Speaking Practice (summary + first WSP/Slack hangout!)

Welsh General / Questions
#1

There’s so many things in this forum that I’m a bit confused, so I’m sorry if I ask again.

I heard/saw many times at the end of challenges and around the forum “go out and speak any chance you get!”.
I guess for those who do not live in Wales this mostly means through the internet, right?

There seems to be two main resources for this:

  • one that’s about to start ( see the Big Change topic), for advanced learners/speakers.

One already active, that is:
www.saysomethingin.com/wsp
where you get access if you ask for an invitation via e-mail.
And you can find people and groups practising speaking in different days/time.
Is this correct?

But when are you supposed to join those?
At the end of level 2?
At the end of level 3?
At the end of the 6 month course?
Or anytime and you just say what you’re able to say and then just listen or maybe ask questions?

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Am I doing it right?
#2

yes, this!
On the WSP group in Slack there are people in all sorts of timezones. It is not a group exclusive to SSiW - there are also people in the group who have not learnt Welsh through SSiW, so everyone is welcome!

Depending on what technology you’re using, there are opportunities for chatting with others via video link or just audio, and you can do so in a 1-to-1 chat or in group hangouts.

Do come and join - although it might feel daunting at first, it’s a huge step towards improving your Welsh speaking and as you’ve noticed, can be the only option for ‘face-to-face’ for some learners.

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#3

Oh ok then, I’ll send the email request now and join the International online Welsh tavern. :wink:

Thanks! :slight_smile:

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#4

Hi Gisella,

Definitely consider joining, we’ve got a real wide range of people in WSP and a wide range of different scheduled hangouts that you might enjoy as well.

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#5

And to answer the last part of your question.

WSP is for everyone! We’ve got fluent lifelong speakers on there and we’ve got people who’ve just finished Course 1 Level 3.

Most people are somewhere in the middle, but whatever your skill level, you’ll be made to feel welcome!

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#6

As a mere minion, Id say join asap. I’m old enough to remember the old night classes where we learnt much more slowly than with SSiw. Even so, we were encouraged to also join in with pub or coffee meetings as soon as we could string a few sentences together. So why not give it a try. I have found that the Slack “meetings” tend to slacken off their pace :grimacing: to suit whoever turns up on the occasion. Go for it.

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#7

Alright. I sent the request of invitation. I suppose I’ll get more instructions when admin is on duty! :smiley:

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#8

Got the invitation, joined the group.
I will officially say hello later today and meet you there soon. :slight_smile:

Yesterday I only had a quick look to figure out the basics. I have a few doubts, though. Mind if I ask here? :grimacing:
I don’t see anything specific for beginners going on, but I see there’s two hangouts in the events calendar, tonight (with @Nicky) and Friday (with @siaronjames) - then I guess Milla again next Monday

I’m assuming time is all CMT (Cymru Mean Time), right? :wink:

Are they all open to all levels?
I don’t think I have enough vocabulary for a “show & tell” myself but I guess I might as well listen and maybe learn some new words?

Then, to participate, do I just click on “I’m interested” and show up at #hangouts channel when it starts?
Or you get a specific link?
Then you just click, a window or something just opens sort of like a Skype group call?
(I’m logged in to my google account, and normally use Opera or Firefox browsers)
Can you choose to do video or audio-only meetings? (depending on circumstances, available bandwidth, computer or smart phone etc.)

Sorry for so many questions!

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#9

Don’t worry about having questions @gisella-albertini - everyone does!

When you first join you are automatically entered into certain channels, but there are others.There is a channel specifically for beginners which you can join - if you click on the “channels” heading, you should see a list of all the channels and you can join any you are not already in from there. Nicky also holds a hangout in the beginners channel on a Tuesday, although he may not be doing one next week because it’s the eisteddfod.

You see the time as it is with you i.e. in your own timezone (it is automatically calibrated that way), so for example, I will see the time as, say, 7pm in Wales but at the same moment someone in Australia will see the time on their slack as 4am.

The hangouts (except Nicky’s beginners one) are certainly open to all levels. Of course there will always be words you don’t understand or speeds that are a little too fast, but that’s what you’d get in real life anyway! We are all very happy to slow down, repeat things, find a different way of saying things and even (shock, horror!) explain in English when necessary - all anyone has to do is ask and if that means asking a lot, that’s no problem either!

You are very welcome to come and listen to my show&tell hangout, but it would be brilliant if you did join in - the thing about it is is that the object you bring to show and ‘tell’ can be anything at all - even something as simple as your favourite cup! You can decide how much you want to say about it and prepare beforehand if you like - and it can be just a sentence or two if you wish. And it’s very relaxed, so I do hope you’ll give it a go.

If you want a private practice first, we could try a one-to-one chat on there first if you like!

When a hangout is about to open, the host will post a link in the hangout channel (except Nicky’s beginners hangout - that is posted in the beginners channel). Then you click it and a window opens like a Skype group call. You don’t have to have clicked “I’m interested”, you can just join the hangout.

It doesn’t work too well with firefox, although I think opera is ok. It seems to work best in chrome.
Yes, you can choose video or audio only and either is fine, although I would say the “show” bit of “show&tell” is a bit tricky without video :wink:

You’ll soon get the hang of it, I’m sure :slight_smile:

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#10

Hi Gisella,

Siaron has kindly put everything I was going to say there!

