#language tag: welsh

[haveyouheardthisfolksong]

Culture note: US American initially, at the very least since the mid-20th century there have been French, Welsh, German, Norwegian and Icelandic versions with the same tune but sometimes vastly different texts (submission)

If you have heard any version of this song, vote "yes."

[meddwlyngymraeg]

Vocabulary - to want

A few different ways (that I know) to express wishes and desires.

eisiau - to want. One of the standard ways of saying you want something, all across Wales. In truth, it’s not actually a verbnoun like many others, it’s really a noun. That’s why you don’t need the ‘yn’ before it ad you would for any other verbnoun: ‘yn mynd’, ‘Dwi’n mynd’. ‘Dyn ni’n aros.’ Etc.

‘Dwi eisiau cysgu.’ I want to sleep.

I believe the reason for this is an older construction that is used in literary Welsh, but that got shortened and dropped off over time in colloquial Welsh. ‘bod ... ar [rhywun]’ was the construction used, roughly meaning to have ‘a want upon you’ (very roughly).

Double checking this with Wiktionary (beloved), they do have a credible literary source demonstrating this: the Welsh bible (which thanks to a frenzied linguistics and orthography-fuelled spiral down Wikipedia, and oddly enough, the Welsh comedian and radio broadcaster Elis James (unrelatedly), I know was first translated in the 1500s and directly led to the loss of the letter ‘k’ from the Welsh alphabet).

‘Yr Arglwydd yw fy Mugail; ni bydd eisiau arnaf.’ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Close enough to colloquial Welsh to understand, that's using ‘eisiau arna (i)’. Over time, colloquial Welsh has dropped the ‘ar’. The example sentence above could've been 'Dwi eisiau cysgu [arna i]'.

A note. Some people have a misconception that eisiau should cause a soft mutation in the word following it, because it is an exceptional case of an action (of sorts) that doesn’t need an ‘yn’, and so must follow a pattern similar to a few other conjugations out there like ‘dylu’ (should).

‘Dylet ti ddweud rhywbeth’ (You should say something), ‘Galla i wneud rhywbeth amdano fe’ (I can do something about it), ‘Ga i rywbeth?’ (Can I have something?), the past tenses of gwneud, ‘wnaethon ni ddysgu Cymraeg’, ‘Mae rhaid iddyn nhw dduhino’n gynnar!’ (They must wake up early!)

And so on. This isn’t the case, as eisiau is not a conjugated verb. It’s just a noun for desire! (*not exactly. I’m trying to explain this as best I can)

There is a south Walian usage of ‘eisiau’ that makes this idea clearer.

In some southern dialects, the construction ‘mae eisiau i…’ is used to mean that someone needs something. E.g. ‘Mae eisiau i ti fwyta’ means ‘you need to eat’. What it literally means is ‘there is a need for you to eat’, and so you can see the noun eisiau (a need) in use.

North Walian Welsh uses the same structure, but with the noun angen instead. ‘Mae angen i ti fwyta.’ ‘Mae angen iddyn nhw sosban’, literally, ‘they are in need of a saucepan’.

Speaking of dialect differences, especially in north Wales Welsh, you might come across spelling variants of eisiau: ‘isio’, ‘isia’, (N) ‘isie’ (S), ‘isho’, etc. Perks of a phonetic language are that nothing’s a misspelling really if it sounds alright when said out loud. I did raise an eyebrow at the last one a little, ‘sh’ isn’t the English ‘sh’ in Welsh, is it? (Is that Wenglish?)

Other forms!

moyn - to want. Used pretty much only in the south and valleys, but this one is a regular verbnoun. ‘Dwi’n moyn cwpla fy ngwaith gytre’n fuan’ (I want to finish my homework soon)

(Just realised there are a Lot of dialect words in that sentence! Cwpla -> gorffen, gytre -> cartef)

It seems simpler than the exceptional eisiau construction, why isn’t it more widely accepted?, you ask. (Most people I’ve said it to say it immediately places you geographically to them because they never hear anyone else say it.) It derives from an older verb, ymofyn, which itself comes from the word gofyn (to ask), ‘ym’ + ‘gofyn’ = ‘ymofyn’, which sort of goes away from the original idea of wanting, and into one of asking. Still, language evolves, and so you will still hear moyn in South Wales. In fact, the Say Something In Welsh course teaches it (which is how I know it. Probably worth giving a disclaimer that I’m simply mad about linguistics and Welsh alternative bands, before anyone starts to think I live in Wales just because I occasionally write long grammar posts!)

