Speak Celtic! A new website promoting Celtic languages

[faithless78]

So, this is a project I have been working on for about 4 years now. Originally it started with just the Welsh language, called Caintneg Cymraeg (or Kentish Welsh), aiming to provide everything the internet had to offer on the Welsh language, from its history, to courses, to learning resources, and when the next meetup was for my old Kentish meetup in Rochester. Today, it has evolved into a place that I hope will one day offer all these links for ALL Celtic languages! It is called Speak Celtic! and I am hoping the site will be a valuable resource to anyone learning, teaching or using any of our beautiful Celtic Languages.

Currently, there are mini-sites for Welsh (Siarad!), Cornish (Kows!) and Irish (Labhair!). I have recently concentrated on building up the content for Siarad and Kows, but I have previously put a lot of work in for Labhair as well.

For each of these mini-sites, I have built dual interfaces for each site, so users can change their menus and layout for their respective language. For the main site I have made all 6 languages available. The main site and each of the currently available mini-sites have Facebook and Twitter pages also.

Of course, I’m expecting there to be MANY mistakes with the languages I’m still learning or I am unfamiliar with, but will hope to correct these over time as I continue to build the site.
I am also hoping to add more and more content as I am made aware of them - which is where you come in!

If there is anything that has helped you with your language learning (particulary with Welsh, Cornish or Manx - my next mini-site project) that you feel could help others, let me know about them - either through this thread or by using the Contact Us pages on the website.

It is fair to say that the ispiration for this website has come from my experiences using the SaySomethinginWelsh course, and its many forum members who have given me idea after idea to help me build this, for which I want to thank every single one of you! The project is carried out purely in my free-time - hence why it has taken 4 years so far and still isn’t finished! But it will be an on-going project which, once the interface is finished and content is being added, I may even fing time to modernise the site a little as well - you never know!!

[naltun]

WONDERUL. Mate, I’ve got to say that your landing page is incredibly catchy.

First thing I notice is that you’ve included the 7 Celtic Nations flag. Interesting choice (I’m part Asturian, and I have some things to say on the matter… but I digress. Maybe over a pint ).

Although I don’t like to package myself as a website designer or developer, I do have experience. If you’d ever like some help, even if it’s just taking a wee peak under the hood for feedback, feel free to let me know.

Looking forward to Speak Celtic! Honestly, keep at the good work.

[aran]

It’s clear you’ve put a huge amount of effort into that, Gav - pob lwc i ti, and thank you for your passion…

[faithless78]

First thing I notice is that you’ve included the 7 Celtic Nations flag.

I must admit, I’m not overly happy with this flag myself, since it does indeed have 7 nations, and not 6. Not taking away the fact that the Celts inhabited the region of Galicia, but because the language spoken isn’t even on the Celtic branch, but the Iberian branch of the italic romance group of languages. I do actually possess a 6 nation flag without the Galician flag, but I can’t seem to find any decent free-to-use images of this version.
Of course, it doesn’t even need to be a flag - any image that represents this group of languages I will consider. I could even create something myself given time. I am open to suggestions, ideas, inspiration etc. The Celtic nations flag isn’t a permanent fixture!

Although I don’t like to package myself as a website designer or developer, I do have experience. If you’d ever like some help, even if it’s just taking a wee peak under the hood for feedback, feel free to let me know.

I wouldn’t call myself a web developer, but I have some experience of web design and practically taught myself HTML5 and CSS3. I would like to make the website a little more interactive and usable in the future I guess, and I do want to make the landing page a little more “jazzy”, like perhaps each nations version of ‘Welcome’ fading in then out again in rotation. Not top of the agenda right now, but I would be more than happy to get help or advice with this when the time comes.

Thanks for the feedback though. Anything that will help improve on the current project is welcome.
Gav

[faithless78]

Diolch Aran! A lot of passion has gone into this, and it’s creation has, I feel, also helped me learn more about the languages I’m representing. I’m hoping the contents will be just as useful to others once it has been fleshed out more!

[shaunrennie_plume]

Ober da! Good job! I’m learning Cornish at a class in Cornwall if I can be of any help send me a message, I only noticed a couple of spelling mistakes, it’s a great site and something that needed doing, keep up the good work!

[faithless78]

Thanks @shaunrennie_plume!

I only noticed a couple of spelling mistakes

With the spelling, I think there are a number of words which has been undecided on a formal spelling. The online dictionary gives a number of spellings but no clue as to which dialect, area or period the word came from. Many of the words I’ve used came from the SWF Dictionary from maga, which should have a link on the website to the .pdf file. However, any corrections I’m happy to make, as I would like to use the most standard, correctly spelt words available. I think it’s just grammar and word order I will have issues with at the moment, which is why I haven’t done complete pages in Cornish.

[shaunrennie_plume]

The standard written form is the form I’m taught in now, this is the one used in schools (where’s it’s taught!) and officialdom (council, churches etc) I originally started learning in Kernewek kemmyn which isn’t much different and I can easily read Unified spelling as well. Late Cornish is a bit harder for me to read.
Anyways this is the dictionary I use
http://www.cornishdictionary.org.uk
I have the printed edition as well.
If you want links to anything I’d be happy to help, I volunteer for one of the Cornish language charities as well. So I’m sometimes “in the loop” about events and things

[tatjana]

Llongyfarchiadau @faithless78! I knew this will evolve into something brilliant and here we are! This is great and interesting to browse even if I am not familioar with those languages (apart from Welsh) yet. Da iawn ti! I admire your work as I know you’ve encoded everythjing by yourself or at least put a lot of work into each and every site on there.

[faithless78]

Diolch yn fawr iawn @tatjana!

[philipnewton]

Many of the words I’ve used came from the SWF Dictionary from maga, which should have a link on the website to the .pdf file.

If you’re using the downloaded PDF dictionary that I have (“WIP PDF Version, May 1st 2012”), that doesn’t incorporate the (relatively small) changes recommended by the SWF Review Board in 2014. (If you have a newer one, please let me know!)

The website that @shaunrennie_plume mentioned isn’t perfect, either, but I think it’s more up to date than the PDF version.

[faithless78]

I used this one…

SWF_dictionary_120501.pdf

To be fair, there are a few of these .pdf dictionaries online which I haven’t linked up to yet, but this one seemed to be the most concise one I found - albeit not without it’s irregularities, I should imagine.

As I say, the work I’ve done so far can be corrected at any time, where corrections are highlighted.I will welcome any corrections anyone wishes to offer, and agree to.

[philipnewton]

That’s the one I have.

You may wish to look at

http://www.magakernow.org.uk/media/21486879/swf-review-board-final-report.pdf

if you haven’t already done so – as far as I know, current SWF incorporates the recommendations from there and is thus slightly different from the SWF spelling that was frozen for the initial five-year(?) period and from which that PDF dictionary comes.

[shaunrennie_plume]

It’s being updated again soon so Mark Trevethan (cornish language office) was saying!!

[philipnewton]

Really! I’ve been out of touch for a while so haven’t heard the latest – let me know if you know more, please Thanks!

[shaunrennie_plume]

And it will be smart phone friendly

[Courtenay]

Thanks for this, @faithless78 — great idea and looking good so far!

I did hear there were going to be more updates to “official” SWF spelling, on top of the fact that there’s already more than one version of SWF for the differing language factions… I’m not sure it’ll ever come to an end. But as @shaunrennie_plume says, the differences between most of the spelling systems aren’t major and aren’t that hard to figure out as you get to know the language. It’s not much worse than the differences between British and American English spelling, usually.

[faithless78]

And it will be smart phone friendly

…which is what I hope to make my site one day when I have time to play with it!