Cat on S4C today - Tuesday

[stephenbranley]

I watched it AND I UNDERSTOOD IT!

Well, some of it. Actually a lot of it. I’m really quite pleased with that. I found Cat a lot easier to understand than either of the hosts; she speaks nice and clearly! I paused every so often to take things in, and didn’t understand everything, but I think I got about Cat moving from Manchester, studying at Cardiff university, the idea of the ponchos, people bringing casseroles after her accident and how special the Welsh (speaking, presumably?) community is.

The word “Iestyn” came up once or twice, but I don’t know what that means

And bravo @anon86454181! Great performance.

[tatjana]

The word “Iestyn” came up once or twice, but I don’t know what that means

I love this one as I know that you know exactly what it means.

[gisella-albertini]

Hey, maybe the fact I’m familiar with her voice and accent helped, but I’m surprised I incredibly understood what she was talking about!!!

I understood she talked a bit about her background - I didn’t catch Manchester and Cardiff like @stephenbranley, but certainly about her studies, an accident, and her project of clothing that have something to do with the rain.
It’s weird that the word “casserole” which is the first I ever detected in an ocean of meaningless sounds seems to appear almost every time I hear someone speaking Welsh. It must be a very common dish over there!
I also understood her speaking about children learning Welsh at school but not using it outside, and the idea of talking about everything (and in every situation?) instead, football, rugby, swimming, in a shop - maybe?

But what does what I hear as “cymraegydolion” mean? That sounds pretty odd!

It’s quite funny the feeling I get while listening to this, it’s a bit like an audio version of word search puzzles:
unknownsound-unknownsound-unknownsound…dysgu Cymraeg…unknownsound-unknownsound…ysgol…unknownsound-unknownsound…[word I heard several times in the songs and can recognize but don’t know what it means]…unknownsound-unknownsound-unknownsound-unknownsound…[full understandable sentence that was probably part of the challenges!]…unknownsound-unknownsound-unknownsound… and so on!

Now, I have to try and listen to the radio show with @Nicky too.
Does anyone know the link to it?

[gisella-albertini]

I doubt they’d be keen to engage with one single lonely woman in one really little country who has actually nothing to contribute to any cause regarding Welsh languag but the solely that one of speaking it.

To tell the truth, I find your experience very interesting and motivating. If someone can learn Welsh in these circumstances…there’s really no excuse for people living in Wales!

[Hendrik]

what does what I hear as “cymraegydolion” mean? That sounds pretty odd!

That was probably when Cat talked about the time she met Iestyn, he was working as a tutor, teaching Welsh for adults: Cymraeg i oedolion

[gruntius]

Sorry to be late to this, I’ve just seen the clip. Da iawn @anon86454181 and good luck with the new venture. Brilliant to see familiar faces on the tellybox.

[stephenbranley]

I also understood her speaking about children learning Welsh at school but not using it outside, and the idea of talking about everything (and in every situation?) instead, football, rugby, swimming, in a shop - maybe?

I think - and I could be wrong here - that she was saying about using Welsh more in those situations as she was learning until eventually she was using it everywhere. I thought I heard her say " troi i Gymraeg" (turning to Welsh?) in those situations.

Hopefully someone will confirm or correct.

[tatjana]

I think - and I could be wrong here - that she was saying about using Welsh more in those situations as she was learning until eventually she was using it everywhere. I thought I heard her say " troi i Gymraeg" (turning to Welsh?) in those situations.

Yup. This is what I pulled out of said aswell and I believe I’m not wrong in such understanding.

[mikeellwood]

If Gary Owen didn’t speak about 4 times as fast as a normal person i’d be able to follow haha.

Yes, no need for speeded-up listening exercises if you just tune in to Gary pob dydd…

[Nicky]

Now, I have to try and listen to the radio show with @Nicky too.
Does anyone know the link to it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/m0000cz9

38 mins ish is me I believe

[gisella-albertini]

Now, I have to try and listen to the radio show with @Nicky too.
Does anyone know the link to it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/m0000cz9
38 mins ish is me I believe

Well, both of you guys speak too fast for my skills. I do catch the single words I’m familiar with, as usual, but they’re lost in an unknown dimension of sound. In the Twilight Zone, maybe?

I think I understood Nicky mentioned a website …(something)cymraeg.com, adopt a learner, people speaking on the phone or via skype, and people from different countries and…Pontypridd?

The guest (a lady) who spoke right before you, had an easier accent. But I didn’t understand much anyway, except she talked about learning too.

