorol Prydain, gan gynnwys Lloegr, yr Alban a Chernyw, gydag agweddau ohoni yn dal ar gof a chadw mewn ardaloedd o Loegr - Cumbria, gogledd Lloegr a’r gororau yn arbennig - hyd heddiw. Dydi hyn ddim yn syndod mawr gan fod Rheged (ardal Cum-bria fodern), Elfed (ardal Leeds fodern) a Gododdin (ardal Caeredin fodern) yn rhan o hen ogledd y Cymry nes y seithfed ganrif, ac Ystrad Clud (Strathclyde) yn yr Alban am ganrifoedd wedi hynny. Byddai’n ddiddorol iawn gweld be fydde’r ymateb yn y gwahanol ardaloedd yma i gyflwyno’r Gymraeg fel opsiwn ar y cwricwlwm addysg. | So, yes, early Brythonic/Welsh is the native language of Britain, including England, Scotland and Cornwall, with features of it still remembered even today and preserved in areas of England – Cumbria, the north of England and the Welsh Borders in particular. This is not surprising given that Rheged (in the region of modern Cumbria), Elfed (in the region of modern Leeds) and Gododdin (in the region of modern Edinburgh) were part of the Old North of Wales until the seventh century, and Ystrad Clud (Strathclyde) in Scotland for centuries after that. It would be very interesting to see what would be the response of these different regions to introducing Welsh as an option on the learning curriculum. |
| A pham ddim Cernyw hefyd felly? Onid oes modd ail gyflwyno’r Gymraeg i Gernyw gan mai’r un iaith â’r Gernyweg ydi hi yn y bôn? Mi oedd teyrnas wreiddiol Cernyw, ac wedi hynny teyrnas llawer mwy Dyfneint (Dumnonia yn y Lladin), yn Gymraeg/Frythoneg ei hiaith nes y nawfed ganrif o leiaf, ac mi’r oedd teyrnas Dyfneint yn cynnwys y siroedd modern presennol Cernyw, Devon (Dyfnaint yn y Gymraeg erbyn heddiw), Dorset, ynysoedd Scilly a rhan helaeth o Wlad yr Haf/Somerset. Onid oes cyfle i ddefnyddio holl brofiad y frwydr iaith a’r deddfu yng Nghymru er mwyn ail-gyflwyno’r Gymraeg i Gernyw a dod o hyd i ffordd o blethu’r Gymraeg a Chernyweg i’w gilydd, fel yr oeddynt yn arfer bod? Neu o leiaf gyflwyno’r opsiwn i genedl -detholwyr Cernywaidd ei ystyried, hyd yn oed petai ond fel opsiwn i fynd law yn llaw gyda’r Gernyweg bresennol? | And why not Cornwall too then? Is there not a way of reintroducing Welsh into Cornwall given that it is fundamentally the same language as Cornish. The original realm of Cornwall, and after that the much larger Dyfneint (Dumnonia in Latin) was Welsh/Brythonic speaking until at least the ninth century, and the realm of Dyfnaint included the modern present-day counties of Cornwall, Devon (today Dyfnaint in Welsh), Dorset, the Isles of Scilly and a large part of Somerset. Is there not an opportunity to use the whole experience of the language wars and the legislation in Wales to reintroduce Welsh into Cornwall and find a way of weaving Welsh and Cornish together, as used to be the case? Or at least to give the Cornish people and electorate the option to consider it, even if this was only as an option alongside present-day Cornish? |
| Dwi’n credu mai’r teimlad yn gyffredinol, er gwaethaf pob ymdrech gan y wasg a’r darlledwyr Llundeinig fel arall, yw bod gwir ewyllys da a diddordeb diwylliannol yn bodoli tuag at y Gymraeg yn Lloegr a thu hwnt erbyn hyn. Mae hwn yn ewyllys da sydd hefyd o bosib yn ymestyn i holl amrywiaeth ieithyddol brodorol Prydain megis Gaeleg yr Alban, Scots, Cernyweg, Gwyddeleg ac Ulster Scots yng ngogledd Iwerddon, yn ogystal â Saesneg yn gyffredinol, gael eu hastudio a’u gwerthfawrogi yn gyffredinol. | I believe that despite every effort by the Press and London-based broadcasters, there exists a general feeling of real goodwill towards the Welsh language and a cultural interest in it in England and beyond. This is a goodwill that possibly extends also to the whole variety of Britain’s other more recently native languages, such as Gaelic and Scots in Scotland, Cornish, and Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland, as well as English. |
| Mae’r we yn galluogi i’r Gymraeg anadlu ac ymestyn ei hadenydd yn fwy nag erioed. Gwelir negeseuon Cymraeg a Chymreig ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol gan bobol â miliynau o ddilynwyr ar draws y byd, sy’n codi ymwybyddiaeth o Gymru yn fwy nag erioed o’r blaen o bosib. | It is the web that enables Welsh to breathe and spread its wings more than ever before. Messages in the Welsh language can be seen on social media with millions of followers across the world, which raises awareness of Wales to more of a degree than has ever been possible before. |
| A dwi ddim yn meddwl fod rhaid i’r Gymraeg gydymffurfio yn ddigwestiwn gyda phob technoleg chwaith, megis y peiriannau gwran-do Orwelaidd Alexa, Siri, Apple HomePod nac unrhyw fersiwn Gymraeg o’r rhain. Fel mae’r nofel Y Dydd Olaf; ar gael i lawrlywtho am ddim gan Owain Owain yn ei amlygu, dwi’n credu mai un o gryfderau ac apêl y Gymraeg i lawer ydi ei bod yn gallu bod yn iaith lled gudd ac yn alternatif gwrthwynebus neu rebelaidd i gwlt crefyddol ac allan o reolaeth technoleg di-gwestiwn a’r cwmnïau technolegol rhyngwladol hynny sydd yn ceisio ei wthio ar bawb fel ei meistr newydd. | And I do not think either that there is any compulsion on Welsh to transform itself unquestioningly to suit every technology, such as the Orwellian listening devices Alexa, Siri, Apple HomePod or any Welsh version of these. As Owain Owain’s novel Y Dydd Olaf (The Last Day; available to download for free) demonstrates, I believe that one of the strengths and appeals of Welsh to many is that it can be a somewhat secret language and an oppositional or rebellious alternative to the new cult of technology and the unquestionably out of control international technology companies - companies which are trying to impose their new technological enslavement on everyone as if it's a new religion. |
