Sounds familiar

When I listen to languages I don’t know sometimes I like their sounds, other times I’m not so keen. I suspect that languages which sound at least vaguely familiar are more likely to appeal to my ears than those that sound completely alien, and that if I learnt any of those languages, my appreciation of them would increase.

As I get to know languages their sounds tend to grow on me, and the more I learn, the more I like them. In some cases, such as Irish and Scottish Gaelic, I liked the sounds of languages long before I could understand or speak them, in others, such as Taiwanese and Cantonese, I wasn’t overly keen on what they sounded like at first, but came to like their sounds. If I listen to other varieties of Chinese that I don’t know, then to one I do, it feels like ‘coming home’.

MG, MB & PP

Riyr hie mee dys cuirrey kiaull lesh Meinir Gwilym, arraneyder as screeudeyr arrane Bretnish voish Anglesey, as Mary Black, yn arraneyder ard-ghooagh Yernagh. By yindyssagh eh, as shoh yn chied cheayrt dy vel mee er n’akin bio. Fastyr jiu hie mee dys loayrtys lesh Philip Pullman, y ughtar ard-ghooagh ta screeu y treeskeealag “His Dark Materials”, as v’eh feer hymoil dy jarroo.

Neithiwr es i i gyngerdd gan Meinir Gwilym, y gantores a chyfansoddwraig o Ynys Môn, ac Mary Black, y gantores enwog o Iwerddon. Roedd yn ardderchog, ac dyna y tro cyntaf i mi clywed nhw yn fyw. Y prynhawn ‘ma es i i sesiwn gyda Philip Pullman, awdur y triawd o nofelau “His Dark Materials”, ac roedd hi’n ddiddorol iawn.

Criw Bangor

Ta sheshaght chiaullee ny ynseydaghyn Bretnish, Criw Bangor, g’aahoshiaght noght, as ta y sheshaght chiaullee pobble ayn noght neesht. Hem dys sheshaght chiaullee ny ynseydaghyn rish oor, as dys y sheshaght chiaullee elley ny yei shen.

Mae Criw Bangor, côr dysgwyr Cymraeg, yn ailgychwyn heno, ac mae’r côr cymuned yn ymarfer heno hefyd. Mi a i i Griw Bangor yn gyntaf am awr, ac yna i’r côr arall.

Oyster Band

Hee mee dys cuirrey kiaull lesh yn Oyster Band ‘syn Galeri ayns Caernarfon Oie Jedoonee shoh chaie. V’eh mie erskyn insh as honnick mee caarjyn voish yn sheshaghtyn chiaullee ayns shen.

Chuaigh mé chuig ceolchoirm leis an Oyster Band san Galeri i gCaernarfon oíche Dhomhnaigh seo caite. Bhí sé go hiontach agus chonaic mé cairde as na cóir ansin.

Mi es i i cyngerdd gan yr Oyster Band yn Y Galeri yng Nghaernarfon Nos Sul diwethaf. Roedd hi’n ardderchog ac mi weles i ffrindiau o’r corau fan ‘na.

Chinese in Liberia

China is apparently one of the largest overseas investors in Liberia and there are numerous Chinese people working there. As a result some Liberians have started learning Chinese and some of them are keen to visit China if they get the chance. Lessons are taking place in the Samuel Doe Stadium in Monrovia, and in the Confucius Institute, which opened in the University of Liberia in December 2008.

If the locals learn to read Chinese as well they will be able to understand the Chinese versions of the numerous agreements that are signed. There is even a Chinese language radio station there for the Chinese migrants and expats.

There are more than 20 Chinese language schools in Africa at the moment, according to this report.

Hangeul / Han’gŭl Day 한글날

Hangeul / Han'gŭl Day 한글날

Today is Hangeul Day (한글날) in South Korea, the day when they celebrate their alphabet. This year is the 563rd anniversary of the promulgation of Hangeul by King Sejong the Great in 1446.

According to The Korea Herald, the Korean government is keen to encourage people all over the world to learn Korean and plans to increase the number of Sejong Hakdang, centres teaching Korean, to 500 by 2015. At the moment there 16 Sejong Hakdang in China, Japan, Russia, USA and a couple of other countries, and there are plans to open a Korean language centre in Sri Lanka.

Korean is also apparently taught in hundreds of universities in some 60 countries, and increasing numbers of courses are offered in Asian countries such as China, Thailand, India and Japan. Also, some Korean companies with operations in China are offering incentives, such as promotions and business trips to Korea, to Chinese workers who become fluent Korean.

By the way, here’s a useful site that transliterates from Hangeul in Romanization and vice versa.