Yes unfortunately these discussions can end in rather vitriolic attacks. Sorry to hear they’ve been directed at you Nicky!
I’ve definitely found reading novels a more productive use of my time in terms of building vocabulary because it gives me a context I enjoy. I did not enjoy the repetitive nature of “Dewi is a dragon”.
For a way to train your ear, I found Idahosa Ness’ Mimic Method really useful. He has a free guide available for copying the lilt and natural rhythm of a language. It talks about things like natural stops and gaps in language. Where you leave out a sound but native speakers hear it. I guess a bit like the “f” at the end of a lot of Welsh words. It’s often not said but also not entirely left out. (As you can gather he’s much better at explaining this than me )
A group of bwtcampers were speaking Welsh in a local pub last week. THREE first-language Welsh speakers approached them during the evening and thanked them for learning and speaking Welsh! I think there are far more people out there that appreciate the efforts of learners than otherwise
I’ve been using SSIW for about a year and it is the reason I finally took up my native language in my fifties. I do use Duolingo (web version) on and off and it does help with reading, writing and seeing those words that I am only speaking using SSIW. I don’t think Duolingo alone would have done it for me, but it is a useful compliment to SSIW and does help my understanding. I must be the type who learns better when seeing the words. I’ve got some Welsh books to read, which should bring me on. Songs/lyrics would be great too when if I can ever find the time!
Personally, I have found Duolingo to be quite useful, but I think that’s because I’ve been using in a manner as close to the SSiW format as possible. For the Welsh-to-English sentences, I force myself to listen with my eyes closed and try to understand before looking at the text. For the English-to-Welsh sentences, I treat it just like a SSiW prompt and speak the translation before looking at whatever is in the word bank. I’ve noticed that when I take the extra time to run through a section that way, it sticks better than when I read the text or look at the word bank first, or don’t actually verbalize the answers.
A combination if SSiW and listening to BBC Cymru is infinitely better for hearing pronunciation and cadence, of course. Duolingo doesn’t seem like enough in isolation, but it does seem to complement other programs, in my experience.
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