t2 group Introduction to the Welsh Language Unit 1 Language Awareness Greetings and Basics The Welsh Alphabet Next
Introduction Welcome to the t2 group Introduction to the Welsh Language course. In this Unit, you will learn about Language Awareness, Greetings and Basics, and The Welsh Alphabet. There are sound files next to each of the phrases so that you can hear the correct pronunciation. To listen to the sound file, click on the speaker icon. There are also exercises for you to practise what you have learned. Try and practise the phrases with friends and colleagues. The more you practise, the better. Next Back
Language Awareness Why Learn Welsh? Here are some interesting facts about the language... Over 562,000 people in Wales speak Welsh. All children in schools in Wales either speak or learn Welsh. All public sector organisations in Wales are legally bound to provide services in both Welsh and English. Having two languages and a sense of Welsh history and culture gives Wales a unique selling point, which offers a competitive advantage to organisations in all sorts of sectors. Next Back
Language Awareness Bilingual people tend to be more attuned to languages, more linguistically prepared to learn a new language. Learning a few Welsh words can increase your sense of awareness of what is around you. Understanding the names of streets and place names in Cardiff and other parts of Wales and discovering the reasons behind them can be extremely interesting. Learning a few Welsh words and phrases provides the opportunity to experience two different cultures and strengthen the sense of “belonging” to Wales. There is an increasing demand for Welsh speakers in the workplace. Continued… Next Back
Greetings and Basics Here are the words/phrases that we will be learning today. Listen to the sound files by clicking on the speaker to hear the correct pronunciation. Next Back
Greetings and Basics Read the dialogue out loud to practice your pronunciation. Why not read through it with a friend too? You can also click on the speaker next to each line to hear the correct pronunciation. Next Back
Greetings and Basics Test yourself... Which Welsh greeting would you use at these times of day? Next Back
Greetings and Basics Angharad dw i. Pwy dych chi? Practise saying that you are each of these people... Next Back
Greetings and Basics Test yourself... Fill in the gaps to practise these words/phrases. Next Back
The Welsh Alphabet The Welsh and English alphabets are very similar and most letters are pronounced the same. Welsh is quite easy to read as you generally just say what you see. The Welsh alphabet contains ‘double’ letters that count as one letter. These are ch, dd, ff, ng, ll, ph, rh, th. So the place name Llanelli only has 6 letters as ll counts as a single letter. Next Back
The Welsh Alphabet Welsh has some sounds that are not found in English: chas in Scottish loch / Johann Sebastian Bach / Loughor / ych a fi llas in Llangrannog and many other Welsh place names rhas in Rhys / Rhodri / Rhyl Next Continued… Back
The Welsh Alphabet Some sounds are written differently: fin Welsh is a v sound as in Volvo ff in Welsh is an f sound as in farmer ddis the sound th as in although this the sound th as in theatre siis the sound sh as in the girl’s name Siân uis pronouncedeeas in fee cis always pronounced as in cat and never as in centre, and gis always pronounced as in garden and never as in age Next Continued… Back
The Welsh Alphabet w and y are vowels in Welsh, so there are 7 vowels altogether: a e i o u w y y is possibly the most difficult letter as it can be pronounced in different ways: an uh sound as in Cymru, an ee sound as in Llanboidy, an ih sound as in Glynneath Continued… Next Back
The Welsh Alphabet Click on the speaker next to each letter to hear the correct pronunciation Next Back
Da iawn (Well done) Uned 2 will be available in 2 weeks. Keep practising until then… Back