Clwb Iwcalili

By Simon

Heno mi es i i’r grŵp sgwrsio Ffrangeg yn gytanf, ond doedd neb arall yno, felly mi wnes i sgwenu e-bost hir. Pan ro’n i’n ar fin gadael am 8 o’r gloch mi ddaeth ddau arall, ond mi wnes i ddim aros gan ro’n i’n ar y ffordd i’r clwb iwcalili yn y tafarn Groegeg. Heno oedd cyfarfod cyntaf y clwb ers misoedd, ac roedd llawer iawn o bobl yna – mwy nag erioed o’r blaen. Doedd dim digon o iwcalilis am bawb, ond mi wnaethon ni ymdopi yn eithaf da. Yn anffodus roedd y tafarn yn swnllyd ac yn llawn dop ac roedd troellwr yna, felly dan ni’n chwilio am le arall tawelach.

Tonight I went to the French conversation group first, but nobody else was there, so I wrote a long email. When I was about to leave at 8 o’clock two others came, but I didn’t stay as I was on the way to the ukulele club in the Greek. It was the first meeting of the club for months, and many people were there – more than ever before. There weren’t enough ukuleles for everyone, but we managed fairly well. Unfortunately the pub was noisy and crowded and there was a DJ, so we are looking for a quieter place.

I forgot the elephant!

By Simon

The elephant I forgot

A few days ago after the Bangor Languages Learners’ meet up, I was talking to one of the other members of the group and suddenly exclaimed, “I forgot the elephant!”, and hurried back into the café to retrieve it. As he commented, it’s not a phrase that often comes up in conversation. The elephant in question is a small white one from Morocco that usually lives on my mantelpiece, but which had taken up temporary residence on the table in the café where we met so that people who hadn’t been to the group before could find us. When we left the café I forgot to take the elephant, and only remembered when I went outside.

Many people suggest that you should focus on learning the most frequently-used words of a language first, and only learn the less common ones later, if you really want to. However, I like to learn both frequently-used words and obscure words because you never know when you might need them.

Do you focus exclusively on frequently-used words, or do you like learning obscure and unusual words as well?

Can you imagine a situation in which you would say “I forgot the elephant!” or something similarly unusual?

Cerddoriaeth

By Simon

Fel arfer, mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith y bore ‘ma – mi wnes i ateb e-byst a rhoi recordiadau newydd ar y tudalen ymadroddion Sinhaleg – ac roedd sesiwn cerddoriaeth yma yn y prynhawn. Roedd tri ohonon ni yma y prynhawn ‘ma yn chwarae amrywiad o offerynau a cherddoriaeth. Gyda’r hwyr mi es i i’r côr cymunedol Bangor ac mi wnaethon ni’n canu caneuon yn Saesneg, Cymraeg a Xhosa, ac roedd llawer o bobl yna, yn cynnwys rhyw pobl newydd.

As usual, I did a bit of work this morning – I answered emails and put new recordings in the Sinhala phrases page – and there was a music session here in the afternoon. There were three of us here this afternoon playing a variety of instruments and music. In the evening I went to the Bangor Community Choir and we sang songs in English, Welsh and Xhosa, and there were plenty of people there, including some new ones.

Polyglot chat

By Simon

Last night there were three of us at the polyglot chat group, which I’ve renamed Bangor Language Learners and which now at different times in a different venue. When I set up the group earlier this year my idea was that it would give me and other polyglots a chance to get together to chat in a variety of languages. Some weeks there have been enough of us to have several different conversations in different languages, other weeks there have been only a few of us and we have talked mainly in English, or in other languages we all had in common, like Welsh or German.

During the summer quite a few of the regular attendees were away and the meetings petered out. Then with the start of a new academic year I thought I’d change the focus of the group and make it for anybody who is learning a language, rather than just people who already speak several languages. After discussion on Facebook we came up with better days and times and so far we’ve had two meetings, which have gone well. Last night, for example, there were three of us and we spoke mainly in Welsh and French, which are the languages we have in common, along with English. I’m hoping numbers will increase as more people hear about it.

