"About Welsh" language and literature evening classes, Aberystwyth starting 8th Sep

A series of 5 fortnightly classes in Llanilar Village Hall near Aberystwyth is starting on 8th Sep 2016. The course will give an overview of Welsh language, music and literature and look at how Welsh compares with other European languages as well as covering the whole history of Welsh poetry and prose from the Gododdin to the present day in a fun and accessible way. The course will be suitable for those with no previous knowledge of Welsh as well as fluent Welsh speakers or Welsh learners. There is more information on the fb page below or do contact Harriet Earis for more details on info@harrietearis.com or 07890 142029

https://www.facebook.com/events/1023042851142057/

3 Likes

Diddorol iawn, Harriet.
Might well be worth ÂŁ50 for 5 sessions.
I’ll save up and e-mail you if I’m free.

Sounds interesting.

I recently discovered a series/collection of music called ‘Cwm-Rhyd-y-Rhosyn’. It’s fairly modern, 1970s origin I believe, but includes many traditional songs. Apparently it’s fairly well known, even ‘famous’ amongst first language speakers, and a part of childhood upbringing.

It got me thinking, what else have I missed out on? Maybe this course could answer that!

The classes sound fantastic! Will definitely keep my eyes peeled for future dates.

2 Likes

It’d be lovely if you fancied coming Warren. Hope you might be able to make it. If you want any more info about the course then just email me! I’ve run it in Llanidloes before and as a residential course in Plas Tan y Bwlch in North Wales and it’s always gone well. I’m just hoping a few more people will sign up. I’ve left it rather late to advertise it so if you’d like to come then that’d be brilliant.

Byddai fe’n wych os chi’n gallu dod! Fingers crossed. If you fancy just coming to a couple of sessions that’s fine too. You can just pay for each one independently. Each one will stand alone although there will also be a progression through the history of Welsh literature - so come to the early ones if you want the medieval period and the later ones for 20th/21st century! It’d be lovely though if you could come to the whole course. We’re thin on the ground at present so I’d be delighted if you’d like to come to all or part of it!

Hope to see you at a future event or if you want to just come to just one or two classes this term you’d be very welcome to dip into it!

Currently in Llundain otherwise I’d definitely come along! Hope it all goes well :slight_smile:

Thanks @HarrietEaris. I’ll come to the first session on the 8th September and look forward to it. Future sessions depend on family commitments rather than money ( even though I’m a Cardi who was brought up in Aberdeen :grin: )
My conversational Welsh is OK but my reading and writing skills are limited (by which I mean - absent)
I don’t use Facebook so please post here or PM me if there are any changes.

Sorry Harriet it does sound interesting, but it’s too far for me to travel for an evening. Best of luck with, I hope you get enough people on board.

No worries. Thanks anyway Warren!

I attended Harriet’s first session in Llanilar last night and it was one of the most informative, enjoyable and interesting evenings I have spent for some time.

She is clearly highly qualified in all the contemporary Celtic languages with specific enthusiasm for mediaeval Welsh.
Her enthusiasm for her theme (the shared attributes of Indo-European Languages) was infectious. Her delivery and preparation was excellent. There were seven participants each with varying levels of Welsh (and various other languages) and she engaged each one of us brilliantly.

Following an introduction to links between English and Welsh words illustrated by a table game, she went on to the “meat” of her first session. The Gododdin, Eryr Pengwern and Stafell Gynddylan no less! She delivered extracts of these lugubrious, tragic epics with written translations, of course. My only criticism is that her voice is just too beautiful to render the horror of “Eryr Pengeryn, pengarn llwyd, heno: Aruchel ei eban: Eiddig am gig Cynddylan” = “Grey-capped eagle of Pengwern, tonight: On high its cry: Jealous for Cynddylan’s flesh”

Two of her introductory quotations will resonate with many on this forum:
“The limits of my language are the limits of my world” (Wittgenstein)
“Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own” (Goethe)

Diolch o galon iddi ti @HarrietEaris. Sa’i’n gallu aros am dy ail sessiwn. :smiley:

3 Likes

Aw, diolch yn fawr iawn am y geiriau caredig! Rwy’n disgwyl ymlaen at y sesiwn nesaf ar yr 22ain hefyd!

If anyone else from the forum would like to join us, then please do. We’ve got space! We’ll be doing Dafydd ap Gwilym and extracts from Y Mabinogi next time and attempting to write some ‘cynghanedd’ in English amongst other things!

2 Likes

Also the historical aspect. Like remembering that ´Wales´ once went all the way to Edinburgh and Dumbarton.

Canu Heledd moves me. Imagine if the Welsh had retained what is now Shrewsbury, how that might have changed the subsequent history and geography?

Instead:
Llys Benngwern neud tandde

The Welsh city was turned into a funeral pyre. And Heledd, the female narrator, survived but went insane from the trauma. Trist iawn i gyd.

2 Likes

Harriet, last night, finished her excellent series of interactive presentations on Welsh Language and Literature and I have enjoyed each and every one immensely; firstly because they resonate exactly with my interest in Welsh in particular and languages in general and their shared roots; secondly because of her infectious enthusiasm; and thirdly because of her meticulous preparation. (I claim the prize for the forum’s longest ever sentence. :blush: )

She ended each session with some musical elements and, on one occasion, performed for us on one of her harps.

She is thinking of offering another series of fortnightly presentations starting on 12th January 2017 in the Canolfan at Llanilar (between Aberystwyth and Tregaron). She would like to have a minimum of 8 to 10 people to make them viable. Her price for the last series was £10 per session. I hope I’ve made it clear how worth it I found them to be. I am posting this without her knowledge (yet) or even permission, but I’m sure she won’t mind.

You can find more about Harriet Earis here

2 Likes

I’m so disappointed I wasn’t able to make any of those, and I’m afraid January is still a little early for me. A friend from Llandysul made it to the first one, but unfortunately became very busy with work and wasn’t able to get to any others. She echoed your sentiments on how worthwhile it was though.

Perhaps when Harriet gets to her third series I’ll be ready :slight_smile:

It’d be lovely to have you whenever you can make it, Dee! Thanks so much for the positive response!

1 Like