I’m delighted to say that I’ve been working with the Welsh Books Council to provide an overview of the new series of books for learners, Cyfres Amdani, plus articles that that will give author insight, quizzes, study guides etc. 10 books have been published in April/May, with another 10 to come over the year. The National Centre for Learning Welsh have been involved to ensure that suitable grammar and vocabulary is used.
The overview page is here: https://parallel.cymru/?p=7770. Follow-up articles will be go live over the coming month or two.
Each book is graded by the level of ability, and has tricky vocabulary at the bottom of the page. The first book in the series, Am Ddiwrnod!, is written for people who have been learning for a few months only, so is ultra-accessible.
If you’ve got any questions or feedback about the books, please comment here, send me a message, or interact on the series’ Facebook/Twitter accounts.
I’d also like to include (brief) reviews by learners; if you’ve read any of them already and would like to see your name in print on the screen, feel free to send me a paragraph with your thoughts on the book.
This is a fantastic resource for all of us learners; the number of books written specifically for us has doubled already, and if they sell well then publishers will be encouraged to do even more for learners.
Hi
I haven’t yet bought any books from this series but have decided I want to. Can someone recommend where I should start? I started Canolradd in September, so should I start with mynediad books or sylfaen and leave canolradd for a while or…?
Wow! This is exciting! I live in the U.S. and I am wondering if they are going to be available in print only, or will they also be available as ebooks? If they are only in print, will there be online retailers that ship to the U.S., like Book Depository for example - I love their free international shipping!
It mentions a lot of books that people have read, including some from Cyfres Amdani.
I suggest that you read the descriptions there and on Neil’s Parallel Cymru and then choose the books that appeal to you most. Why not go for both sylfaen and canolradd? I like to have books at various levels of difficulty. If I really enjoy a book but find it difficult then I will tackle it with a dictionary to hand. It’s comforting then to go back to a book that I can read more easily. I don’t know what level I am at, because I have never been to any classes. I have done the SSiW challenges with a bit of Duolingo on the side. Enjoy your reading.
Sue
The other three publishers in the Amdani series, Atebol, CAA Cymru and Gomer, haven’t put much of their content on Kindle or iBooks yet.
Theresa- Sue’s reply sounds perfect! When learning a language most of us will want to read a book a few times- for example in a year’s time you may go back and then notice that your language has progressed through being able to read it easier.
I’ve been trying to read some more challenging books, but making slightly heavy weather of it: some not-particularly-close friends took a punt on buying me Sgŵp for Christmas and, while it’s easier for me than I’d have picked out for myself, it’s really nice to have a book I can just pick up and read, without having to feel like I’m struggling the whole time. I’m possibly not learning much new, in terms of ‘desirable difficulty’, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
Yes it is, isn’t it? It’s great to understand what is going on, and not stop and think “I have absolutely no idea what has happened here so I’d better look up a lot of words.” I love Sgŵp and I have just started to re-read it.
Cyfres Amdani is excellent, but it would be a shame to neglect all the other books out there.
Yes, Cyfres Amdani is an excellent series, and Am Ddiwrnod is the one to start with. It uses South Welsh, but I only counted five hwntw words, and gogs will no doubt be familiar with them all.
They’re a bit on the pricey side (well, rhy drud, to be frank), but they’re easily readable for any learner with a year’s Welsh behind him/her, and it’s very ego-boosting to know that you’ve read a whole book in Welsh.
People in North East Wales can buy them in SiopCwlwm in Croesoswallt market, or at Saith Seren on a Friday.
I finally took the plunge of really getting down to read “Blasu” recently. I’ve owned it for ages, but for lots of reasons had been putting it off, until finally, I just decided to have a go. At the same time, I made a conscious decision not to look up any words (rare for me), but just plough on regardless.
I feared the worst, but it’s worked out much better than I’d expected. Lots of unknown words, but quite a few guessable from context, and in any case, I can get the gist of most of it. I will no doubt look up a few words later on, when I’ve finished it, but it’s been an interesting experience.
Da iawn pawb. The amount of materials available for learners now compared to even two years ago is awesome; I’m glad that so many people in the SSIW community are getting opportunities to read more Welsh now.
I have spent ages reading a number of books via Sype with my friend Vincent and we have read some challenging books. The most recent book just finished today is a play LLWYTH gan Daffydd James.It is a play about a group of Gay friends one or two are welsh learners who are practicing their welsh .It explores relationships and conflicts and jealousy.It is set in Cardiff. It was ground breaking as it was one of the first Gay welsh language plays .It has a wonderful use of language,switching from welsh to English and also in the middle of sentences there are switches.It happens in a natural way. It is not designed for learners but it does challenge you slightly. The play wright incorporates street welsh as well as formal , some northern welsh but mainly cymru dde and give references to celebrities from Wales (some of them known to welsh tv ).I really enjoyed the book.I recommend it as a read.
