My daughter and her husband often accidentally call my grandson ‘dog’ - especially when he’s being annoying! It doesn’t seem to have done him any harm, though it’ll probably all come out in therapy later. 
Recently found myself muttering something in Welsh without noticing it. Don’t remember what, don’t remember why - but it was Welsh. Going native…?
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I find myself increasingly (probably with increasing age) coming out with “ych a fi”.
You will see this variously rendered as “yuck” “ugh” or described as an expression of disgust.
It was once explained to me as “woe is me” (more or less) although that is not the literal meaning.
I believe there is a literal meaning, but that need not concern us here, especially as I don’t think it’s often meant literally.
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Or even ever!
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ps i think ych is an ox! I can only assume it is the sound that matters and ych is the nearest to a noise of disgust! â - with , fi - me! Expert comment welcome!
It was two years ago today that my brother David and I left Tresaith after that wonderful scary fun bootcamp. Unfortunately I haven’t used my Welsh since returning to Canada (it was more urgent to work on my sign language to communicate with a deaf granddaughter). I thought I’d forgotten all the Welsh I ever knew. But in reading Dee’s weekly e-mails (thank you Dee) I happened onto this thread, and the words “Ych a fi” caught my eye. That’s almost the only Welsh phrase that I ever heard my Swansea born-and-bred mother say during my childhood (which was a looong time ago.) I never knew how to spell it, and thought it was one word, but I certainly knew the situations that prompted her to use it!
I love this Breakthrough thread. In browsing through it, I learned some new words, refreshed my memory on others, and generally just enjoyed the conversations. I’m now inspired to get back to the Challenges.
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Yes, do come back, Nan! Your Welsh was lovely on bootcamp, and I’m pretty certain that most of that will still be there!
I’m interested to know - does sign language sit in the smae part of the brain as other languages. Most people will find that when they learn a new 2nd language, it supersedes their first second language (if you see what I mean). So Cat, when trying to speak French, will come out with a complete Welsh sentence and be sure that it is French, because her Welsh has taken over. Her French is still there, though, so she still understands better than me!
But how would that work with sign language? It would be fascinating to know whether your first thoughts as you try to think of Welsh, are of the signs and less complicated grammar of sign language, and how that manifests itself as you practise. Could you let us know?
Diolch!
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I considered it minor because it happened without me realizing almost; like how you start running and its difficult and three weeks later you realize its not so difficult anymore.
(but yes…the ability to auto-downplay achievements is so common to me that it doesn’t amaze me any more)
You did! And thank you!
I’m (half) seriously considering ‘forgetting’ it again the next time I come to Bootcamp. Or: there could just be a Bootcamp exercise that emulates the experience; dropped off in the middle of Llandysul without [fill in blank] and you have to find it while only speaking Welsh…
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Future bootcampers are not going to thank you for that idea…
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Perhaps it could be optional?
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I’ll try to answer your question, Iestyn, but I have to think about it some more. Certainly, when I was searching for a word in Welsh, my go-to language was Spanish (2 years of study) rather than French (14 years of study) or English, my first language. How many times did I say Gracias rather than Diolch during my Welsh stay! So I’m guessing that all of those languages are activated in the same part of the brain. But as for sign language, I hadn’t started to learn that until after my Welsh, so I can’t compare.
However, I have a different perspective which may be significant. Since Christmas I have been tutoring a family of Syrian refugees who knew almost no English when they arrived and I know virtually no Arabic. In trying to communicate with them, I can’t stop myself from using sign language as I speak English. Don’t know what this says about the brain. Do you? Or does anybody?
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No, but it’s one of the fun unknowns that people like building conceptual models for… 
I’ve been so busy with work over the last couple of months that I’ve had very little chance to ‘actively’ learn Welsh, all I’ve really done is occasionally have Radio Cymru on in the background as I work and a little S4C.
With multiple deadlines met I had a weekend off, so I brought my first copy of Lingo Newydd for quite some time and have surprised myself with how easily I’ve been able to read it compared with the last copy that I got. There was something very satisfying to get to the end of “Chwedlau Cymru” on page 11 and be reading it rather than translating as I go. The contrast with the last time I tried to read was marked, things clicking into place in the brain while I was passively learning with Radio Cymru over the last couple of months.
Onwards and upwards! I’ve got a Welsh gossiping group to go to tomorrow, such fun!
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I remember reading somewhere that the areas of the brain that control the mouth and the hands are in some way linked/crosswired/you can tell I’ve forgotten the details. But it was mentioning how we often pull odd,fixed expressions - like biting one’s lip, or sticking a tongue-tip out when doing manually intensive activities - think of small children earnestly concentrating on a drawing, for example. (I think the original context was to do with the evolution of language, IIRC.)
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This happens to me too. Especially when I switch between languages in mixed company, i kind of default to Welsh sometimes!
Oh I taxed the car in Welsh this week. Thought this would be perfect as the DVLA is in Swansea. All fine until after paying a survey form about the experience popped up in English 
But then to my surprise the confirmation e-mail arrived completely in Welsh! and i understood it 
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What? Small children? (Wanders off somewhere quiet to grow up a bit…)
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Another small breakthrough: Just started learning Spanish and have noticed when I’m stuck for a word during the lessons, the first one to pop into mind is the Welsh word…not the English. Also, when explaining to my Welsh friend (hello Angela!) how I’ve started to learn Spanish…my brain gets confused and can’t decide which language to use.
There’s an interesting research project in here on language, brain area and the relationship between the two but it will have to wait until later.
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Well my latest breakthrough is that myself and Lara recently became members of ‘Cymdeithas Yr Iaith’ (Welsh Language Society) and we attended our first meeting in Aberystwyth on Friday, which was pretty good. We survived the two hour meeting and the resulting 4/5 hours in the pub with them afterwards and made some good friends.
I know a lot of people may agree/may not agree with the group - but the Aber bunch are really nice guys and made us feel very welcome and couldn’t believe we’d only be learning for a short time - and all were very praiseful about SSIW.
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I’m a member too
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Superb news!
I joined at the Urdd. Quite nervous going into the first one, but yeah! Superb. Didn’t tell anyone how long I’d been speaking until the pub part later though!
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