During my trip to Wales last spring, I finally had the chance to really see how bad my Welsh pronunciation was. After two weeks, it was really getting better, but I am by no means an expert. If you want to pronounce the names accurately, the following is a good start. I can testify that the pronunciation below for Llangollen, for example, is exactly right. Remember, in Welsh, the emphasis in on the second to last syllable in a word.
This post is to follow up on the pronunciation guide.
First off are two fabulous maps with audio place names for Wales:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/whatsinaname/sites/howdoisay/
http://www.plas-coch.co.uk/soundmap.html
Below is a quick guide to just a few Welsh place-names:
Cymru: kum-ree
Caernarfon: kyre-nar-von
Beddgelert: beth-gel-airt
Llanberis: /sh/-an-ber-ris
Llangollen: /sh/an-go/sh/-en
Felindre: veh-leen-dreh
Gwynedd: gwin-eth
Afon Dee: av-on dee
Bwlch: boolch
Castell Coch: kas-te/sh/t koch
Dinas Emrys: dinnass emm-riss
Ynys Mon: un-iss mon
http://www.bicycle-beano.co.uk/extra/welsh.html
| English | Welsh | Rough Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| thanks | diolch | dee-olck |
| thanks very much | diolch yn fawr | dee-olck unn vowr |
| please | plis | please |
| OK | iawn | ee-yown (rhymes with gown) |
| good morning | bore da | bor-eh dah |
| good afternoon | prynhawn da | prin-hown dah |
| good evening | noswaith dda | noss-wythe-ah |
| good night | nos da | noss dah |
| hello | helo | hello |
| cheerio, goodbye | hwyl | who-ill |
| currant bread | bara brith | barrah breeth |
| leek soup | cawl cennin | cowl kennin |
The pronunciations for ch are wrong i.e. diolch is not dee-olck – the ch sound comes from the back of the throat, like clearing your throat! Also LL is not pronounced ‘thl’ , but I can’t think of a way to write down the sound (push the tip of your tongue against the back of your top teeth and make the sound come from each side – best I can explain!). Other than that the pronunciations are quite good!
I agree completely with both of those. The problem is trying to convey the sound using written English! Thanks for your comments. Hopefully people will click on the audible links and get a better idea of what those should be.
Just wondering if you could recommend a good site to research my Welsh ancestry. Like you did, my mother named us all Welsh names, Peter, Pamela, Roxanne, Kendrick, Megan, Brian.
Enjoy you books in general but especially with the Welsh connection.
I have to confess that I haven’t delved into the ancestor pages in a long time. I’d start with the big ones (http://www.ancestry.com/) and go from there. You could also see if you can find anything productive here: http://genealogy.about.com/od/wales/Wales_Genealogy_Tracing_Your_Welsh_Ancestors.htm
Good luck!