| Mae’r Gymraeg yn cael ei gweld a’i chlywed ar y cyfryngau yn gyffredinol yn fwy nag erioed - yn cael ei ddefnyddio gan sêr teledu a gan ffilmiau Hollywood, sêr chwaraeon rhyngwladol a hyd yn oed gan brif weinidogion y deyrnas Gyfunol - hyd yn oed os mai dim ond dau air oedd ganddi i ymateb i heclwr: “Wel, pnawn da...!!” | The Welsh language can be seen and listened to on the media in general more than ever before – it gets used by television stars and by (angen tynnu allan 'stars' a 'by') Hollywood film stars, by international sports stars and even by Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom - the by now ex Prime Minister Theresa May in this case, even if it was a case of only a couple of words to answer a heckler: "Wel, pnawn da...!!" (a sardonic “Well, good afternoon…!!’) |
| Ac fel mae llawer wedi clywed, yn 2018 cafodd y band Cymraeg Alffa lwyddiant anhygoel a chreu hanes drwy fod y grŵp Cymraeg cyntaf erioed i gael miliwn o wrandawiadau o’u cân Gymraeg ‘Gwenwyn’ ar y platfform cerddoriaeth ar-lein Spotify - cân sydd bellach wedi cael dros 2.8 miliwn o wrandawiadau ac sydd, ar y raddfa yma, ar ei ffordd i barhau i hitio’r miliynau. | And as many will have heard, in 2018 the Welsh band Alffa had amazing success and created history by being the first Welsh group ever to get a million plays of their Welsh song ‘Gwenwyn’ on the online music platform Spotify – a song which has now had over 2.8 million plays and which, at this rate, is on its way to go on to reach millions. |
| Yn ddiweddar, canodd Côr Penrhyn yn Gymraeg ar albym Damon Albarn gyda’i grŵp The Good the Bad and the Queen. Mae hyn yn ddatblygiad diddorol gan fod Albarn wedi treulio’r ddegawd ddiwethaf a mwy yn arbrofi gyda ‘cherddoriaeth byd’ yn rhyngwladol ond nid yr iaith a’r diwylliant cyfoethog sy’n bodoli ond ryw dair awr mewn car o’i gartre yn Llundain. | Lately, Penrhyn Choir sang in Welsh on a Damon Albarn album with his group The Good the Bad and the Queen. This is an interesting development because Albarn has spent the last decade and more experimenting with ‘world music’ internationally but not with the language and rich culture that exists only two hours away by car from his home in London. |
| Y pwynt efallai yw hyn - nid gwlad fach ddiddim heb allu na grym yw Cymru, ei phobol na’i hiaith. Ond gwlad a phobol sydd yn gallu herio a gwrthdroi pob ymgais i’w gwasgu allan o fodolaeth. | Perhaps the point is this - Wales is not a small insignificant country without ability or power, nor are its people and its language. But rather, a country and people which can challenge and resist every attempt to crush them out of existence. |
| Ac o ran yr iaith, nid iaith fach leiafrifol, anghenus i’w phitio na’i lapio mewn gwlân cotwm fu hi erioed, ond iaith sydd wastad wedi gallu cynnig rhywbeth gwahanol i’r byd ac i ymgais y globaleliddwyr i gael byd unffurf, uniaith. Does ryfedd fod prif gyfryngau corfforaethol Lloegr a thu hwnt yn mynnu dirmygu a cheisio tanseilio’r Gymraeg ers canrifoedd. Mae’r Gymraeg yn symbylu bygythiad tawel ond pendant i’w hymdrech, mae’n ymddangos, i gael Saesneg fel prif iaith y byd - bygythiad sydd nid yn unig yn cynrychioli diwylliant a gwir hanes ynys Prydain ei hun ond sydd efallai yn fygythiad mwy pwerus - bygythiad sydd yn awgrymu rhywbeth ysbrydol ac annelwig sydd yn cysylltu pobol gyda rhywbeth tu hwnt i gyfathrebu bob dydd. | And as far as the language goes, it was never a small impoverished minority language to be pitied and wrapped in cotton wool, but a language which has always been able to offer something different to the world and to counter the attempt of the globalizers to create a uniform, monoglot world. It is no wonder that the main corporate media of England and beyond have for centuries insisted on treating the Welsh language with contempt and trying to undermine it. The Welsh language represents a quiet but definite threat to their apparent efforts to establish English as the world’s main language – a threat which not only represents a crucial culture and history of the island of Britain, but is perhaps even more significant than that – a threat which suggests there is something spiritual and invisible connecting people with something beyond everyday communication. |
| Iaith y nefoedd? Posib iawn. | The language of heaven? Very possibly. |
ycymro.cymru / Y_Cymro
Yn ychwanegol, mae Gruffydd yn cyhoeddi eitemau Saesneg ar The Sovereigner.
In addition, Gruffydd publishes English items on The Sovereigner.
