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Cymraeg yn unig
The Grail / Volume 4, No. 13 (1911)
Tafodieithoedd Morgannwg
Gan T. Jones, Ysgol y Cyngor, Dunraven, Treherbert
The dialects of Morgannwg / Glamorgan, by T. Jones, The
Council School, Dunraven, Treherbert
Edrychid yn bur aml gan yr anwybodus a'r anghyfarwydd gyda gradd o
ddirmyg ar dafodieithoedd yn gyffredin fel rhywbeth y dylid eu hesgymuno o'r
tir. Cynhwysant, meddent hwy, y fath nifer o eiriau sathredig fel mai y peth
goreu i wneud ohonynt ydyw eu diarddel, a mabwysiadu iaith safonol yn eu lle.
Yn ffortunus fedrwn ni y Cymry ddim gwneud hyn oblegid ein tafodieithoedd ydyw
prif sylfaen ein holl ymddiddanion a'n llenyddiaeth.
Generally people
ignorant of and unfamiliar with dialects very often look on them with a degree
of contempt as something that has to be done away with ('excommunicated from
the land'). They contain, they say, so many debased words that the best thing
to do with them is disown them, and adopt a standard language in their place.
Fortunately we the Welsh cannot do this because our dialects are the cornerstone
('main foundation') of all our conversations and our literature
Mae gennym nifer o dafodieithoedd, a mwy fyth o is-dafodieithoedd, ond hyn sydd
ryfedd, fel mynn rhai gredu yn rhagoriaeth y naill dafodiaith ar y llall. Ac
We have quite a number of dialects, and even more
sub-dialects, but what is odd is how some people insist in believing in the
superiority of one dialect over another. And I know of no other kind of Welsh
spoken by the ordinary people of all the dialects of Wales which is the target
of so much contempt as the language of the inhabitants of Morgannwg is
Peth digon cyffredin yw clywed pobl Dyfed a Gwynedd yn difrïo iaith Morgannwg a
chyhoeddi ei hanghyfiawnderau a'i diffygion fel petae eu hiaith hwy yn safon
llên y genedl.
It's fairly usual to hear the people of Dyfed and
Gwynedd maligning the language of Morgannwg and exposing what is unjust about
it and its defects as if their language was the literary standard of the nation
Na, y mae gan y Wenhwyseg rai llenorion y medr ymffrostio ynddynt, pe enwid yn
unig Dafydd Benwyn, a beirdd Tir Iarll; pwy hyotlach ei bin na Ewart James,
awdwr yr Homiliau (1606), neu bwy ysgrifennodd cyn hardded Cymraeg a Thomas ap
Iefan o Drebryn, Morgannwg, neu bwy mwy llithrig a dyddorol na'r hynod Matthews
o'r Ewenni - prif nofelydd y Wenhwyseg fel y gwêl y neb a ddarlleno "Nyth
y Dryw" neu "Siencyn Penhydd."
No, the Gwentian dialect has some writers it can be
proud of, even if we were to name only Dafydd Benwyn, and the poets of Tir
Iarll; who wrote more eloquently ('who was more eloquent his pen') than Ewart
James, the author of 'Yr Homiliau' (= the Homilies) (1606), or who wrote in
Welsh as beautifully as Thomas ap Iefan from Tre-bryn, Morgannwg, or who [was]
more fluid [in style] and more interesting than the remarkable Matthews from Yr
Ewenni - the prime novelist in Gwentian as anyone who reads "Nyth y
Dryw" ('the wren's nest') or "Siencyn Penhydd" ('Siencyn of
Penhydd farm') can see.
Bu hefyd mewn bri nid yn unig lenorion ein gwlad, ond hefyd gan
bregethwyr Morgannwg. Ysgwaethiroedd, maent hwy bellach yn ei gwadu ac yn
ymarfer y Ddyfedaeg, neu yn dynwared y Wyndodeg gan dybio eu bod yn fwy yn y
ffasiwn, ac mai sarhâd ar eu dychymyg fyddai seinio yr a fain a'r
cydseiniau celyd. Nid oes, bellach, olynwyr i'r diweddar William Ifan o
Donyrefail, nac i William John o Benybont.
Not only the writers of our country were renowned, but
also Morgannwg preachers. Unfortunately they now reject it and make use of
Demetian (= the dialect of south-west
Llefarai rhain a nifer o'u cydoeswyr yn iaith gynhefin Morgannwg, a dyma un
rheswm dros eu llwyddiant gyda'r lluoedd. Da fyddai pe bae iaith y pwlpud yn
fwy cydweddol â'r iaith lafaredig.
