Celtic
Ocean Home : 
Aspects
of Wales : The
Welsh Language - Cymraeg As stated in the introduction to Wales, the Welsh language is older than either French or German and has roots, via its Celtic ancestry in Sanskrit, which was the classical literary language of India.
There is little room in this article to provide a comprehensive lesson about the Welsh language. However, the following notes may be of some assistance for visitors to this ancient land, where the Welsh language is alive as the mother tongue to thousands of people, especially in West, Mid and North Wales. Interestingly, the dialects are quite different between the South West of Wales and the North.
All the letters in the Welsh language are pronounced and the adjective follows the noun, as in Castell Coch - Castle Red - Red Castle.
Pronunciations
CH as in Bach - which means 'Little' and is pronounced as the German composer - Bach.
F is pronounced V as in Felinfoel, Lanelli. Pronounced Velinvoil
FF is a soft F the same as the English PH. For example Caerphilly is the anglicised version of the town of Caerffilli .
I is pronounced EE, as in Dinas - Deenas.
LL is sounded by placing the tongue at the front and top of the mouth and then blowing through the teeth, as in pronouncing, Llanelli, Llandudno, Llanon, etc.
Y is pronounced Uh as Ystrad is pronounced Ustrad.
W in Welsh is pronounced OOH as in Dwr meaning water and pronounced Dooer.
Some Useful Words:
| Welsh | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
| Aber | Abber | Mouth of River | Aberaeron - Mouth of the River Aeron |
| Afon | Avvon | River | Afon Taf - River Taff |
| Castell | Castell (LL as in Llanelli) | Castle | Castell Coch - Red Castle |
| Cefn | Cevn | Ridge on a Hill | Cefn Mawr - Big Ridge |
| Coed | Coyd | Wood | Cefn Coed - Ridges on wooded hill |
| Craig | Crige | Rock or Crag | |
| Bore Da - | Borreh Daa | Good Day - as in Hello | |
| Bryn | Brinn | Hill | |
| Cymraeg | Cumryge | Welsh | |
| Cymro | Cumro | Welshman | |
| Cymru | Cumree | Wales | |
| Diolch | Dee olch (the ch as in bach) | Thank You | |
| Darren | Darren | Rocky Hillside | |
| Da iawn | Da yeown | Good | |
| Diawn Diolch | Die yeown dee olch | Very good thank you | As in a reply to, 'How are you?' |
| Diolch yn Fawr | Dee olch unn vower | Thank you Very Much | |
| Dynion | Dunnion | Men | You might really, really need this word! |
| Erw | Erroo | Acre of land | |
| Fach | Vach (as in Bach) | Little | Rhondda Fach (Little RhonddaValley) |
| Ffordd | Forrth | Road | |
| Glan | Glan | Bank of River | Glan Hafren -Bank of the River Hafren |
| Gwyn | Gwinn | White / Fair | Bryn Gwyn - Hill White -White Hill |
| Harlech | Harlech | Beautiful Rock | As in Harlech, North Wales |
| Iawn | Yee-own | Good | As above - Da iawn - very good |
| Iechyd Da | Yeckid Da | Good Health | (With a full glass) |
| Llan | As in Llanelli, Llandudno | Church | Llandudno - Church of St. Tudno |
| Maes | Mice | A Field | Maes glas - Green field |
| Mam | Mam | Mother | |
| Mamgu | Mam-ghee | Grandmother | |
| Melin | Mellin | Mill | Melindwr - Water mill |
| Merched | Merch-ed | Lady | Remember this word, you might really, really need it! |
| Moel | As in Moil | Bare Hill | |
| Mor | More | Sea | |
| Mynydd | Munnith | Mountain | Mynydd Preseli (Pembrokeshire) |
| Nant | Nant | Stream | |
| Nos Da | Noss Daa | Good Night | |
| Pant | Pant | Hollow or Valley | Pantglas - Green hollow or valley |
| Parc | Park | A park | |
| Pen | Pen | Head | Penarth - Head of Arth( ur ) or Bear |
| Pentre | Pentre | Village | Pentrebach - Little village |
| Plant | Plant | Children | |
| Plas | Plass | Mansion | Plasnewydd - New mansion |
| Pont | Pont | Bridge | Pontnewydd - New bridge |
| Pwll | Pull - Ll as Llanelli | Pit or Pool | Pwllheli - salt water pool |
| Rhos | Rrhosse | Moorland | Rhos Fawr - Big moorland |
| Rhyd | Rrheed | Ford or Stream | Ryd Lewis Ford of Lewis |
| Sarn | Saarrn | A paved path | Sarn Helen - a Roman Road |
| Saesneg | Sise-neg | English | |
| Siarad | Shee-arrad | Speak | As in 'Siarad Cymraeg?' - 'Do you speak Welsh?' |
| Stryd | Streed | Street | Stryd Fawr -High Street |
| Tad | Tard | Dad | |
| Tadcu | Tardcee | Grand Dad | |
| Tre | Tre | A Home, a Town | Treherbert - Town of Herbert |
| Ty | Tuh | A House | Tynant - House by the stream |
| Waun | Wine | Moorland | |
| Y (Before consonants) | Uuh | The | Y Ddraig Goch (Uhh Thry goch) The Red Dragon |
| Yr (Before vowels | Urr | The | Yr Allt - the hillside or wood |
| Ystrad | Ustrad | Valley or Vale | Ystradowen - Vale of Owen |
