neges destun (b) ll. negeseuon testun - text message
cerdded (cerdd-) - to walk
cwd (g) ll. cydau - bag, pouch, purse
powlen (b) ll. powlenni - bowl
llwyfan (b, g) ll. llwyfannau - stage (for performance)
anghysondeb (g) ll. anghysondebau - inconsistency
strelio (streli-) - to rinse
segur - idle
lleoli (lleol-) - to locate
orgraff (b) ll. orgraffau - orthography
I'm searching for someone who wants to practice Welsh with me. I'm currently learning the language with Duolingo. I'm 27 years old and I'm from Germany.
Hi all,
I was desperately trying to build an intuition for when _syntactic_ soft mutation occurs, and went down a rabbit hole involving the "XP Trigger Hypothesis" and other academic accounts of SM in Welsh.
I put together a script that, given a Welsh sentence,
- constructs a syntax tree
- tags each token with a part of speech
- analyzes each token in the resulting environment in order to predict mutation
It includes the simpler, lexically-determined aspirate/nasal/soft mutations, but it also tries to implement syntactic soft mutation (often called Direct Object Mutation, though that's not a very useful framing). The intention is to allow the learner to input a sentence and get feedback not only on *which words* should mutate but also *why*.
I tend to appreciate systematic explanations and theories as a language learner. They're definitely not for everyone, and I suspect that for most people the appropriate way to learn SM is to just learn all the different shapes until you build your own intuition. But if you're like me, this might help.
One note: this whole project has been built with a coding agent (Claude Code @ Fable 5). I note this for two reasons:
- Some folks have a visceral dislike of anything vibecoded or AI-generated, and those folks will want to be warned off ahead of time;
- This should not be understood as original research on my part; my role was to chase down some kind of authoritative picture of the literature—consisting mostly of King's _Modern Welsh_ and as many of the landmark papers as I could find that tried to build a linguistic theory of SM—and then to do my best to ensure that the theory encoded in the program is totally grounded in that literature.
Currently this has the form of a Typescript repo with some simple setup instructions and a command-line script. I don't expect a lot of demand for more accessible versions, but if there is demand, I'll happily put something together.
https://github.com/subsetpark/welsh-mutation
Here's an example of the kind of thing it produces:
```
bun cli --explain <<< "mae gyda fi rywbeth arall"
$ tsx bin/welsh-sm.ts --explain
mae gyda fi °rywbeth arall
S
├─0 mae ⟨V⟩ immutable → radical (veto:no-reflex blocks synt:v1-aff) ✓
├─1 PP
│ ├─0 gyda ⟨Other⟩ immutable → radical (no-license) ✓
│ └─1 NP
│ └─0 fi ⟨Other⟩ → radical (veto:no-reflex blocks lex:gyda) ✓
└─2 NP
├─0 rhywbeth ⟨N m sg⟩ observed SM → SM (synt:xp-edge) ✓
└─1 AP
└─0 arall ⟨Adj⟩ → radical (no-license) ✓
```
```
bun cli --explain <<< "mae rhywbeth arall gyda fi"
$ tsx bin/welsh-sm.ts --explain
mae rhywbeth arall gyda fi
S
├─0 mae ⟨V⟩ immutable → radical (veto:no-reflex blocks synt:v1-aff) ✓
├─1 NP
│ ├─0 rhywbeth ⟨N m sg⟩ → radical (no-license) ✓
│ └─1 AP
│ └─0 arall ⟨Adj⟩ → radical (no-license) ✓
└─2 PP
├─0 gyda ⟨Other⟩ immutable → radical (veto:immutable blocks synt:xp-edge) ✓
└─1 NP
└─0 fi ⟨Other⟩ → radical (veto:no-reflex blocks lex:gyda) ✓
```
So i am currently doing a project where i analyze the different registers of welsh
i am finding plenty of learner-tuned and formal sources such as BBC Cymru, but it's really hard for me to find genuine informal welsh content. The best i've managed is Hansh S4C, but i need more spontaneous-conversation tuned material.
Can some of you maybe help me out to find some? I felt like this is the most appropriate sub to come ask for this.
TL;DR: I N E E D C A S U A L W E L S H
Question came up in our lesson today as to whether these words are connected or if they are false cognates. Can anyone shed any light on that?
I'm learning Welsh on Duolingo and it's got me doubting I'm translating "Faith, Hope, and Love" correctly.
Is it "Ffydd, Gobaith, a Cariad"? I thought "cariad" meant boyfriend.
By SKETCHY WELSH, Joshua Morgan
Hwyl: a sail, or a short form of ‘bye’
Hwylio: sailing
Hwyl fawr: goodbye, (some suggestion that it is linked to wishing a big sail-for those sailing away, or otherwise ‘big success’)
Hwylbren: a mast (sailing-wood)
Hwylus expedient, easy, convenient
Y noson hwylusa the most convenient night
Hwyl: fun
Gest ti hwyl? Did you have fun?
Lledu: broaden, spread, widen
Lledwch yr hwyliau!
Unfurl the sails!
Lledwch eich gorwelion broaden your horizons
Hwyl: mood
Dyw hi ddim mewn hwyliau da heddiw.
She's not in a good mood today
Hwyl ddrwg: a bad mood
Hwyliog: fun filled, in good humour
Sylwodd e'n hwyliog - ... he remarked humorously
Dydy e ddim mewn unrhyw hwyliau i chwarae: He is not in any mood to play
Da gwaith Duw, rhoi cyrn byrion i fuwch hwyliog
(It’s) good, the work of God, to give short horns to a well natured cow.