These and a number of their contemporaries spoke in the
native language of Morgannwg, and that is one reason for their success with the
masses. It would be a good thing if the language of the pulpit was more in
keeping with the spoken language
Ond, er graddol farw o'r Wenhwyseg, ni chaiff ei geiriaduriaeth na'i
neulltuolion ieithyddol fynd ar ddifancoll. Yn hyd y blynyddoedd diwethaf yma
bu llawer o hel ar eiriau Morgannwg, a mawr y blas a gafwyd yn y gwaith.
But in spite of the gradual dying out ot Gwentian, its
lexicography and its linguistic peculiarities won't be lost for ever. In the
last few years there has been a great deal of collecting of Morgannwg words,
and it has been a very enjoyable task
Heblaw cael helfa dda o eiriau, cafwyd i'r ystên bopeth sydd yn anwyl gan bobl
y broydd a'r bryniau a garant swyn swn hen benhillion {sic} telyn, hen
ddiarhebion, ofergoelion, ystoriau pentan, chwedlau a llên gwlad. Os am ystên
lawn, ewch i'r encilion lle trig hen bobl a lle mae'r nwyd Gymreig yn bur ei
naws ac yn loyw fel y grisial.
Besides getting a good collection of words we've also
put in the jug with (note: the image is collecting bilberries in a jug on the
mountainside) everything held dear by the people of the uplands and the
lowlands who love to hear the old verses sung to the accompaniment of the harp
('harp verses'), superstitions, fireside stories, legends and country lore. If
you want a full jug go to those isolated spots where old people live and where
the Welsh passion is pure in nature and as bright as crystal
Yno, y clywch hwynt yn "wlîa" - nid ydynt yn
"siarad" neu barablu "jargon," ond yn chwedleua yn ôl arfer
yr hen Gymry. Ond o hir graffu, gwelir ddefnyddio ganddynt eiriau a brawddegau
cyn anhybyced i ardaloedd ereill o Gymru fel yr edrychid arni fel iaith arall
hollol.
There, you'll hear them using the word "wlîa"
(Note: this is the word in the south-east for 'to talk', in standard Welsh
'chwedleua', to relate accounts. In modern Welsh the standard words is
"siarad", from French "charade" from Occitan
"xarrada" = conversation) - they don't used the word 'siarad' or
speak 'jargon' - they use a form of the word 'chwedleua', the word used by the
Welsh people in olden times. But if you observe over a period, you'll see they
use words and sentences so unlike other areas of
Ac felly y mae mewn gwirionedd, mae treigliad amser wedi gwneud gwisg ei geiriau
yn fwy syml, ac wedi dwyn i fewn gyfnewidiadau tarawiadol iawn. Hefyd, mae
graddau y dirywiad yn mwyhau fel yr ewch o orllewin Morgannwg i'r dwyrain.
And so it is really, the passage of time has made the
outward appearance ('the dress') of the words simpler, and has brought in very
striking changes. Also, the extent ('degrees') of the decline increases as you
go from western Morgannwg to the east
I'r neb sydd erioed wedi talu rhith o sylw i'r Wenhwyseg, tarewir ef ar
unwaith â symlrwydd a phertrwydd ei hymadroddion. Nodweddir hi gan ryw urddas
cartrefol, mae iddi osgo chwimwth sydd yn cyd-fyned â meddwl cyflym y deheuwr.
Er amlyced yw hyn i'r rhai sydd yn gyfarwydd â'r iaith, ofnwn rhag eu cyhuddo o
bartiaeth yn canu ei chlodydd a dyfynnwn farn arall.
Anyone who has ever paid the least bit of attention to
the Gwentian is at once struck with the simplicity and attractiveness of its
expressions. It is characterised by a certain homely dignity, it has a rapid
gait which suits the quick mind of the southerner. Although this is so evident
to those familiar with the language, I'd be afraid of accusing them of bias
singing its praises and I'd quote another opinion.
Nid ydys yn traethu ond gwirionedd hen, a chaiff Wyndodwr ddatgan ei farn am ei
symlrwydd. Meddai y Dr. Pughe, mewn llythyr o'i eiddo i Mr. Cox, a ddyfynnir yn
"History of Monmouthshire," "The general character of this
dialect (i.e. the Gwentian) is a majestic simplicity, the expressions being
always full and free from contractions." Mae y dyb yma yn hollol gywir
oddigerth y frawddeg "free from contractions." Nid yw yn rhydd o'r
anffawd yma mwy nag unrhyw dafodiaith arall.
One is only expressing an old truth, and someone from
Gwynedd shall state his opinion on its simplicity. Dr. Pughe [a noted lexicographer
and grammarian], in a letter to Mr. Cox quoted in the "History of
Monmouthshire," "The general character of this dialect (i.e. the
Gwentian) is a majestic simplicity, the expressions being always full and free
from contractions." This supposition is completely correct except for the
phrase "free from contractions." It is not free of that unhappy trait
any more than any other dialect.