You will find beginner specific hangouts in the #beginners channel. I tend to run on these on a bit of a “changes every week” basis. We have beginners from all part of the globe, so every few hangouts changes from a regular timeslot to something a bit different to make it convenient for some of our overseas members.

This weeks for example, is this Friday - it starts at 6pm, but it will be finished by 6.45pm at the latest - giving you a nice quarter of hour coffee break before you’re able to join Siaron’s Show and Tell session - which I believe I may be joining for the first time this week because I’m actually here on a Friday!!

The beginners sessions are a bit more guided than a usual hangout, but I’ve generally found that after once or twice in a beginners hangout, most people realise their skills are better than they thought - and begin joining the “other” hangouts as well, even if just to play a small part.

Siaron’s show and tells are good because you can almost prepare in advance what you want to say.

Hope to see you in some soon :smiley:

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#11

Thanks a lot @siaronjames and @Nicky!

Well, this Friday seems quite a good day to start, with beginners hangout for sure and maybe at least a peek at the Show and Tell…if my brain’s not completely melted, yet. :stuck_out_tongue:

So if I understand correctly it will start at 6 PM (GMT) but I’ll see it automatically as 7 PM (my local time) and Siaron’s at 8 PM (as in fact I’m seeing it)

Right, the “show” part might be a little tricky without video! :smiley:
But sometimes I don’t have a good internet connection and/or the computer overheats with videos (especially these days, it’s over 35°C here)…so just to know all possible options.

In the meantime, I’ll probably have another look at Slack and say hello - so see you soon! :slight_smile:

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#12

Yesterday evening…my first hangout on Slack/WSP! That for me is also first time trying to say anything in Welsh to someone. Yay! :smiley: :champagne:

Thanks a lot @Nicky for the friendly welcome, plenty of explanations and of course thanks everybody in the group for the patience of suffering through all my questions and clumsy attempts to put together a few sentences. :grin:

I think this opportunity is REALLY AMAZING!

I was thinking that with English, the first time I had the chance to use it in the wild I had already studied it for 6 years but I realized after 30 seconds it was a whole new game.
At first you feel lost and confused, everything you know suddenly gets all messed up in the head and can’t remember a single word…you make mistakes, improvise, understand very little of what other people are saying.
But that kind of pressure to be able communicate really gives a huge boost to learning and motivation.

It would be impossible for me to find chances to speak Welsh on a regular basis here, so this WSP group is great!!!

I didn’t make it to @siaronjames hangout as well, but…next time. :wink:

Couple of tech notes for other beginners who might be worried:
connection was super easy and smooth (with oldish Mac+Opera browser) even though I was audio only because I have no working camera on that computer (I’ll find one in the future).

Diolch yn fawr! (Also @aran & SSiW)

p.s BTW. if you don’t see or hear from me on slack for a few days it’s just because I’ll be away and won’t be able to connect, not because I was shocked!!! :joy:

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#13

Well done for taking the first (huge) step on WSP - every next time will get a bit easier now :smiley:
Don’t worry about missing my hangout - a first hangout is tiring enough but two on the same night is exhausting when you’ve only just started, so I fully understand :wink:
I don’t think there are any ‘regular’ hangouts next week anyway, as we are all busy on our usual nights, but there’ll still be people around to have 1-to-1 chats or maybe impromptu hangouts.

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#14

Following this thread has been tremendously encouraging and helpful—thank you so much folks for addressing the main questions that have been holding me back.

I have been dithering, ready to dip my toe in the water, then running backwards as waves of anxiety gave me an excuse not to get wet, but in this heat I will get sunstroke unless I just take the plunge. If you hear squeals from Vancouver next week, it will be me :sweat_smile:

Nos da,
Marilyn

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#15

Go @MarilynHames go! :wink:

Consider that at the beginning of my first group chat, when Nicky suggested we’d all introduce ourselves I realized I didn’t know how to say “my name is” or even “I am”.
But it was enjoyable anyway and I learned new things - so I’m sure you can do great! :grinning:

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#16

Thank you again Gisella—your experience is a huge help! Maybe we will meet on Slack :slightly_smiling_face:. I hope so
Mari

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#17

Ah yes. I never thought of that, as it’s something that you learn at more traditional classes. However, [Name] ydw I does the trick. Saying that, if you were to accidentally say "Dwi’n [Name], I’m sure that no one would mind just the once.

That’s the thing of the Slack WSP (Welsh speaking practice) sessions. They are just for practicing and making mistakes in a safe environment.

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#18

In the next couple of weeks I won’t be able to connect much to Slack (if at all) but from the end of August and in Fall/Winter I’ll be there as much as I can for more practise and I’ll be happy to meet you! :slight_smile:

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#19

I live in the Welsh heartlands (it seems) in Caernarfon and I do try and practice some of my Welsh out there but it is still tricky. I have had a session on Slack with @siaronjames and @BronwenLewis and it has got me over that first scarey something new feeling. I’m off to Scotland tomorrow, manically packing my bicycle today, but when I’m back I am definitely going to use slack more. Finished the last challenge of level 2 this morning so I am all raring to go. Hopefully after a few more sessions I’ll gain that courage I need in the shops. :slight_smile:

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#20

Bear in mind that shops, far from an easy way to test the waters, are pretty much the deepest waters of all - all sorts of pre-built phrases that you need to be able to half-predict, huge time pressure, lots of big dialectical chunks - nothing easy about shops! Once you’re into regular conversation practices, the tougher stuff will gradually start to work itself out… :slight_smile:

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