Category: Travel

Novi Sad

By Simon

There are various polyglot activities scheduled for this afternoon and evening, and talks and lectures start tomorrow, so I have this morning free. I plan to do a bit of work on Omniglot, and will try to meet up with other people who are here for the conference.

Unlike in Berlin, where most people stayed in a large hostel and the polyglot gathering was in the same place, here in Novi Sad things are a bit more spread out – we are staying in various hotels around the city and the conference is taking place in a cultural centre. My hotel doesn’t have a restaurant and breakfast is available at a café round the corner.

It seems that smoking is permitted inside in some places here – ugh! Since the smoking ban came into force in the UK I’ve tried to avoid visiting places where indoor smoking is still allowed. I didn’t check before coming here and might not have come if I’d known. At least the weather is warm and sunny so I can sit outside and avoid most of the smoke.

I’ve spoken a bit of Serbian so far, and found that some people in hotels and restaurants speak English as well. Last night I shared a taxi from Belgrade to Novi Sad with one of the other conference participants – a Polish guy with Vietnamese roots. We talked mainly in French, with a bit of Spanish, English and Russian thrown in for good measure. The taxi driver spoke only Serbian, plus a bit of Russian and German, and I struggled to explain to him that one of the people who was supposed to be with us had missed his connection in Zurich, due to a delayed flight from London, and would be arriving later.

Air ais anns a’ Chuimrigh

By Simon

Thàinig mi air ais dhan a’ Chuimrigh oidhche Shathairne an déidh seachdain math dha rìreabh ann an Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Rinn mi cùrsa Òrain Ghàidhlig ri Christine Primrose, agus bu mhór a chòrd e rium. Bha tri duine deug anns a’ chlas à Alba, ‘nam Ghearmailt, às na Stàitean Aonaichte, agus à Sasann. Chan robh Gàidhlig ag na mór-chuid aca, agus bha i doirbh dhaibh na faclan a fhuaimneachadh mar bu chòir. Dh’ionnsaich sinn naoi òrain ar fhichead ré cóig latha, no timcheall sia gach latha. Anns an oidhche bha sinn a’ seinn, a’ dannsa, a’ bruidhinn agus bha sinn gu sona sunndach.

I got back to Wales on Saturday night after a great week at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. I did the Gaelic Song course with Christine Primrose and really enjoyed it. There were thirteen of us in the class from Scotland, Germany, the USA and England. Most of the others did not speak Gaelic, and it was difficult for them to pronounce the words correctly. We learnt 29 songs in five days, or about six a day. In the evening we sang, made music, danced, chatted and had a wonderful time.

Here are recordings from the cèilidh on Thursday night when we sang a some of the songs we learnt:

E ho leagain (Hi ho my pet one) – a milking song which praises a long-haired heifer who gives plenty of milk and never kicks.

Horo mo bhobagan dram (My friend is the dram) – a song in praise of whisky,

Tha Sneachd air Druim Uachdair (There is Snow on Druim Uachdair) – a song from the 17th century by Fearchair Mac Iain Oig from Kintail about a man who is on the run from the law and is hiding out in the hills where it’s cold and lonely. I sang solo for parts of this.

Carson a’ bhios sinn muladach (Why should we be down-hearted) – a song about young men going off to war together, and how they’re worried, but hope things will turn out well and that they’ll return.

Siud mar chaidh an càl a dholaidh & Cuir a nall Mor-a-Bhitheag (That is how the kale was ruined & Send on over Marion-a-Bhitheag) – two puirt à beul or pieces of mouth music, the first of which tells how the kale was ruined by the lowland men and the emperor of France, and the second concerns Marion-a-Bhitheag – the meaning of Bhitheag in this context is uncertain.

Gleann Cholm Cille

By Simon

My pedran bach harp

Tomorrow I’m off to Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille in Donegal in the north west of Ireland to do a course in harp playing. This will be the tenth time I’ve been there, though the first time I’ve done the harp course. Normally I go for a summer school in Irish language and culture where I do Irish language classes in the mornings and sean-nós singing in the afternoons.