Eto, mae symudiadau ei brawddegau yn lled gyflym, mor gyflym na fedr mo'r
Gogleddwr eu deall hwy, a chwyna yn enbyd weithiau. "Cwyna yr olaf (sef y
Gogleddwr) eu bod yn methu deall gwyr y De, gan fuaned eu parabl; a phrin y mae
gan y Deheuwr ddigon o amynedd i wrandaw ar wyr y Gogledd, gan mor hirllaes ac
araf y torant eu geiriau" ("Llythyraeth yr Iaith Gymraeg," tud.
34, Silvan Evans, 1861).
Yet the movements of its sentences are fairly rapid, so
rapid that the northerner can't understand them, and sometimes complains
greatly. "The latter (that is, the northerner) complains he is unable to
understand the southerners, since they speak so fast; and the southerner is
hardly likely to have enough patience to listen to the northerners, since they
are so drawling and slow in saying their words. (Grammar of the Welsh Language,
page 34, Silvan Evans, 1861
Gorffwys parhad a defnyddioldeb unrhyw dafodiaith ar dri o alluoedd;
sef, gallu i hwyluso seiniau geiriau, gallu i fabwysiadu a chydweddu geiriau
newyddion ac estronol, a gallu i gadw geiriau oesoedd cynt yn ei meddiant. Wedi
ymchwil manwl gellir dweyd fod pobl Morgannwg wedi llwyddo i wneud hyn tu hwnt
i fesur.
The continuance and usefulness of any dialect depends
on three abilities, namely, the ability to make the sounds of words easier, the
ability to adopt and assimilate new words and foreign words, and the ability to
keep words from past ages in its possession. After detailed research it can be
said that the people of Morgannwg have managed to do this beyond measure
Mae yn eu meddiant ddigon o eiriau - rhai miloedd mewn gwirionedd. Mae eu
hiaith yn gyfoethog o eiriau tlysion, swynfawr; mae yn doreithiog o eiriau
sarrug a thaiog; mae ganddi chwedleuon parod ac atebion parotach fyth, a stôr o
cyffelybiaethau a geiriau deublyg; ie, mae ynddi ddigon o ynni a rhamant i fod
eto o ddefnydd parhaol.
It has in its possession enough words - many thousands
in fact. Its language is rich with splendid and attractive words; it has an
abundance of sour and churlish words; it has a stock of tales and repartee
('ready tales / legends and even readier answers'), and a store of similes and
words with double meanings; yes, there is enough energy and romantic features
in it to still be of enduring use
Pan gofir safle ddaearyddol Morgannwg, natur arwynebedd y fro, - cyn agosed
ydoedd i ymosodiadau y gelyn ac i'r llanw Seisnig, - y syndod yw pa fodd y
galluogwyd hi i wrthsefyll yn erbyn cefnllif y Sacson, y Norman, a'r Sais,
heblaw sôn am oresgyniad masnachol ein dyddiau ni.
When the geographical position of Morgannwg is
considered ('remembered'), the nature of the surface of the lowland - it was so
close to the attacks of the enemy and the influx ('tide') of English - the
surprise is how it was enabled to resist in the face of the flood of Saxons,
Normans, and English, not to mention the economic conquest of our days
Cyn dechreu o'r Goresgyniad Masnachol tua 1760-1795, cawn taw Cymraeg
bur oedd i'w chlywed hyd a llêd y sir. Dyma'r gwrthwynebedd a'r difrodydd mwyaf
andwyol ar yr Wenhwyseg. Newidiodd y dull o fyw, cymerodd masnach lofaol le yr
amaethyddol, a chafodd hyn, felly, effaith ddistrywgar ar fywyd ac iaith
amaethyddol y sir. Ond hyd yn oed pe canieteid hyn, mae ynddi eto ddigon o
undeb corfforol i'w gwneud yn allu nerthol yn y tir.
Before the Economic Conquest around 1760-1795, we find
that pure Welsh has to be heard the length and breadth of the county. This is
the most damaging adversity and destruction that has affected Gwentian ('on the
Gwentian'). The style of life chance, the coal trade took the place of
agricultural trade, and so this had a destructive effort on the agricultural language
and life of the county. But even if this is permitted, there is i it yet enough
physical unity to make it a strong power in the land
Hwyrach cawn fwrw golwg agosach ar ffiniau tafodieithoedd Morgannwg a'u
neilltuolion ieithyddol. Byddai unrhyw ymdrech ar hyn o bryd i nodi yn gywir y
ffiniau yn anfoddhaol o herwydd prinder defnyddiau at y gwaith. Ond cyn belled
ag yr â sylwadaeth ac ymchwiliad mae yma dair tafodiaith amlwg, sef, y
Wenhwyseg Bur, neu dafodiaith Blaena a Bro Morgannwg, tafodiaith Cwm Nedd, a
thafodiaith Cwm Tawe. Penderfynnir pob ffin yn ôl rhyw arwyddion ieithyddol, a
cheisiwn eu nodi.
