| 
The Welsh Language
Yr Iaith Gymraeg
The language of Wales, more properly called Cymraeg in preference to Welsh, is an Indo-European language which belongs to the Brythonic (p-Celtic) branch of Celtic. The Welsh word for their country is Cymru meaning the land of the Comrades. The people are known as Cymry. The British Isles became Celtic by the 5th century BC and the native population was absorbed into the new culture. The language is more closely related to Breton and Cornish than to the Goidelic (q-Celtic) languages Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx. Welsh is spoken by about 500,000 people in Wales (approximately 20% of the population) and there are likely another few hundred thousand in England and other areas overseas including Argentina where there is, in Patagonia, a group of Welsh speakers and the language is taught in the universities. Despite the Roman invasion in 43 AD, the Brythonic language survived along with Latin. Examples of the influence of Latin can be seen in various borrowed words still common in modern Welsh: pont (bridge) and tarw (bull). After the Romans withdrew in the early 5th century AD., Germanic tribes (including the Angles and Saxons) came across the North Sea to colonize Britain. Their language was eventually to become English and many of the Celtic tribes were absorbed into their culture. The Celts in the west remained independent and resisted fiercely; but they were eventually defeated by the Anglo-Saxon at Dyrham near Bath in 577 AD, and Chester in 616 AD. These victories isolated the Celts of Wales from the Celts of southwest Britain and Cumbria. During this period, many Celts fled from Britain to Amorica in Northern France where they gave their name to Brittany.
The Welsh spoken today is a direct descendant of the language of Britain during this period. Very few examples of Early Welsh exist today. Some of the earliest Welsh documents are poems and manuscripts of the Laws of Hywel Dda (Cyfraith Hywel). The earliest of these dates back to the middle of the ninth century. Old Welsh was the language of Wales between the ninth and eleventh centuries. Elements of Old Welsh are seen in the work of the Cynfeirdd, originally dating back to the sixth century. Existing manuscripts are from much later. The most famous of these is Canu Aneirin (The Songs of Aneirin), written in Welsh, in an area of Britain (Strathclyde and Cumbria) now known as south Scotland and the north of England, where Welsh was spoken during this period.
Medieval Welsh (Cymraeg Canol) is the language spoken from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. Most extant manuscripts of the Mabinogi and such are from this period, although the stories are older. The cywyddau of Dafydd ap Gwilym are examples of Early Modern Welsh, which developed over a period from about the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. The publication of the Bible in Welsh in 1588 established a standard of language which governs the subsequent development of Late Modern Welsh, essentially unchanged as far as the present century.
In the most heavily populated areas of the country, such as the southeast, in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea the language of everyday life is English. This area is heavily populated by English settlers and historically is the most anglicized part of Wales. There are other areas, primarily in the west and north, such as Gwynedd and Dyfed where the Welsh language remains strong and is in daily use.
As noted above, the translation of the Bible into Welsh helped to establish a standardized Welsh language based on that spoken in the north and northwest. Despite media influence, in both print and broadcast, there continue to be differences of dialect among several areas of Wales. The major dialects are y Wyndodeg in the northwest, y Bowyseg (northeast and mid Wales), y Ddyfydeg (southwest), and y Gwenhwyseg (southeast). Although there are regional differences in spoken Welsh, standard Welsh is understood by Welsh speakers everywhere and those from different regions can understand each other. Welsh Alphabet The letters K, Q, V, X, and Z are not used in the Welsh alphabet.* There are a total of 29 letters in the Welsh alphabet with the inclusion of J which was added relatively recently. The letters are: A, B ,C ,Ch, D, Dd, E, F, Ff, G, Ng, H, I, J, L Ll, M, N, O, P, Ph, R, Rh, S, T, Th, U, W, Y. The Vowels are: A, E, I, U, O, W, and Y. A is pronounced as in the English word can. E is pronounced as in the English word get. I is pronounced as in the English word in or the vowel sound in the word keen. U is pronounced as in the vowel sounds in pin or key. O is pronounced as in the words cot or go. W is pronounced as the vowel sounds in new or you. . Y is pronounced as the vowel sound in key or burr. All of the vowel sounds can be lengthened by the use of a circumflex (â). The use of the circumflex is generally confined to scholarly texts and children's books (for use in learning Welsh). The Diphthongs are: Ae, Ai, Au, Eu, Ei, Ew, I'w, Y'w, Oe, Ow, Wy, Ywy and Aw. Ae, Ai and Au are pronounced as English word eye. Eu and Ei are pronounced as the English sound ay in bay. Ew can be approximated as eh-oo or as in the word ewe. I'w and Y'w are pronounced as the vowel sound in the English word you. Oe is similar to the vowel sound in the English word boy. Ow is pronounced as in the English words tow, or low. Wy as in English wi in win or alternatively it is pronounced as oo-ee. Ywy is pronounced as in English owie in Howie. Aw as in the English word cow or the aw in award. The Consonants; B, D, H, L, M, N, P, R, S, and T are pronounced the same as in English. The following consonants; C, Ch, Dd, Th, F, Ff, G, Ng, Ll and Rh differ. C is always hard as in the English word car. Ch is pronounced as in the Scottish word loch. Dd is pronounced like the English th in the word the. Th is pronounced like the English th in word think. F is pronounced like the V in English. Ff pronounced like the F in English. G is always hard as in the English word goat. Ng is pronounced as in English words linger, finger or long. Ll is an aspirated L and it is a difficult for English speakers. Place the tongue on the roof of the mouth and expel air without sound. Rh has an aspirated r sound not found in English (similar to the sound in Reece and Rhys).
*Note: You will occasionally see the use of Z in borrowed words.
A Few Useful Phrases Cymraeg - Welsh [the language]
Lloegr - England
Sais - an Englishman
Saesnes - an Englishwoman
Saeson - English [the people]
Saesneg - English [the language]
Saesneg (adj.) - English-language, English-speaking
Cymru am byth! - Wales for ever!
Bore da - Good morning
Prynhawn da - Good afternoon
Noswaith dda - Good evening
Nôs da - Goodnight (used on departing)
Helô or Hylô - Hello
Sut i chi? - How are you? (Formal or plural)
Sut wyt ti? - How are you? (Familiar/singular) Very well, thank you - Da iawn, diolch.
Croeso - Welcome
Dere i mewn - Come in (to one person or friend)
Dewch i mewn - Come in (to stranger(s) can be used to address one or many)
Hwyl - Bye
'da bo chi' - Goodbye!
Hwyl am rwan/nawr - Bye for now (North/South)
Dal 'at hi'/Daliwch 'at hi'! - Keep at it!, or Don’t give up! (Informal/ Formal, Plural)
Mae'n bwrw glaw - It's raining Mae'n ddiwrnod brâf - It's a nice day
Mae'n oer - It's cold
Mae'n dwym - It's warm Back to Welsh Directory | 
