Tiny questions with quick answers - continuing thread

How about these options?
Adferu, Trwsio (which we had this recently), or just for the South: Potsio/potshan

On Iestyn’s page raising money for Calon Tysun through his Shwmaeathon, he says:

“Bydda i’n siarad Cymraeg am 24 awr gyda gymaint o bobl â phosib o bedwar ban byd i ddathlu diwrnod Shwmae Su’mae.”

Presumably “o bedwar ban byd” means something like “from all over the world” or “from across the world”? I can’t find this use of “pedwar” anywhere in my dictionaries. Can someone confirm?

Literally it says “from the four corners of the world”, so yes, it means “from all over the world”.

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Ahhh! That makes sense! Gwych, diolch!

I love all this word origin stuff. And you remind me that we can also use “sooner” to mean “rather” (although to my ears, it sounds a touch old fashioned).

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Here’s one from me: Is there a Welsh equivalent of “Emily”?

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I haven’t come across one, but if I do, I’ll let you know Huw!

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Question from my vicar friend in Birmingham, and no, I have no idea why he wants to know.
If an English crow makes the sound caw, what sound does a Welsh crow make?

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After I wondered if it was a bad joke he tells me no, it’s for a poem.

I guess it might be ‘crawc’ (which is what the dictionary gives for ‘caw’)

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This opens up a rich area and I’m sure you’ll get a good answer very soon.
edit: Siaron has already come up with the goods :slight_smile:
It shows that even onomatopoeia changes between languages.

All I can tell you for the moment is that a French cockerel will wake you up with “Coquerico” rtaher than our home-grown “Cock-a-doodle-doo” :smile:

i was first taught French by using a book called ‘cockerico’. All about a cock called cockerico so now indelibly imprinted in my memory followed by a turkey who said gou-gou, Madame canard etc etc. Still not sure the real life need for such a comprehensive education into farm yard animal sounds?

A bit OT, but Italian crows make “cra”.
Cockerels “chicchirichì” (ch sounds like Welsh c).

By the way, here cockerel is called “gallo” and a bunch of people, when I mentioned learning “gallese” (Italian for Welsh) asked me if it was the language of the roosters (or similar really bad jokes). :unamused:

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Flanders and Swann sing about them.

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They were brilliant, weren’t they? :laughing:

The sound of my childhood, along with Tom Lehrer.

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The meaning is “Industrious; striving” so is there a Welsh name that sums up those qualities? That may be the closest you get to an equivalent, perhaps.

how come it’s not "Sut dych chi’n dweud” and but “Sut ydych chi’n dweud””

The first is just a shortening of the second - they are equally correct.

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Regarding the call of a crow. There’s no chance that Brân would do as an alternative sound to craw, is there?

Meanwhile back to “Crow” -

You will probably recall from your time spent up North, that broad Northern dialects still pronounce Crow something like Crâ . Here’s something I just lifted from the Online Etymology Dictionary:
Old English crawe, which is held to be imitative of the bird’s cry. Compare Old Saxon kraia, Dutch kraai, Old High German chraja, German Kräke.

Didderol

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