Later we shall take a closer look at the boundaries of
the dialects of Morgannwg and its linguistic traits. Any attempt at present to
note the boundaries exactly would be unsatisfactory because of the lack of
materials for the work. But so far as commentaryand investigation goes there
are three obvious dialects, namely, Pure Gwentian, or the dialect of the
Blaenau and Bro Morgannwg (the Morgannwg uplands and lowlands), the dialect of
Cwm Nedd (the valley of Nedd / Neath). Each boundary is decided by certain
linguistic indications, and we'll try to note them.
Mae sain y llafariad a yn penderfynnu un ffin. Cofier fod dwy a
ym Morgannwg, y naill yn hir a'r llall yn fain. Ceir y cyntaf i'r gorllewin o'r
Cefn Mawr a'r Foel Fynyddau, a'r a fain (nodir hi yn yr ysgrif fel ä)
i'r dwyrain o'r un ffin. Perthyn y cyntaf i'r Ddyfedaeg, ond mae'r a fain
yn briodoledd neilltuol o'r Wenhwyseg Bur.
The sound of the vowel a decides one boundary.
Remember that there are two a's in Morgannwg, one long and the other 'narrow'.
The first is found to the west of the Cefn Mawr (= big hill / big ridge) and
the Foel Fynyddau (= bare mountains), and the narrow a (in this article
we write it ä) to the east of this boundary. The first belongs to
Demetian (Note: the dialect of Dyfed, or south-west
Cyfetyb hefyd i
"â" y Gernywaeg a thebyg ydyw i frefiad dafad, yr un ag a geir yn y
Seisnig baa. Dywed Mr. Jenner yn ei lawlyfr ar y Gernywaeg am yr
"ä" yma fel hyn, "â long, the lengthened sound of a short,
not as the English broad a i father, or long a in name...
Thus bâ would have something between the sound of the English bare in
the mouth of a correct speaker and the actual sound of the bleat of a sheep
(Handbook of the Cornish Language, by H. Jenner, p. 56).
It also correponds to the Cornish "à" and it
is similar to the bleat of a sheep, the same as you have in the English baa.
Mr. Jenner in his handbook on Cornish says this about the "â" -
"â long, the lengthened sound of a short, not as the English broad a
i father, or long a in name... Thus bâ would have
something between the sound of the English bare in the mouth of a
correct speaker and the actual sound of the bleat of a sheep (Handbook of the
Cornish Language, by H. Jenner, p. 56).
Petae Mr. Jenner yn un o wyr y Gloran, neu o wyr y Fro,
If Mr. Jenner was one of the 'people of the Gloran' (a
nickname for
Mae trigiant yr a fain,
fel y dywedwyd eisoes, i'r dwyrain o'r Cefn Mawr sydd rhwng Cwm Nedd a Chwm yr
Afan {sic; = Cwm Afan}. Cynnwys y ffin yma sy'n rhedeg o'r Kenffig {sic: =
Cynffig}, ar hyd drum u Cefn Mawr, hyd at Aberdâr a Merthyr, gymoedd poblog
Morgannwg, sef yr Afan, Corrwg, y Garw, Ocwr, Lai, Rhondda, Cynon, Taf, a Rhymi,
a bro Morgannwg.
The location of the 'narrow "a"' as we have
already said, is to the east of the Cefn Mawr which is between Cwm Nedd (the
Nedd valley, the Neath valley) and Cwm Afan (the Afan valley). This boundary
which runs from Cynffig ('Kenffig'), along the ridge of the Cefn Mawr, as far
as Aberdâr and Merthyr, includes the populous valleys of Morgannwg (Glamorgan),
namely the Afan, Corrwg, Garw, Ocwr (= local form of Ogwr), Lai ('Ely'),
Rhondda, Cynon, Taf, a Rhymi (= local form of Rhymni), and the lowland of
Morgannwg ('the Vale of Glamorgan')
Adnabyddir y mynyddoedd ym mhen uchaf y sir fel y "Bleinia"
(Blaenau). Bu llawer ymgyrch rhwng "Gwyr y Bleinia" a "Gwyr y
Fro" nes aeth yn "wetiad" gan yr olaf, "Myswynoch rhog Gwyr
y Bleinia," neu "Myswynoch rhog Gwyr y Fro," neu "Myswynoch
rhog Gwyr y Gloran," - trigolion Cwm y Rhondda yr rhai {sic} oedd yn
nodedig am wneud difrod ar feusydd ffrwythlon y Fro, a dwyn eu gwartheg
blithion.
