Learning Welsh

[Ayashi]

28 is dau ddeg wyth (literally, two tens eight)   The Welsh language has maths built into the way we say the numbers.

Indeed, although we are now taught strictly (number of tens) ten (number), so eleven is un deg un, twelve un deg dau etc, whereas it was a lot different in the original number system.

Her name then would have been pronounced as 'Chala' [...]  So did they call her 'Charlie'? 

Yes, she was "Chala", but the teachers would call her "Cagla". She was blissfully unconcerned about this. People used to mispronounce her surname as well but her response to anyone asking why she didn't correct them was a shrug and "well, that's how people pronounce it here".

[trystan]

28 is dau ddeg wyth (literally, two tens eight)   The Welsh language has maths built into the way we say the numbers.

Indeed, although we are now taught strictly (number of tens) ten (number), so eleven is un deg un, twelve un deg dau etc, whereas it was a lot different in the original number system.

Yes, I think that dau ddeg wyth (two tens eight) for 28 is the same system that you're taught I think. The thing is to mutate the "D" of ddeg because of the the "U" of the dau. Otherwise, it would be "dau deg wyth" which wouldn't sound right.

The other way of saying it (which isn't the way that you're being taught) is to say "wyth ar hugain" which is literally "eight and twenty". "Ugain" is another way of saying twenty, and it's mutated to Hugain to make it sound better.

You hear both ways of saying the numbers in everyday language. My mother uses the "wyth ar hugain" way of saying it, but I stick with the easier "dau ddeg wyth".

Anyway it's "chwech of one" and "hanner dwsin" of the other. 

[zx123]

I've been trying to learn welsh since finding out that some of my ancestors spoke it when researching my family tree. I've been using cd and booklet called hands free Welsh.

[Malcolm33]

I've been trying to learn welsh since finding out that some of my ancestors spoke it when researching my family tree. I've been using cd and booklet called hands free Welsh.

    Every Briton has Welsh ancestry - our dna proves this, e.g. the dominant Ydna in all of Britain is R1b1a2.    Therefore there is a very good reason for us all to dysgu Cymraeg when we ask ourselves 'Pwy Ydw I?'

[Ayashi]

 

Duolingo has been suiting me so far for the most part; there are a few little issues. Unfortunately I'm too silent a person to learn the speaking of it. I don't even speak English much.

The next question on my list is on the topic of time: I'm being taught that, for example, 4:35 is expressed as "five minutes and twenty to five". Why "five minutes and twenty" rather than "five and twenty minutes"?

[trystan]

4:35 is expressed as "five minutes and twenty to five". Why "five minutes and twenty" rather than "five and twenty minutes"?

That's got my brian brain confused now. It's easier if you put the welsh words down for us to see them.   

I think you're asking why "Pum munud ar hugain i bedwar" rather than "Pum ar hugain munud i bedwar"? (I've made the minute/munud in bold to show its position)

I don't know the reason for why we say it like that, or for a lot of things we say in any language.

The way I think of it is that the descriptive bit (adjectives, adverbs) in Welsh comes after the important bit. So the sooner we get the word "munud" (minute) into the expression the better.

The more traditional way of saying numbers that I waffled about above is the way we say the time, but throwing in the "munud" earlier for good measure.

As far as speaking Welsh, it does help to try to speak it out to yourself as you read it. Many of the way things are said (or the spelling with the 'mutations') is to do with how it flows as it's spoken. That's wy my Welsh isn't as good as it should be because I live in England and don't have the chance to use it.

Trystan
PS I did manage to speak in Welsh to HM Revenue & Customs yesterday though - they have a Welsh language option. They answered the phone quickly and a lady spoke to me in perfectly brilliant Gog Welsh, and she sorted things out in a jiffy in a real friendly manner.

[Ayashi]

Yes, that's what I mean. It makes sense to me to leave the number "pum ar hugain" intact but I'm starting to think the Welsh like to not make sense  I think I'm going slightly batty with every sudden soft mutation and every time I think I've got the hang of the use of Mae/ydy etc and suddenly an exception!

 

Making progress though.

[trystan]

Well if it's any consolation, my Mam still corrects me. 

You can leave the soft mutations if it drives you potty for now. That's just icing on the cake.

[Ayashi]

One thing that I wish they hadn't done is to introduce other dialects early on in the course. For my poor brain trying to get itself around one dialect, complicating matters by trying to each me several different words for milk etc didn't do much to help! I'd rather learn one dialect and then later do a section on alternatives.