However…hey…I think I understood the first guest was Cian Ciaran of Super Furry Animals, talking about some protest and a problem related to “nuclear”.

See, a music background is always useful! Io

[HuwJones]

speak too fast for my skills

I get the chance to meet Nicky quite often nowadays and, I confess, I sometimes have to lip-read. The thing about his Welsh is its incredible authenticity. He uses a good range of colloquial throwaway phrases as well as exactly the right mix of English interjections. I have learned from him that, when you are quoting an English conversation, it’s perfectly apporopriate to quote it in English as long as you conclude with “meddai fe” / '“he said”

[gisella-albertini]

Although English quotes are not the problem for me. The problem is understanding everything else!

[Nicky]

I had a spare ten minutes, so here’s a rough translation - warts and all

38:41

Nicky: Y problem efo fi ydy fi yw’r enghraifft gwael i ddweud i gwir o rhywun sydd yn cymryd rhan yn unrhywbeth swyddogol achos wnes i ddysgu’r iaith heb dosbarth, heb cwrs (SSIW), heb dim byd i ddweud y gwir.

Nicky: The problem with me is that I’m a bad example to tell the truth, of someone that takes part in anything official because I learned the language without a class, (a SSIW bit got cut here - probably 15 seconds of speech) without a course, with nothing to tell the truth.

Mae’n gallu fod yn help weithiau a© dw i wedi bod yn rhedeg gwefan i gwneud rhywbeth eithaf debyg - useyourwelsh.com neu defnyddiwcheichcymraeg.com os oes 'well da ti, ers ychydig o mis nawr.

It can be a help sometimes, and I have been running a website to do something quite similar - useyourwelsh.com or defnyddiwcheichcymraeg.com if you prefer that, for a couple of months now.

Prif pwrpas o’r gwefan 'ma ydy jyst annog a ddenu pobl a busnesa sydd wedi bod yn feddwl am ddechrau dysgu’r iaith - achos fi’n gwybod llawer o bobl edrych at cyrsiau - a pethau fel 'na, a weithiau mae’n nhw’n gallu teimlo bach yn ofnus am ddechrau mas felly beth fi wedi bod yn gwneud efo useyourwelsh.com ydy gwneud casglaid o adnoddau “how to guides”, ddweud wrth pobl sut i gwneud pethau syml yn y Gymraeg, rhoi rhywbeth defnyddiol iddo nhw reit ar y ddechrau, pethau fel - sut i gofyn am help yn y dre, sut i brynu diodydd mewn bar, sut i brynu coffi lawr y cafe, sut i siarad dros y ffon.

The main point of the website is to just encourage and attract people and businesses that have been thinking about starting to learn the language - because I know that lots of people look at the idea of courses - and things like that and sometimes they can feel a bit scared about starting out. So what I have been doing with useyourwelsh.com is making a collection of resources, “how to guides”, telling people how to do simple things in Welsh, giving them something useful right at the start. Things like - how to ask for help in town, how to buy drinks in a bar, how to buy coffee down the cafe, how to speak over the phone.

Y peth arall dw i wedi gwneud ydy sefydlu rhaglen “mabwysiadu dysgwr” neu “Adopt a Learner” Mis Ebrill dw i’n meddwl wnes i ddechrau gwneud hwnna

The other things I have done is to set up an “Adopt a Learner” program in April I think I started that.

Garry: A mae hwn yn digwydd ar-lein ond yw e Nicky?
Wy jyst yn meddwl, oes rhaid cael elfen wyneb i wyneb dyddiau 'ma? neu… chi’n gwybod… ni’n byw yn yr oes digidol, oes cyfrifaduron - iPads ac yn y blaen, oes isie perthynas… Ti’bod 'na rhywun gyda ti yn yr ystafell neu ydy hi jyst yn hawdd i gwneud hi ar-lein?

Garry: And that happens online doesn’t it Nicky?
I’m just thinking, is there a need to have a face to face element these days? or… y’know… we live in the digital age, the age of the computer - iPads etc, is there a need for a relationship… y’know… that there is someone with you in the room, or is it just easier to do it online?

Nicky: Pan ti’n ymuno ti’n ddweud yn union beth ti isio mas o’r rhaglen - tasw ti’n mynd ar y wefan, ti’n gallu ymuno ni a mae’r ffurflen yn gofyn i ti pethau fel…

Nicky: When you join, you say exactly what you want out of the program - if you were to go on the website, you can join us and the form will ask you things like…

Pa fath o bethau wyt ti’n licio gwneud yn dy amser sbar? Achos fi’n trio cysylltu ti gyda rhywun sydd yn licio’r un math o bethau - felly, mae gen ti rhywbeth yn cyffredin er mwyn siarad am.