The mountains at the top end of the county are known as
the "Bleinia" (standard form - Blaenau. This means 'uplands'). There
was much fighting between the "Gwyr y Bleinia" (uplnad people) and
the "Gwyr y Fro" (lowland people) until it became a
"wetiad" (Gwentian form of "gwediad / dywediad" = saying)
with the latter, "Myswynoch rhog Gwyr y Bleinia," (= Ymswynwch rhag
Gwyr y Blaenau = cross yourself / make the sign of the cross to protect you
from the upland people), "Myswynoch rhog Gwyr y Fro," (...against the
lowland people) or "Myswynoch rhog Gwyr y Gloran," (...against the
Gloran people) - the inhabitants of the Rhondda who were notorious for wreaking
damage fertile fields of the Lowland, and stealing their fat cattle
I'r gorllewin o'r ffin yma y mae gwyr Castell Nedd, neu fel yr adwaenid
hwy ar lafar gwlad "Gwyr y Mera." Ni fynnai gwyr y Fro gael un
cyfathrach â hwynt, oblegid
"Yr Abbey Jacs a'r Mera breed
'Dos dim o'u bäth nhw yn y byd."
To the west of this boundary are the people of
Castell-nedd, or as they are known colloquially "Gwyr y Mera" [the
people of the 'Mera']. The inhabitants of the lowland / the Vale of Glamorgan
wanted nothing to do with them, because
"The Abbey Jacks and the Mera breed
There's nothing like them in the world" [Abi-Jacs = inhabitants of
Mynachlog-nedd ('Neath Abbey')
Penderfynnir y ffin nesaf yn ôl y modd y defnyddir "a" neu
"e" yn sill olaf geiriau. Mae sylwi ar ynghaniad y gair bach
"ia" neu "ie" yn ddigon i'n dwyn i gasgliad lled gywir. Ac
er ychwanegu y prawf sylwer ymhellach sut yr ynghaner y geiriau ac
"a" yn y sill olaf - pa un ai "petha" ynte
"pethe"; "llawan" ynte "llawen," ac yn y blaen.
Fe'n cynhorthwyir yma gan ffeithiau ereill, sef arwynebedd y tir, a
phwysigrwydd trefydd Abertawe a Chwm Nedd.
The next boundary is decided by the way that
"a" or "e" is used in the last syllable of words. Observing
the little word "ia" or "ie" is enough to bring us to a
fairly accurate conclusion. And in order to have further proof note ('in order
to add the proof observe further' how words with "a" i the final
syllable - whether it is "petha" or "pethe" [= things],
"llawan" or "llawen" [= merry], and so on. We are aided
here by other facts, that is the area of the land, and the importance of the
towns of Abertawe (Swansea) and Cwm Nedd (the Nedd / Neath valley)
Mae cors wlyb Crymlin yn un pen o'r ffin rhwng tafodiaith Cwm Nedd a
thafodiaith Cwm Tawe, ac y mae pwysigrwydd marchnataol Abertawe a Chwm Nedd yn
penderfynnu i raddau, rhediad y ffin o'r gors ymlaen, rhwng Llansamlet a
Sciwen. Mae yn ymrannu yn agos i Cwmdu {sic}, ac oddiyno â i'r Hirfynydd, gan
ddilyn Sarn Helen hyd at Bont Nedd Fechan.
The wet bog of Crymlyn at one end of the boundary
between the dialect of Cwm Nedd and the dialect of Cwm Tawe (the valley of the
Tawe), and the economic importance of Abertawe (
I'r dwyrain o'r ffin
yma yr "a" sydd gyffredin, megys "ia," "llawan,"
"patall" (padell), "catar" (cadair).
"Tri pheth sy'n llonni'r bachan,
Gweld gwraig y ty'n llawan," etc
to the east of this boundary the "a" is
general, such as "ia" [= yes], "llawan" [= merry], "patall"
(padell) [= pan], "catar" (cadair) [= chair].
"Three things which cheer the lad / see the woman of the house
merry", etc
I'r gorllewin o'r un ffin yma "e" sydd gyffredin.
Nodwedd neilltuol iawn o eiddo holl dafodieithoedd Morgannwg ydyw caledu'r seiniau
meddal - g, b, d - i fod yn rhai celyd - c, p, t - megys "maci"
(magu), "popi" (pobi), "catw" (cadw). Ceir y seiniau yn
niwedd geiriau deusill. Clywir yr acen galed yma o Afon Lliw hyd Sir Fynwy
To the west of this same boundary "e" is
general. A very special trait belonging to all the dialects of Morgannwg is the
hardening of the soft sounds - g, b, d - to be hard ones - c, p, t - as
"maci" (magu) [= to bring up, to breed], "popi" (pobi) [=
to bake], "catw" (cadw) [= to keep]. The sounds are found at the end
of two-syllable words. This hard accent is heard here from Afon Lliw ('the Lliw
river') to Sir Fynwy ('Monmouthshire').
