I remember reading an Icelandic ghost story, where the dead man rises from his grave because he was buried on a north-south axis instead of east-west (I’m not sure which end the head and feet went, but quite probably the same as in Wales). The thing was, you could tell the storyteller came from the north of Iceland, because they settled all around the coasts, and so usually one of the compass points gets replaced by ‘out (to sea)’: the ghost had been buried ‘out and south’ instead of east and west. If you told the same story in the east, it’d be ‘north and south’ instead of ‘out and west’.
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Ooh, how very interesting - a bit like that indigenous Australian language (/s?) that only use points of the compass instead of left/right - fascinating how such tiny shifts can create entirely different mindscapes…
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Totally unrelated but I think very interesting … I heard somewhere that they describe the future as behind them and the past as being ahead, opposite to how we do. It makes sense when you think that you can see the past but not the future.
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I did a linguistics puzzle thing online that was based on the directions used in a language spoken on a mountainous island (maybe volcanic? – one mountain in the middle). So they did the complete opposite of the Australian absolute thing: cardinal points were uphill, out to sea, clockwise around the mountain, and anti-clockwise. Our ‘North’ could be any one of their four, depending whereabouts you were on the island when you consulted your compass 
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how would we translate the Welsh placename Cilcain - a fine nook? … a small village now…was the rallying point for many locals heading on the first wave to Patagonia! (I grew up nearby!)
Word(s) of the Day 06/12/2018
Are you ready for this…?
Nadolig [nad-all-lig] = Christmas
Tymor y Nadolig [tum-more uh nad-all-lig] = Christmas season
Gŵyl [goo-will] = holiday/festival
Llawen [llah-when] = jolly/merry/happy
Paratoi [para-toy] = to prepare
Addurn [ath-thirn] = decoration
Addurniadau [ath-thirn-yad-eye] = decorations
Addurno [ath-thirn-no] = to decorate
Seren [ser-ren] = star
Angel [ang-ngell] = angel
Golau [gol-lie] = light
Goleuadau [gol-lie-add-eye] = lights
More Christmas vocabulary soon… 
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Words of the Day
I thought these phrases may be of use as the Christmas season gains momentum…
Dw i isho/eisiau paratoi at y Nadolig = do-ee ee-sho/ey-shy para-toy at eh nad-all-igg
Dw i angen paratoi at y Nadolig = Dw i ang-enn para-toy at eh nad-all-igg
Mae’n rhaid i mi baratoi at y Nadolig = mine hra-eed ee mee para-toy at eh nad-all-igg
Dw i’n paratoi at y Nadolig = do-een para-toy at eh nad-all-igg
Dw i’n mynd i baratoi at y Nadolig = do-een mind i bara-toy at eh nad-all-igg (mind as in Mindy not as in minder)
Dw i wedi gorffen paratoi at y Nadolig = do i wed-ee gore-phen para-toy at eh nad-all-igg
Dw i isho/eisiau paratoi at y Nadolig means I want to prepare for Christmas
Dw i angen paratoi at y Nadolig means I need to prepare for Christmas
Mae’n rhaid i mi baratoi at y Nadolig means I have to prepare for Christmas
Dw i’n paratoi at y Nadolig means I am preparing for Christmas
Dw i’n mynd i baratoi at y Nadolig means I am going to prepare for Christmas
Dw i wedi gorffen paratoi at y Nadolig means I have finished preparing for Christmas
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Thank you so much for this!!
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I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and new year filled with fun and love!
I thought I’d begin the year with some appropriate words and phrases for January.
Blwyddyn newydd = bluey-thin new-with
Blwyddyn newydd dda = bluey-thin new-with tha
Adduniad = ath-in-yad (soft ‘th’ as in fathom)
Adduniad blwyddyn newydd = ath-in-yad bluey-thin new-with
Dechrau = dech-rah (dech as in deck but with the Welsh ‘ch’ sound on the end)
Dechrau’r flwyddyn newydd = dech-rah-ear fluey-thin new-with
Dechrau’r flwyddyn newydd efo… = dech-rah-ear fluey-thin new-with evo (‘ev’ as in ever and not as in evening)
Dechrau o’r newydd = dech-rah or new-with
Blwyddyn newydd means new year
Blwyddyn newydd dda means happy new year (good new year)
Adduniad means resolution
Adduniad blwyddyn newydd means new year’s resolution
Dechrau means to start/to begin
Dechrau’r flwyddyn newydd means the start of the new year
Dechrau’r flwyddyn newydd efo… starting the new year with…
Dechrau o’r newydd means to start anew
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Diolch, Catrin! I’ve just noticed your great additions! Not sure how I missed them until now.
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Hmmmmmmm, I need to fix this thread.
My initial(1) intention(2) was to post word(s) daily(3). But I can be rather forgetful(4) when it comes to committing(5) to things which are outside my usual(6) routine. So I’ve made a decision(7) to set a daily alarm(8) on my phone to remind(9) me to post a Word of the Day every morning, come rain o’r shine. Let’s hope it works and I’m sorry for not being more organised(10)!
- Cychwynnol = kuch-won-all (Welsh ch sound)
- Bwriad = boor-yad
- Dyddiol = duh-thee-all
- Anghofus = ang-hov-iss
- Ymrwymo = erm-rooee-mo
- Arferol = are-verr-all
- Penderfyniad = penn-der-vun-yad
- Larwm = la-room
- Atgoffa = at-goff-far
- Trefnus = trev-niss
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Brilliant! Thank you. I can’t explain in grammatical terms but Its really helpful to see a verb that we have learnt in other contexts such as bwriadu to intend and bwriad - intention. More please 
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Word(s) of the Day 01/02/2019
Parddu = par-thee
Pardduo = par-theo
Pardd means soot
Pardduo means to grime, to blacken or to besmirch.
A scandal could easily pardduo your name, unless you have enemies who’ve already done that for you. 
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Listen to parddu/pardduo by Word of the Day #np on #SoundCloud
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Word of the Day 04/02/2019
Ail-fyw = aisle-view
Ailfywiogi = aisle-view-yogi
Ail-fyw means relive, as in to relive an experience, memory or feeling.**
Ailfywiogi means to revive or to bring back to life.
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Word(s) of the day 05/02/2019
Cyflwyno = kuv-lewin-oh
Cyflwynydd = Kuv-lewin-ith
Cyflwyniad = Kuv-lewin-yad
Cyflwyno means to present
Cyflwynydd means presenter
Cyflwyniad means presentation
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Word(s) of the Day 06/02/2019
Awgrym = ah-oo grimm
Awgrymiadau = ah-oo grum-yad-aye
Awgrymu = ah-oo-grummie
Awgrym means suggestion
Awgrymiadau means suggestions
Awgrymu means to suggest
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I’ve always used awgrymiad and the dictionary states both that and awgrym for suggestion. What’s the difference between the two please?
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No real significant difference in usage. Both mean the same and both are in common use and you’ll always be understood whichever you chose.
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…I’m recovering from slapping myself on my forehead… I spent time yesterday looking for the word for word. I do follow this thread now, don’t I? 
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