What type of things do you like to do in your spare time? Because I try and connect you with someone that likes the same type of thing - so, you have something in common to speak about.

A hefyd, achos fi’n… oeddwn i’n dysgwr hefyd, so fi’n eithaf deall beth mae pobl yn gallu teimlo fel pan mae’n nhw’n ddechrau, so un peth ar y ffurflen ydy like… ti’n gallu ddweud os ti isio siarad jyst dros ebost, os ti isio siarad jyst dros y ffon, os ti isio siarad dros Skype, os ti isio siarad jyst wyneb i wyneb. (CUT)

And also, because I’m… I was a learner also, so I quite understand what people can feel like when they start. So one thing on the form is… like… you can say if you want to speak just over email, if you want to speak just over the phone, if you want to speak over Skype, if you want to speak just face to face (CUT)

Beth sy’n bwysig i fi pan fi wedi bod yn rhedeg y rhaglen ydy jyst rhoi’r dewis i pobl i sefydlu’r rheolau eich hun.

What is important to me when I’ve been running the program is just giving the choice to people to set their own rules.

Mae’r partneriad ydy jyst beth ti’n gwneud mas o fe, mae’n hollol rhad ac am ddim. Bore 'ma wnes i checko - a fi wedi cysylltu mwy na mil o dysgwyr efo mil o siaradwyr mwy brofiadol, felly ti’n gallu dychmygu pa fath o…

The partners (meant to say Partnerships) is just what you make out of it, it’s totally free. This morning I did a check - and I have connected more than 1000 learners with 1000 more experienced speakers, so you can imagine what type of…

Garry: O lle mae nhw’n dod wedyn Nicky? Mas o ddiddordeb, dysgwyr dros y byd? dros Prydain? dros Gymru?

Garry: Where do they come from after Nicky? Out of interest, learners over the world? Over Britain? Over Wales?

Nicky: Ie… reit dros y byd, mae gen i bobl o Awstralia, Miami, Canada, hefyd beth sydd wedi gwneud fi chwerthin - ydy’r ffaith bod mae gen i un dyn o Minnesota, mae fe’n ar yr ochr siaradwyr mwy brofiadol, ond mae gen i un dyn o Minnesota sydd dal yn bwy ei bywyd hi(cangymeriad) trwy’r cyfrwng Cymraeg.

Nicky: Yeah, right over the world. I have people from Australia, Miami, Canada… also, what makes me laugh is the fact I have one man from Minnesota, he is on the more experienced speakers side - but I’ve got one man from Minnesota who still lives in his life through the medium of Welsh!

Mae gen i bobl o Ffrainc, Canada, Almaen, Pontypridd, ym Mhobman.

I’ve got people from France, Canada, Germany, Pontypridd, everywhere!

Garry: Hyd yn oed Pontypridd?

Garry: Even Pontypridd?

Nicky: Hyd yn oed Pontypridd ie… Hyd yn oed Pontypridd!

Nicky: Even Pontypridd, yeah! Even Pontypridd

[gisella-albertini]

Transcription and translation, that’s amazing! Thanks a lot!
Oh, and now I read it, I like the content too!

[Deborah-SSi]

Now go back and listen to it again @gisella-albertini to see how much more you can understand.

[Macky]

Great translation service. Some lovely tit bits that I hear everyday on the radiowhilst driving but can never remember when I have a pen in hand. Diolch yn fawr.

[Nicky]

The thing about his Welsh is its incredible authenticity. He uses a good range of colloquial throwaway phrases as well as exactly the right mix of English interjections.

This is the beauty of the SSI method. It teaches the Welsh you’ll hear down the pub, at the football, in cafes etc. Couple that with throwing yourself into these places and anyone will get brilliant results.

[gisella-albertini]

Just a quick test/question/curiosity:

What is the first question to @Nicky?
I hear something like:
“O ded dim din nodio cynllin wehinwl dysgu Cymraeg”

(My written Welsh is actually a mix of Italian, English and Welsh alphabets/phonetics at the moment, sorry!)

[Nicky]

I hear something like:
“O ded dim din nodio cynllin wehinwl dysgu Cymraeg”

To do a direct translation would probably overcomplicate things…

What he says here is essentially “I tried asking Nicky Roberts if he had used something like this when learning Welsh”