Ni ddaw tafodiaith Gwyr o fewn ein hystyriaethau, oblegid ychydig iawn o
Gymraeg sydd is law "Penclôdd," ys dywed gwragedd Gwyr.
Gwelir oddiwrth y sylwadau uchod fod yna dair tafodiaith yn ffynnu ym
Morgannwg; sef y Wenhwyseg, yr hon a gynnwys yr a fain, y ddiweddeb a, a'r a yn
y goben; tafodiaith Cwm Nedd, yr hon sydd debyg i'r Wenhwyseg oddigerth nad oes
ganddi mo'r a fain; a thafodiaith Cwm Tawe, lle ffynna dim ond un
nodwedd neilltuol o'r Wenhwyseg, sef y cydseiniau celyd.
The dialect of Gwyr [= Gower] won't come into our
considerations, because there is very little Welsh below "Penclôdd,"
as the women of Gwyr say.
From the above we see that there are three dialects thriving in Morgannwg;
Gwentian which has the narrow 'a', the ending 'a', and the 'a' in the
penultimate syllable (??); teh dialect of Cwm Nedd, which is similar to
Gwentian except that it doesn't have the 'narrow a'; and the dialect of Cwm
Tawe [the valley of the Tawe], where only one special feature of Gwentian
flourishes, namely the hard consonants.
Y mae yn orchwyl dyrys ddigon i chwilio allan nodweddion gramadegol
unrhyw dafodiaith fyw, ond ceisiwn er hynny enwi rhai o bwyntiau amlycaf
seiniau y llafariad {sic} a'r cydseiniau, ac y diweddwn hyn o lith trwy roddi
rhai geiriau henafol y Wenhwyseg.
It's a fairly complicted task to search out the
grammatical characterisitcs of any living dialect, but in spite of this we'll
try to point out some of the most prominent points of the vowel and consonant
sounds, and we'll end this article by giving some ancient Gwentian words
Pareblir a, e ac i yn amlwg a chlir; mae yr a cyn
amlyced fel nad amhriodol fyddai galw'r Wenhwyseg yr a dafodiaith; y mae
e y goben yn hir, e.g., mêlîn ac nid mêlin fel yn Ddyfedaeg; nid oes un
gwahaniaeth rhwng i, u, ac y - seinir hwynt fel i; mae'r o
yn debyg i'r o yn y geiriau Seisnig note, vote, megys gôfin,
ôfan (ofn), ond y mae o o flaen n ac r yn fyrr, megys llonni, torri.
[The sounds] a, e and i are spoken prominently and
clearly; the a is so prominent that it isn't inappropriate to call Gwentian the
'a' dialect; the 'e' of the penultimate syllable is long e.g., mêlîn [= mill]
and not mêlin as in Demetian; there's no difference between i, u, and y
- they are pronounced like i; the o is simila to the o in
the English words note, vote, as gôfin [gofyn = to ask], ôfan (ofn) [=
fear], buto in front of n and r is short, like llonni [= cheer up], torri
[= to break].
Yr mae'r o yn hollol annhebyg i o y Ddyfedaeg. Y mae
llafariad o flaen llt, sc, sp ac st yn fyrion, megys mêllt, Pâsc,
llîsc (llusg), clîst. "Ymddengys," meddai Silvan Evans, "fod y
dull hwn yn fwy cysson â theithi y Gymraeg, ac â chyfaledd ieithoedd yn
gyffredin" ("Llythyraeth yr Iaith Gymraeg," tud. 33). Try a,
e ac i i'r llefariad {sic} dywyll (obscure vowel) yn aml iawn, ond
gan nad oes ond yn unig gofod i'w grybwyll awn heibio iddi.
the o is quite different o tthe o in Demetian. The
vowel o before llt, sc, sp and st is short, as in mêllt [=
flashes of lightning], Pâsc [= Easter], llîsc (llusg) [= dragging], clîst [=
ear]. "It seems," says Silvan Evans, "that this way is more in
keeping with the traits of Welsh, and with the analogy of other languages in
general" ("Grammar of Welsh," page 33). The letters a, e
and i tuen into the obscure vowel very frequently, since there is only
space to give it a mention we'll pass it by
Eto, gair ar y cydseiniau. Mae d yn cael ei dilyn gan i yn troi
yn "ji", megys jiofadd (dioddef); jiocal (diogel); aiff
f ar goll yn lled aml, ac y mae h bron darfod a bod yn llythyren
fyw os na fydd angen am bwyslais neilltuol, e.g. y nhw yn ("nhw"),
dihîna, a phan yn dilyn y rhagenw ym dodir h i fewn, e.g. ym harian
i, ym hallwath i; ond mae wedi ei llwyr golli mewn rhai geiriau, megis ar
wa'än, gwaniath (gwahaniaeth),a dîno (dihuno).