Hwyl: success / progress
Sut hwyl gest ti?
What kind of success did you have
According to most dictionaries and translators I can find, the word for "repeat" is "ailadrodd".
Can "ailadrodd" be used for all kinds of repetition (in the same way as the English word "repeat") or does it only refer to repetition in the context of speech and writing?
I ask this because the etymology of the word is:
>ail- (“re-”) + adrodd (“to tell”; "to recite"; "to narrate")
This would suggest that "ailadrodd" specifically means "retell" or "restate" or "reiterate". This would mean that the meaning of "ailadrodd" is narrower than the English word "repeat".
How do I say "I love my mummy" and "I love my daddy" in Welsh and is it spelled differently for north Wales
I have been learning Welsh for about 3 weeks and have picked up a reasonable amount of vocabulary. Been using Duolingo, say something in Welsh, learn Welsh podcast and any other resources I can find.
This morning I thought I would concentrate on being more confident with conjugation and non of the resources covered this in an easy way until higher levels.
So I thought I would try Gemini ai and it has really been surprisingly helpful in simple sentence construction.
I am not a fan of learning grammar but I think knowing some basics really helps to get a grip and accelerate learning.
Having looked at and dismissed the ai language tutor apps, I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use Gemini or you own ai app to help consolidate learning.
I hope this will help other beginners with suplementing their learning method.
Hwyl fawr am y tro
By Sketchy Welsh, Joshua Morgan
Torheulo/ bolheulo: to sunbathe (belly sunning)
Bol: belly
Tor: less common word for belly usually jn the names of animals
Haul: sun
Heulo: to sun
Shwmae bawb,
Dw i di dysgu ers 2 flynedd nawr, ond dw i di dechrau sylwi bod fy acen yn mynd o'r De, i hanner ffordd rhwng De a'r Gogledd. Bellach, dw i'n swnio fel cymysgedd o'r ddau. Er enghraifft, weithiau na i ddefnyddio geiriau o'r De a'r Gogledd yn yr un brawddeg, neu ddweud 'be' neu 'dach' yn lle 'beth' neu 'dych'.
Felly, beth yw'r ffordd orau i drwsio hyn? Ydw i angen, beth bynnag? Fasai dy helpu di'n grêt ♥️
breuddwyd (b, g) ll. breuddwydion - dream
tun (g) ll. tuniau - tin, can
treiffl (g) ll. treifflau - trifle (pudding)
diffoddwr tân (g) ll. diffoddwyr tân - firefighter, fireman; fire extinguisher
ei gilydd / ein gilydd / eich gilydd [never *eu gilydd*] - together, each other
cawg (g) ll. cawgau - bowl, cup, basin, crucible
caledi (g) - hardship, adversity
melysydd (g) ll. melysyddion - sweetener
crachach - snobs, conceited upstarts
uwchraddiad (g) ll. uwchraddiadau - upgrade
ymddiddori (ymddiddor-) (mewn / yn) - to be interested (in), to take an interest (in)
clun (b) ll. cluniau - hip, thigh
mislif (g) - (menstrual) period, menstruation
gofid (g) ll. gofidiau - trouble, sorrow, hardship
rhestr (b) ll. rhestrau - list, row
dylunio (dyluni-) - to design
canolfan gwaith (b) ll. canolfannau gwaith - job centre
aeron - berries; u. aeronen (b) - berry
twymdra (g) - warmth, hotness, heat
Treth ar Werth (b) (TAW) - VAT (Value Added Tax)
Shwmae bawb
I've been learning Welsh for the last few years, and one thing I've often struggled with is recognising words when I hear them but not feeling confident about how to spell them.
For the last few years, I've been building a free app called Spelio to try to help with that.
Spelio combines short lessons on Welsh spelling patterns with listening and spelling practice. The aim is to help learners understand why words are spelled the way they are, then build confidence through short, focused practice sessions.
Although I'm really pleased with how it's coming along, I haven't officially launched it yet because I'd really like to improve it first with the help of the Welsh learning community.
I'd really value feedback from learners of all levels.
Whether you're a beginner, an experienced learner, a fluent speaker or a Welsh teacher, I'd love to know how the app feels to use, whether anything is confusing, and whether it genuinely helps with Welsh spelling.
As I'm still learning Welsh myself, I'd be grateful if fluent speakers and Welsh teachers could also point out anything that doesn't sound natural or could be improved.
If you'd be willing to help, please send me a private message.
Android users: I'm currently running a closed beta before the Google Play release.
I would especially appreciate help from Android users.
Please send me a private message for the Android Play Store test link.
iPhone users: The app is already available on the App Store, and I'd also really value your help. At this stage, though, I'm looking for private feedback rather than public App Store reviews, as I'd like the opportunity to improve things before inviting reviews.
I'd particularly appreciate feedback on questions like:
Honest feedback-good or bad-will help me make Spelio a better resource for everyone learning Welsh.
Thank you very much for reading, and thank you in advance if you're able to help.
Diolch yn fawr iawn!
Sam
Hi all! I am a stamp and postal history collector. I came across this amazing piece from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake that my AI programs say was written in Welsh. I would love to know what it says exactly (if it is in fact in Welsh). Can anybody help decipher what it says? What message was someone relaying from the wreckage?
I am very very early in my Welsh learning journey, but as a mythology enthusiast who writes about many different legends, I’m attempting to write about the llamhigyn y dwr. In doing so, I’m trying to figure out the plural form for more than one of the creatures (if a plural exists). My best guess so far is llamhigod y dwr. Is this correct?
Thank you so much for your help. I’m trying to be respectful of this beautiful language!