Awydd - a desire. Used similarly to eisiau, no ‘yn’ precedes it. The whole point of making this post was that I just came across this sentence: ‘Ti awydd mynd i Gastell Caerfili?’ Meaning, do you want to go to Caerphilly Castle?

And those are the ones I know!

[fayrobertsuk]

Mount Snowdon's name is officially changed after 5,000 sign petition - Mirror Online

I went on Google for something completely different, but this made me punch the air in jubilation, so you might be interested to see it too.

In case you're not familiar with the background, this is important because, despite rallying massively over the last 70 years or so, Welsh is still very much a language at risk. And when I say "at risk", I mean "subject to a campaign to drive it into extinction that very nearly worked and still might". Welsh speakers of my grandmother's generation and earlier were subjected to corporal punishment and shame tactics (see The Welsh Knot for one particularly notorious example), and workers to disciplinary action for speaking Welsh in school or workplace. In Wales.

And since tourism has been a huge source of income for the country (increasingly important, arguably, since so many coalmines and steelworks were shut down), using English placenames to be, I guess, less off-putting for visitors, has been increasingly the norm. Which means that the arguably far more beautiful (in Welsh or more directly translated into English) names are dying out, as locals forget them too.

One of the reasons I get quite passionate about this, is that I'm the last person in my family to speak Welsh much beyond the usual "good morning", "exit", and "welcome to Wales", and I'm a second language speaker at that, horrendously rusty. Another is, I guess, the guilt of the voluntary exile – what can I do but shout about it from far away and make occasional forays back to Duolingo's Welsh course?

Anyway, it's no longer Snowdon but Yr Wyddfa (Uhrr Wuthvah - th hard like though or that) and not Snowdonia but Eryri (Err-urree), emphasis always on the penultimate syllable (Yr WYTHfa, ErYri).

[bonefall]

can you talk more about a warrior cats conlang? I know you said you weren't gonna do one for the rewrite but I love conlangs so I'd love to see your ideas for one since I'm planning to make a warrior cats conlang soon as well

Sure! Just get me started on some specific concept or aspect. I have a lot of little ideas but no 'central' way that I unite them all

I'm gonna share my little self-indulgent headcanon about this, though. I made a bit of an OC out of the blog title (since I picked it at random), his name is actually Bonefall and he helps translate Clan stories into human language. His human partner, Dr. Hunter, is an anthropologist investigating clan society.

What should I call the conlang? Clannish? Clanmew? clanyru like cymru

Oh! I'll start with pronouns!

Pronouns, Inclusion, and Patrols

Pronouns in clan language are NOT gendered; others are referred to in varying levels of closeness or threat. Clan language has special modifiers for different types of 'we' that rest on a singular pronoun.

(Clanmate) He patrolled = "Urr pabpab" (Other Clan) He patrolled = "Rarr pabpab" (Clanmate) We patrolled = "Urri pabpab" (Clanmate) They patrolled (without me) = "Urrk pabpab" (Clanmate) You patrolled (without me) = "Urrsk pabpab"

There is no self-referential pronoun. There is no 'I/me/myself' in Clannish-- only "Mine," added as a possessive modifier at the end of a person, place, or thing. Cats in general have a very self-centered language; when you aren't using a pronoun, by default, you are stating something about yourself.

I patrolled = "pabpab" I patrolled my territory = "pabpab upanna wraah" Clanmate patrolled my territory = "urr pabpab upanna wraah"

They're my Clanmate = "Urr wraah" My clanmate patrolled = "Urr wraah pabpab"

Lionblaze: "Well who's going to go on patrol?" Hollyleaf: "YOU will, mousebrain!"

Translation:

Lionblaze: "Pff, yarr ya pabpa?" (lit: Well, who will patrolling?) Hollyleaf: "Weeswoo!" (You-mousebrain)

Threat Level/Pronoun List

This doesn't necessarily mean 'danger,' so much as the level of caution you would approach the given thing with. It's a sign of submission, even cowardice, to use dangerous pronouns for non-threatening things.

Format: (Their/You)

Wi/Wees The softest, weakest possible way to refer to a person... used exclusively for babies, and prey. "Mousebrain" is either Wiwoo (them-mousemind) or Weeswoo (you-mousemind).

Nya/Nyams This is family and closeness, moreso than a Clanmate or a trusted ally. If Hollyleaf hadn't been playful earlier, she would have simply responded "nyams."