The Irish language classes, at least the advanced level ones I do, tend to focus on using Irish to learn about and discuss things such as culture, politics, religion, and so on, which is interesting, though as my main interest is Irish music and songs, I’d prefer to concentrate on the singing, or singing and making music. Unfortunately they don’t offer sean-nós courses on their own, so I thought I’d do the harp course this year.

At the summer school last year a number of people mentioned the harp course and said how good it was, or that they were planning to take it, and this got me thinking about trying it myself. I’ve wanted to learn the harp for a long time, and earlier this year I bought myself a small harp from Pedran Harps (pictured top right), which I really enjoy playing.

Each time I go to Ireland my Irish (Gaelic) gets a bit better. I rarely get to speak it at other times, but keep it ticking over by listening to Irish language radio and reading Irish books and other material. I think the harp course will be taught in English, unless all the participants speak Irish, so I won’t use much Irish in class. Outside class I’ll speak Irish as much as possible. I’ll probably get to speak a few other languages as people from all over the world do the courses in Gleann Cholm Cille.

International Conference ICT for Language Learning

By Simon

Here is a conference that might be of interest to you: International Conference ICT for Language Learning.

It takes place in Florence in Italy from 13-14 November 2014, and will bring together teachers, researchers, practitioners and project managers from all over the world to share findings, expertise and experience about integrating innovative technologies and solutions into language teaching and learning.

The conference will also be an opportunity for sharing results achieved in language learning projects funded by the European Commission and by other sources.

Topic areas are intentionally broad to encourage a wide range of backgrounds, ideas, and discussions.

They are currently calling for papers, and the deadline for submission is the 4th August.

Yn ôl ym Mangor

By Simon

Mi wnes i gadael Leeds tua deg o’r gloch bore ddoe ac mi ddes i yn ôl i Fangor ar y trên trwy Manceinion a Crewe. Roedd rhaid i mi aros am fron awr yn Manceinion, ac yn ffodus ro’n i’n medru dod â cysylltiad wifi rhydd ac mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith. Mi wnes i cyrraedd ym Mangor tua dau o’r gloch ac roedd hi’n wyntog ac oer. Mi wnes i aros gatref neithiwr yn darllen ac yn gwylio rhagleni teledu ar y we.

I left Leeds at about 10am yesterday morning and came back to Bangor on the train via Manchester and Crewe. I had to wait for nearly an hour in Manchester, and fortunately I was able to find a free wifi connection and did a bit of work. I arrived in Bangor at about 2pm and it was windy and cold. I stayed in last night reading and watching TV programmes online.

Caneuon, dawns a bwyd

By Simon

Bore ddoe mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith ar Omniglot – wi wnes i ateb e-byst yn bennaf, fel arfer. Tua hanner dydd mi es i i’r prifysgol i weld perfformiadau gan myfyrwyr presennol yr adran Astudiaethau Asia Dwyrain. Mi wnaethon nhw perfformio tipyn bach o opera Beijing yn Mandarineg a Saesneg, ac mi wnaethon nhw adrodd sonedau Shakespeare yn Saesneg a Thai, ac mi wnaeth ferch yn canu cân pop yn Siapaneg. Mi wnaeth athrawes Thai dawns Thai traddodiadol hefyd. Mi wnes i crwydro o gwmpas Leeds am sbel yn y prynhawn, a gyda’r nos roedd pryd o fwyd yn nhŷ bwyta Tsieineaidd efo cynfyfyrwyr ac athrawon. Ro’n i ar fwrdd efo cynfyfyrwyr o 1995. Roedd y bwyd yn flasu iawn, ac mi wnes i mwynhau’r noson yn fawr.

Yesterday morning I did a bit of work on Omniglot – I mainly answered emails, as usual. At about midday I went to the university to see performances by current students in the East Asian Studies department. They performed bits of Beijing opera in Mandarin and English, and they recited some of Shakespeare’s sonnets in English and Thai, and one lass sang a Japanese pop song. A Thai lecturer also did a traditional Thai dance. I had a wander around Leeds in the afternoon for a while, and in the evening there was a meal in a Chinese restaurant with alumni and staff. I was on a table with alumni from 1995. The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the evening.

