March 29, 2006

A Little of Welsh

Welsh always sounded so pretty to me, like water running in a brook. Not that I can pronounce the words correctly; I think you have to learn really early if you want to do that, but it's fun to try.

c sounds like k, as in kite

ch sounds like something German; you have to cough up some phlegm.

dd sounds like th, as in there

f sounds like v, as in vanilla

ff sounds like f, as in famous
g is hard, as in glue

u sounds like ee, as in bling

a sounds like a, as in rat

au sounds like i, as in five

w usually sounds like oo, as in moon

y sounds like uh, as in plunder, except if it's the last syllable. Then it's i, as in script.

ll is the hardest for us to say and is almost physically impossible (I'm not making this up)
It is pronounced like a wet th then l.


Try:

-Llywelyn. Should be something like Thlu-oo-A-lin

-Gofynwch. Try Gov-uh-NOO-ch (cough the ch)

-Ysgrythurau. Oh boy. Usgra-THEE-rye

-Tystiolaethu. We can do it! Tuh-stee-oh-LAY-thee

Click Here to listen to a native speaker

2 comments:

Leighanne said...

I don't know a Welsh person to go as, nor do I have a costume, for a WElsh or anything else.

~JC

Leighanne said...

Because I thought it would be COOL and DIFFERENT! Do I have to have a reason to post strange and random things?

~JC