Pyrr/Pyrrs For apprentices, medicine cats, elders, exhausted warriors, and other non-combatants, but also for friends. It's a neutral-weak pronoun-- it can be sympathetic or patronizing in the wrong situation, but at most it would be over-familiar if used incorrectly. This is also used on useful objects, like nests, herbs, Jayfeather's stick, etc.

Urr/Urrs A capable clanmate, carries an implication that they are able to hunt or fight at the described moment. The term carries endearment-- the old RiverClan river was referred to with Urrs, for respect. Strong, worthy prey is in this category (RiverClan refers to a lot of big fish with urrs)

Rarr/Rarrs Now we're in the 'outsider' category. These are not used on clanmates without insult. Used for things that require extra caution, or aren't trusted. A lot of twoleg things like fences and bridges are 'rarr'. The cats who live in the barn and other loners are 'rarr'. Warriors in other clans are 'rarr.'

Mwrr/Mwrrs Something dishonorable, that lives without code. Rogues are tossed into this category before proven otherwise, same with snakes, foxes, badgers, and dogs.

Ssar/Ssas Something powerful and dangerous. Storms, floods, cars. Overwhelming and unpredictable-- can be a high compliment to the respected warrior of other clans, implies the same sort of respect you would give to a natural disaster, but if used too much it could show cowardice.

[llyfrenfys]

Since the post I reblogged didn't actually link to the petition

[mountainashfae]

OC Mannerisms: Aurien Florence

As tagged by @the-raging-tempest in the original template post. Finally getting around to this.

BASICS

- NO. OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES >> Sylvan, Skald, Varisian, Elven, Taldane, Celestial, Mwangi. In that order.

- TONE OF VOICE >> high / average / deep 

- ACCENT >> yes / no  Their roots in Sylvan definitely show up, especially since for most of their life that's what they spoke. RL equivalent of Welsh.

- DEMEANOR >> confident / shy / approachable / hostile / other

- POSTURE >> slumped / straight / stiff / relaxed Whether their posture is stiff or relaxed varies wildly by the context. When they are moving, they are fluid and relaxed. When they are still, they are stiff as ice.

HABITS

head tilting / swaying / fidgeting / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips / inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact / frequent pausing / stands close / stands at a distance Their gesturing is a learned habit rather than a subconscious one. Their natural stillness does not fit the image of an approachable cleric they put on, and the conscious gesturing can be picked up by someone paying attention.

COMPLEXITY (Fill in the circle’s as you wish)

- VOCABULARY >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️ Picking up Skald and Varisian after Sylvan did good things for their vocabulary. Sometimes they revert back to the smaller vocabulary of Sylvan though.

- EMOTION >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️ Aurien wishes they could conceal their emotions better, but their appearance changing with their emotions gives them away.

- SENTENCE STRUCTURE >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪

PROFANITY

- FREQUENCY >> ⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️ They learned to use it more often while in the Shackles to fit in among the pirates, and some of that stuck around.

- CREATIVITY (in regards to profanity) >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️ The majority of their swears are in the Mwangi language, which is funny to hear up in Mendev.

BOLD THAT APPLY

arse / ass / asshole / bastard / bitch / bloody / bugger / bollocks / chicken shit / crap / cunt / dick / frick / fuck / horseshit / motherfucker / piss / prick / pussy / screw / shit / shitass / son of a bitch / twat / wanker

THIS OR THAT

straightforward or [ cryptic ] finding the right word or [ using the first word that comes to mind ] masculinity, [ neutrality ], or femininity [ formalities ] or with abrasiveness praise or [ equivocation ] frankness or [ flattery ] excessive or [ minimal hand gestures ] name-calling or [ magnanimity ] [ friendly ] or blunt

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

DO PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING OR UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTER? almost always / frequently / rarely / never

DOES YOUR CHARACTER’S POINT COME ACROSS EASILY WHEN THEY SPEAK?  almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never sometimes they purposefully obscure the meaning

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER INITIATE CONVERSATIONS? almost always / frequently / sometimes / never

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE THE ONE TO END CONVERSATIONS? almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER USE ‘WHOM’ IN A SENTENCE? yes / no / only ironically

YOUR CHARACTER WANTS TO MAKE A COUNTERPOINT. WHAT WORD DO THEY USE? but / though / although / however / perhaps / maybe

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER END CONVERSATIONS? walk away / ask if that’s everything / say that’s everything / give a proper goodbye / tell their company they're done here / remain quiet / they don’t

WHAT SOCIAL CLASS WOULD OTHERS ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER BELONGS TO, HEARING THEM SPEAK? upper / middle / lower

IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER SPEAK STAND OUT TO OTHERS? accent  / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn’t

Anything that wasn’t touched on?