Leeds

By Simon

Mi ddes i i Leeds ddoe i gymryd rhan mewn dathliad hanner can mlynedd o Astudiaethau Tsieinëeg a Dwyrain Asia ym Mhrifysgol Leeds. Mi wnes raddio o Brifysgol Leeds â gradd mewn Tsieinëeg a Siapaneg ugain mlynedd yn ôl, a dyma dim ond yr ail tro i mi mynd yn ôl i Leeds ers hynny.

Mae’r dinas a’r prifysgol yn dal i adnabyddadwy, ond mae cryn dipyn o newidiadau yma, yn cynnwys llawer o adeiladau newydd, a llawer o hen adeiladau wedi cael eu adnewyddu a dacluso, yn arbennig ar lannau’r afon, lle dw i’n aros mewn gwesty Holiday Inn.

Mi wnes i gadael Bangor bore ddoe tua deg o’r gloch, ac mi es i ar y trên i Leeds trwy Cyffordd Llandudo a Manceinion. Ro’n i’n yng nghanol grŵp o bobl o’r Almaen ar y trên i Manceinion, ac mi wnes i clustfeinio ar eu sgyrsiau wrth i mi darllen llyfr. Mi wnes deall bron popeth, pan ro’n i’n canolbwyntio arnynt.

Ar ôl i mi cyrraedd yn Leeds, mi es i i’r gwesty, ac yna mi wnes crwydro o gwmpas y dinas a champus y prifysgol am sbel. Yna mi es i dderbyniad ar gyfer myfyrwyr, athrawon, cynfyfyrwyr a chyn-athrawon yr Adran Astudiaethau Dwyrain Asia. Roedd dau cynfyfyrwr o’r un flwyddyn â fi, ac un cyn-chydweithwraig o Taiwan y ddaeth i Leeds dwy flynedd ar ôl fi. Roedd areithiau, a sgwrs, a bwyd a diod, ac mi wnes i cwrdd â phobl o bob math, yn cynnwys hogan sy’n gwneud doethuriaeth ym Mangor, ond sy’n byw yn Llundain.

Ar ôl y derbyniad mi es i i dafarn yn undeb y myfyrwyr efo rhwy bobl eraill, ac yna i dafarn arall ger y gyfnewidfa ŷd. Mi es i yn ôl i’r gwesty tua hanner wedi un-ar-ddeg.

I came to Leeds yesterday to take part in a celebration of 50 years of Chinese and East Asia Studies at Leeds University. I graduated from Leeds Uni with a degree in Chinese and Japanese 20 years ago, and this is only the second time I’ve been back since then.

The city is still recognizable, but there are quite a few changes here, including many new buildings, and many old buildings that have been renovated and done up, especially along the river, where I’m staying in a Holiday Inn.

I left Bangor yesterday morning at about 10am and went by train to Leeds via Llandudno Junction and Manchester. I was surrounded by a group of Germans on the train to Manchester, and I eavesdropped on their conversations while I was reading a book. I understood almost everything, when I concentrated on them.

After arriving in Leeds I went to the hotel, then wandered about the city and the university campus for a bit. Then I went to a reception for current and former students and staff of the Department of East Asia Studies. There were two former students from the same year as me, and a former colleague from Taiwan who come to Leeds two years after me. There were speeches, and chat, and food and drink, and I meet all sorts of people, including a lass who’s doing a PhD in Bangor but who lives in London.

After the reception I went to a bar in the student union with a few other people, and then to a pub near the corn exchange. I went back to the hotel at about half eleven.

Leeds and neglected languages

By Simon

I’m in Leeds this weekend for an alumni reunion – it’s twenty years since I graduated from Leeds Uni with shiny new BA in Modern Chinese and Japanese Studies, and this is only the second time I’ve been back there since then. The East Asian Studies Department, where I studied, is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and there are various events to mark this.

