Welsh Websites, Great places to learn more about Wales

Do you mean a cymdeithas, Antwn?

I'm sorry to cut in line but does anyone read Cambria magazine? In the latest issure (11/12) they printed my letter to the editor about Gwynfor Evans. Please take a look if you have a chance.

Of course, I'll have a look next time I'm in a newsagent. Is it in English or Welsh? I don't read Cambria much, but I'm eager for Y Byd to come out.

It's in English. For a specific reason of educating English speaking Welsh. This idea was suggested by Gwynfor Evans. He said to the editor-to-be before launching of the magazine, " ..there are many Welsh language publications all of whom tend to 'preach to the converted'; what is needed is a pioneering, patriotic magazine in English which would involve, educate and inspire the four-fifths of Welsh people who could not (yet) speak Welsh."

I hear they are having difficulty raising enough fund for Y Byd.

No Siarls, Cymuned. They're an organization which supports y Fro Gymraeg -- see below. I joined their mailing list but I don't know much about them. Thought maybe you would. They're a grass roots organization, very passionate....I just want to make sure they're not rash. I believe in what they stand for, supporting measures to stop the diminishment of y Fro Gymraeg, but only by legitimate methods.

http://www.cymuned.net/

http://www.ynyfro.com/

I'm also longing for Y Byd to come out. A country wide newspaper in Welsh could be a great unifying force. I don't know what kind of start-up expenses they have, but one would think that with 1/2 a million speakers of Welsh, even a fraction of that number who might subscribe would attract enough advertsisers to support it.

Wonderful letter in Cambria Gwen! I can really feel your sincerity and reverence for Gwynfor Ifans.

I feel very foolish not knowing about the cymuned. I think it's a good example of Welsh laid-backness (forgotten the actual English word!!!!)

We're not well connected with each other which often saddens me and I think may be a contributing factor to the disorder of the Welsh language cooperations!!!The cymunedau don't seem to be rash or illogical - I'm sure they'd make more news here otherwise!

Ah Gwynfor Evans. A great man. Well-liked in Wales. What a marvellous idea, we need more of it today and I have often said the same thing should be done with S4C. There's not enough to courage learners to watch it... there's not enough to encourage natives to watch it!!!!!

Diolch Siarls, I feel more comfortable being on their mailing list. I like to know what's going on, especially in support of Welsh. They send out monthly updates of their activities through email as well as occasional appeals for help....all in Welsh of course which makes it a great learning tool for me too. Y'all join up now, ya hea? Os yw eisiau arnoch chi oll.

Just wanted to post an English version of one of the Cymuned sites FYI


http://www.notenglish.com/

Diolch, Antwn. I've signed up! I'd been considering it. Now is a good chance as you gave us a direct link. (But I'm afraid I have to received e-mail in English for now.) I't'll be great to receive weekly news. I want to be aware of what's going.

S4C has a new learner's website:

http://www.s4c.co.uk/cymraeg/e_index.shtml

This new site had been talked about in another forum. I tried to register but it wouldn't work for people overseas. Somehow you have to enter "Wales" for your country to get processed but I don't want to do it because I live in USA. It's too bad because it sounds like a good free program.

Does anyone go to BBC Learn Welsh Message Board? Most of the posters are sincerely wanting to learn Welsh or willing to help them. There was one poster who was extremely provoking and made rude comments about Cymraeg. There have been many responses, most of them strongly supporting it. (I'm one of them.) If you are interested, please take a look and give your opinions (you need to register first.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbwalesedu/F21303...?thread=1424530

I know what you mean Gwenynen. When I logged on to Cymru'r Byd a box popped up asking if I wanted to participate in a survey. It was in Welsh, but I could understand it well enough. One of the first questions asked where I lived. When I truthfully answered the US I was told I didn't qualify to participate. I read articles on that site all the time. Why wouldn't my answers mean as much as those in Wales? How do they know I'm not a Welsh ex-pat living here temporarily? Maybe the questions had to do with situations in Wales I didn't know about.

Anyway, although it might be seen as rather quaint, I not sure our interest in Welsh is taken that seriously there. Ironic when you consider your response to that Welsh person on the BBC forum who thought Welsh was a dead language no one should bother learning. I can understand to an extent. Americans are not exactly known for passionate interest in language learning, but are one of the most staunchly monoglot people in the world. A smattering of this and that is all we ever learn as a rule, and when you ask someone if they speak another language they'll usually say something like "I took French in high school" which is like saying "my great great grandma was 1/16 Cherokee" then claiming to be native. Then their French would sound something like "Party voo crankcase silver plate, come and tie my shoe?" Americans think the rest of the world is going to learn English, but statistics show that the numbers of English speakers have declined over the last decade or two from 10% to about 8%. Of course a drop of 2% might be explained by the population increase in China alone over the same period I don't know, but I do know that the US assumption that English is/will be spoken everywhere is exaggerated. I also hope it is. Not that I hate English, I'm grateful to be a native speaker of it, but I'd like for us to maintain a linguistically diverse planet.

Someday I'm going to write to the BBC in perfect literary highly stylized Welsh and complain about leaving us out, but they'd probably think someone wrote it for me. I had that happen in grade school, a teacher was sure an essay I wrote was written by a parent or older sibling. Oh ye of little faith........

By the way, I know its been said before, but Thank You Siarls for all your support to Gwen, Austaff and me here!

Hi Gang

Have you listened to radioacen it plays all welsh music folk clasical and has a learning segment, they even speak in welsh then tell you what was said in that other tongue that stasrts with an E Saesneg

Hywl am y tro