Rotgut has a weird combination of Aurien's accent in Taldane and a Mwangi accent because that's a familiar. That's a sentient bird with a higher INT stat than Aurien. His "native" humanoid language is Mwangi because he's from the fucking Shackles and had to learn Taldane from Aurien.

Yes Rotgut and Aurien frequently bicker in Mwangi

Aurien very frequently avoids answering questions by giving answers around the question but avoiding the core of the question. Even when they're trying to be honest they end up doing this.

The tone and pitch of their voice changes slightly along with their emotions and appearance. Higher pitch with spring, silky smooth with autumn, slightly huskier with summer, and low and cold with winter.

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

i do think it's kind of funny that ao3 seems to have made a blanket change to all the "mythology" tags to make them "religion and lore" (not a good change) EXCEPT the "arthurian mythology" tag, which remains intact despite a Number of people trying to get that one reworked or at least different wrangled for ages. they're like "we're taking mythology away from all the contexts where it might be applicable. and leaving it in the context where it's dubious. this is a sensible change"

[siaradwast]

what are they on about "anti-motorist measures"????

scientists, doctors, etc.: making the speed limit 20mph in villages & outside hospitals & outside schools has many benefits such as less car crashes, less accidents where children get hit, reduced chances of injury from accidents, and reduced car fume pollution

labour: okay! we'll lower the speed limit there to 20

tories: you fucking extremist fucking cunts how fucking dare you clearly you never want anyone to drive a car ever. ffs the state of this country soon we'll all have to walk at 3mph in case we crash into people. we will STOP THESE ANTI-MOTORIST MEASURES

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

I cannae get my friends into Welsh music & it’s such an L like Rhedeg i Paris fucking slaps

[liminal-fuck]

bore da draig. dw i'n hoffi bwyta menyn. ob dw i ddim yn hoffi bwyta pys. hilfe mich

[eternal-moss]

shoutout to Welsh streamers :3

[meddwlyngymraeg]

Vocabulary (geirfa)

Coelio -> to believe (verb)

coelion -> belief (noun)

Wnaeth y cyflwynedd, actores a cantores Lisa Jên bostio ar Twitter am rywbeth ei bod hi dweud dyw hi ddim yn gallu ‘coelio’n lwc’, or that she couldn’t believe her luck. Learned a new word today!

‘Methu coelio’n lwc!’ Can’t believe our luck!

Note: ‘n here. I’d assume it was short for ‘ein’? Our luck?

‘Wnes i ddim yn gallu coelio fy lwc pan wnes i ddod o hyd iddi hi. Ro’n i wedi bod ei chwylio amdani hi am hir!’ I couldn’t believe my luck when I found her. I had been searching for her for ages!

‘Doedd fy nghoelion ddim wedi cael torri.’ My belief was not shattered. (Idk, dramatic sentence. Couldn’t think of much else to use belief in really)

Another word for believe is ‘credu’, though I don’t know if you can use the two in interchangeable ways.

‘Dw i ddim un credu bod neb wedi ei weud e wrthi hi.’ I don’t believe that anyone has told her [about it].

[jatlokgwo]

...

sorry for asking tumblr this but does anyone know what to do when your "friend" is a jk rowling supporter that turns your boundies into jokes instead of listening and guilt trips us about stuff like taking a break from a discord call but your parents like her

me and my brother tried blocking her and telling her to not talk to us and telling our parents that were not friends with her anymore!!! but it didnt work

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I am regrettably (not really - actually, gratefully) learning why practicing new-to-you languages is so important...on Duolingo I completed two or three exercise thingies (not the 4-5-long parts of each unit, but the exercises within those parts) of Welsh and got everything right - which I have not managed to do for the past three+ days - and got one thing wrong in both exercises I did in French when I know/speak/read (I probably can't write French very well anymore *sigh*) it well as my second language but which I have not practiced in weeks I don't think. LOL And I'm still only in the most beginner of stages in learning Welsh (still learning and memorizing many new words and such)! Gah.

[in-sufficientdata]

[ID: line art of a Holstein cow craning its neck down to touch noses with a ladybug/ladybird, which is red and shaped like a cow, rather than like a beetle. end ID.]

I just learned that the Russian word for “ladybug” translates to “God’s Little Cow”