I will be seeing old classmates and lecturers, and meeting others who studied in the same department at different times. It will be interesting to see where people have ended up and what they’re up to these days. I expect there’ll be some chat in Chinese and Japanese as well – my Mandarin is still fluent, but my Japanese is quite rusty.

On the train on the way here I was surrounded by Germans and was eavesdropping on their conversations. I could understand almost everything, when I concentrated, even though my German is perhaps even rustier than my Japanese. I did spend longer studying German, so perhaps it is more firmly embedded in my memory than Japanese.

Do you find that long neglected languages come back to you when you need them? Does it depend on what level you got to in them?

Goaill arrane son ushtey

By Simon

Hannee mee ayns Lunnin oie Jesarn, as moghrey jea ren mee rouail mygeayrt Lunnin. Hie mee dys Covent Garden er y traen fo-halloo, agh Cha row red erbee taghyrt ayns shen. Myr shen hooil mee dys Kerrin Trafalger, rish y Mall, as shaghey Plaasagh Buckingham. Va ratçh daawheeyl ayn – paart jeh triathalon. Eisht hooil mee trooid Pairk Noo Jamys as dys awin Thames. Hooil mee rish yn awin dys Droghad Toor ny yei shen, as dee mee kirbil. Haghyr mee er carrjyn voish Kior Pobble Bangor ayns shen as hie shin dys thie bee ry-cheilley.

Eisht ghow olteynyn y kior arrane rish olteynyn ram kioryn elley voish Sostyn, Nablin, Vretin Veg as Nerin – va mysh queig cheead jeu ayn, er lhiam, er son airgid y hroggal son WaterAid. Ny bleeantyn roish shen ghow mysh arrane roo hammah, agh mleeaney ren mee reaghey dy ve ‘syn lught eaishtagh, as v’eh yindyssagh.

I stayed in London on Saturday night, and yesterday morning I went for a wander around London. I got the tube to Covent Garden, but there wasn’t much happening there. So I walked to Trafalgar Square, along the Mall and by Buckingham Palace. There was a cycle race happening – part of a triathlon. Then I walked through St Jame’s Park and to the Thames. I walked along the river to Tower Bridge after that, and had some lunch. I bumped into friends from the Bangor Community Choir and we went to a café together.

Then the members of the choir, along with members of many other choirs from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland – there were about 500 of them, I think – sang in order to raise money for WaterAid. In previous years I have sung with them as well, but this year I decided to be in the audience, and it was wonderful.

Lunnin

By Simon

Hie mee dys Lunnin jea dys cur shilley er my vraar, my ven vraarey as m’inneen vraarey. T’ad cummal ayns arasane faggys da Droghad Lunnin as Margey Borough, agh t’ad smooinaghtyn er arraghey, as t’ad jeeaghyn er thieyn ayns Devon as ‘syn Chorn. T’ad goaill taitnys as shiaulley as by vie lhieu cummal faggys da’n cheayn.

Ansherbee, daag mee Bangor mysh leih oor lurg nuy as haink mee Lunnin mysh leih oor lurg munlaa. Hie mee dys my thie oast faggys da stashoon King’s Cross, as dys arasane my vraar ny yei shen. Dee shin kirbyl ayns shen – braddan, reise as sallaid – as haink mee ny quail rish m’inneen vraarey er yn chied cheayrt. T’ee queig meeghyn d’eash as t’ee eunyssagh.

I went to London yesterday to visit my brother, sister-in-law and niece. They live in a flat near London Bridge and Borough Market, but are thinking of moving, and are looking at houses in Devon and Cornwall. They enjoy sailing and would like to live near the sea.

Anyway, I left Bangor at about half nine and arrived in London at about half tweleve. I went to my hotel close to King’s Cross station, and to my brother’s flat after that. We ate lunch there – salmon, rice and salad – and I met my niece for the first time. She’s five months old and is delightful.