Again, a word about the consonants - d followed by i
changesinto ji, such as jiofadd (dioddef) [= suffer], jiocal (diogel) [= safe].;
f is frequently lost, and h has lamost ceased to be a living letter if there is
no need for special emphasis, e.g. the combiniation nhw in the word
"nhw" [they], dihîna [dihuna = wake up!], and when it follows the
pronoun ym an h is put in, e.g. ym harian i [= my money], ym
hallwath i [= my key]; but it has been completely lost in some words such as ar
wa'än [ar wahân = apart, separate], gwaniath (gwahaniaeth), [= difference], and
dîno (dihuno) [= to wake up].
Try s yn sh pan (1) yn gyfartal â si, neu ji neu ja yn
Seisnig; (2) mewn geiriau unsill, megys mish (mis), prish (pris), (3) ynghanol
geiriau - mishol, tishan (teisen) shishwrn (scissors); ac (4) pan bo d neu
t yn cael eu dilyn gan i, neu u, megys, scitsha
(esgidiau), tsha (tua). Mae rhai geiriau, serch hyny, wedi arbed y dirywiad
yma, megys siwr (sywr, ac nid shiwr na shwr), plêsar, swgir, crîs (crys), cros
(croes), tros.
The sound s becomes sh when (1) it is equiva,ent to si,
or ji or ja in English; (2) in monosyllable words, like mish
(mis) [= month], prish (pris) [= price], (3) in the middle of words - mishol [=
monthly], tishan (teisen)[= cakes], shishwrn (scissors); and (4) when d or
t are followed by i, or u, as, scitsha (esgidiau) [=
shoes], tsha (tua) [= towards]. In spite of that, some words have been spared
this debasement, such as siwr (sywr, and not shiwr or shwr) [= sure], plêsar [=
pleasure], swgir [= sugar], crîs (crys) [= shirt], cros (croes) [= cross], tros
[= over].
Nodwn, cyn tynnu i'r terfyn, rai geiriau glywir bob dydd, rhai am eu
hynodrwydd, ereill am eu henaint, ac ereill am eu dyddordeb cyffredinol. Hyd yn
oed yn eu cyfarchiadau beunyddiol tynnant ein sylw. Wele atebion i'r cyfarchiad
syml, "Shwd ych chi heddy?" - "Iownda" neu "Iownda
dä" neu "Ionwda drwg" neu "Piwr diginnig" neu
"Tlawd a Bälch" {sic; ond yn sicr ddigon "balch", nid
"bälch"
.
We shall note, before drawing to a close, some words heard every day, some
because of their remarkability, and others for their general interest. Even in
their daily greetings they draw our attention. Here are responses to the simple
greeting "How are you today?" "fairly (good)" or
"fairly good" or "fairly bad" or "extremely well"
('incomparably pure') or 'poor and proud'.
Ereill a'n hatgoffa ni pan oedd addoli Mair a Phabyddiaeth yn nerthol yn
ein gwlad, megys "ma'n gorwadd dan i grwys,” " Mäb Mair i'th
ran," "Arîa!" (Ave Mair neu Ave Maria), a'r "Fari
Lwyd" neu y "Feri Lwyd" fel y gelwid hi yn y Fro. Wele
frawddegau eto sy'n dwyn ein meddyliau yn ôl i'r Canoloesoedd: "Dir dalo
iti" (Duw a dallo itt Mabinogion). "Rhäd Duw ar y
gwaith," "Bendith Duw ar y gwaith," ac feallai "Dir di
shefoni'n brudd."
Others remind us of when the worship of Mary and
Catholicism was a powerful force ('was powerful') in our country, such as
"ma'n gorwadd dan i grwys”, [mae ef yn gorwedd o dan ei grwys = he's laid
out for burial 'he's lying under his cross'], " Mäb Mair i'th ran, "
[Mäb Mair i'th ran = may the son of Mary be with you 'the son of Mary to your
part'], "Arîa!" (Ave Mair neu Ave Maria), and the "Fari
Lwyd" or the "Feri Lwyd" as it was called in the Lowland. [Holy
Mary, literally 'grey Mary', a wooden horse's head used in Christmas
celebrations]. Here are some more senteneces which take our thoughts back to
the Middle Ages - "Dir dalo iti" (Duw a dalo itt Mabinogion)
[may God pay you]. "Rhäd Duw ar y gwaith," [= the grace of God on the
work], "Bendith Duw ar y gwaith," [= the blessing of God on the work]
and maybe "Dir di shefoni'n brudd." ['may God claim us (or: our
lives) seriously'
I'r sawl a garai'r gwaith o'u casglu mae toraeth dda o hen eiriau y
Mabinogion yma, ond rhoddwn ychydig o honynt, megys - ys, y rhagenw
"i" ac nid ei, y diweddeb ws o wys y Mabinogion, gwaith yn golygu
effaith, rhog (rhag), i miwn (i mywn, Mabinogion), i mäs (i maes, Mabinogion),
diwetidd (diwedd dydd, Mabinogion), i fynidd (i vynydd, Mabinogion),
siwr (Med. W. sywr) {= Medieval Welsh}, whech, whär (whaer), cymrid (cymryd, Mabinogion),
gwilad (gwylat, Mabinogion) cwplo cwpla (cwplaf, P.K. , Mabinogion),
hiol O.W. hoil) {= Old Welsh}, pilgin (pylgein), pwysig (weighty, Lat., pensum)
{Latin
,
ñ {For those who like the work of collecting them, this is a great abundance of
old words from the Mabinogion here, and we shall give a few of them, such as - ys
(= is), the pronoun [poessesive] "i" and not ei, the ending ws
from the form wys found in the Mabinogion, "gwaith" meaning
"effect" [usually = work], rhog (rhag) [0 for], i miwn (i mywn, Mabinogion)
[= inside], i mäs (i maes, Mabinogion) [= outsied], diwetidd (diwedd
dydd, Mabinogion) ['diwetydd' = 'end-day', i.e. afternoon], i fynidd (i
vynydd, Mabinogion) [i fynydd = up], siwr (Medieval Welsh sywr) [=
sure], whech [chwech = six], whär (whaer) [= sister], cymrid (cymryd, Mabinogion)
[cymryd = to take], gwilad (gwylat, Mabinogion) [gwylied = watch over],
cwplo cwpla (cwplaf, P.K. , Mabinogion), [cwblháu = finish] hoil O.W.
houl) {= Old Welsh} [haul = sun] pilgin (pylgein) [plygain = midnight mass],
pwysig (weighty, Lat., pensum) {Latin} [pwysig = important],
briwo (to pound small) (Lludd a Llefelys), digoni ("or druc
digonit," BBC), cyflwyna (to take presents, M.W. cyflwyn), gorod (gorfod,
"gorfod cymod â thi." Myf. Arch., tud 58), diwarnod (diwarnawd, Mabinogion),
yma lle, yna lle (Ac ene lle y Kerdus enteu ar wyr powys." Hanes G. ap
Cynan), rhacod
("Gwaith teg yw marchogaeth ton.
I ragod pysg o'r eigion.")
(D. ap Gwilym) {= Dafydd ap Gwilym}, ys llawer didd a llwffan (Med W lloppaneu)
{= medieval Welsh}.
briwo (to pound small) (Lludd a Llefelys), digoni
("or druc digonit," BBC) (= bake), cyflwyna (to take presents, M.W.
cyflwyn), gorod (= be obliged) (from gorfod, as in "gorfod cymod â
thi." = be obliged to be reconciled with you. Myfyrian Archaeology page
58), diwarnod (= day) (diwarnawd, Mabinogion), yma lle, yna lle (Ac ene lle
y Kerdus enteu ar wyr powys." Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan ), rhacod (= ambush,
waylay; in Morgannwg = save, protect; prevent from doing sth, stop from doing
sth)
("Gwaith teg yw marchogaeth ton.
I ragod pysg o'r eigion.") (= Ride a wave is fair work, to catch a fish
from the ocean)
(D. ap Gwilym) {= Dafydd ap Gwilym}, ys llawer didd a llwffan (Medieval Welsh
lloppaneu) (=?? Morgannwg scitsha'n lwffan = [of shoes] be too loose
Gwelir, oddiwrth hyn o lith gymaint ddyddordeb sydd yn y Wenhwyseg i'r
ieithyddwr, ac hyd yn oed, i'r darllennydd cyffredin.
There can be seen from this article how much interest
there is for the linguist in Gwentian, and even for the general reader
(DIWEDD / END)
_________________________________________
DOLENNAU AR GYFER GWEDDILL EIN
GWEFAN / LINKS TO THE REST OF THE WEBSITE
1004e
Y Wenhwyseg - iaith Gwent a Morgannwg
Gwentian - the dialect of Gwent and Morgannwg
·····
1051e
mynegai i destunau Cymraeg â chyfieithiadau Saesneg
index to Welsh texts with English translations
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0223e
yr iaith Gymraeg
the Welsh language
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