After the language learners group last night, I went to Global Café, a group run by Bangor University Christian Union which aims to bring together international and local students, and others. I started going to it while I was a student, and have been going on and off since then, though haven’t been regularly for a few years as it clashed with the ukuele club. The ukuele club has now moved to another night and I can go to Global Café again. It’s a great way to meet people from many countries and to practise a variety of languages – as well as English I spoke Mandarin, French, German, Spanish and a bit of Italian, Cantonese and Hungarian last night. I really enjoy opportunities like this. Is there anything similar in your area?

Dydd amlieithog

By Simon

Dydd eitha nodweddiadol oedd ddoe efo tipyn bach o waith yn bore, ac yn y prynhawn mi wnes i ymarfer y piano, y gitár ac offerynnau eraill, ac mi wnes i dysgu tipyn bach mwy o Lydaweg. Gyda’r nos mi wnes i darllen, a gwilio rhaglen teledu arlein. Heno roedd tri ohonon ni yn yr grŵp sgwrsio amlieithog, ac mi wnaethon ni siarad yn y Gymraeg ac yn Ffrangeg yn bennaf. Ar ôl hynny mi es i i Global Café, grŵp ar gyfer myfyrwyr rhyngwladol a lleol, a phobl eraill, a mi wnes i cwrdd a llawer o bobl gwahanol, a ges i gyfleoedd i siarad sawl ieithoedd, yn cynnwys Mandarineg, Cantoneg, Ffrangeg, Eidaleg, Sbaeneg ac Almaeneg.

Yesterday was a fairly typical day with a bit of work in the morning, and I practised the piano, guitar and other instruments in the afternoon, and learnt a bit more Breton. In the evening I read and watched a television programme online. This evening there were three of us in the polyglot group and we talked mainly in Welsh and French. After that I went to Global Café, a group for international students and locals students, and others, and I met lots of different people and had opportunities to speak many languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Italian, Spanish and German.

Which language next?

By Simon

As today is the 1st October it’s time to change my focus to a different language on my Multilngual Musings blog – but which one? During the past three months I’ve focused on Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx – a different one each month – and have found the exercise of writing something and recording it every day very useful for my proficiency in them. While my knowledge of each of these languages has improved, there is still plenty more to learn.

As for the next language to focus on – I could continue the Celtic theme and choose Welsh or Breton, or go for one of the other languages I want to brush up, such as German, Chinese, Japanese, Esperanto, French or Spanish. I feel confident writing in Welsh, and fairly confident in French, but the it would be a struggle with the others, which is one reason why I’m doing this as I need the practice.

Have you undertaken any language-related project like this? If so, how successful have they been?

Laa aashagh

By Simon

Cha ren mee mooarane jea – beggan obbyr, baggan cliaghtey kiaull as beggan lhaihderys, shen ooilley. V’eh grianagh ‘sy voghrey, as mooirjeenagh ‘syn ‘astyr.

I didn’t do a lot yesterday – a bit of work, a bit of music practise and a bit of reading, that’s all. It was sunny in the morning, and cloudy in the afternoon.

Possan ynseydee çhengey

By Simon

Va tree ain ec y possan ynseydee çhengey jea, as loayr shin ayns y Vaarle, y Vretnish as y Rangish. Ta doghys aym dy vee tooilley sleih ayn Jemayrt. Ny yei shen hie mee dys cloie enmyssit ‘I’m with the band’ ‘syn ollooscoill. Cloie mychione possan kiaullee lesh olteynyn voish Sostyn, Nablin, Bretin as Nerin Hwoaie enmyssit ‘The Union’ v’ayn. V’ad ry-cheilley rish foddey dy hraa, agh ren ad scarrey as daag y cloieder gitar voish Nablin – ogher earroo dys neuchommeeys Nalbin. V’eh aitt as symoil, as va resoonaght ny yei lesh y screeudeyr, y stiureyder as ny cloiederyn lesh Alun Ffred Jones, oltey jeh’n Çhionnal Ashoonagh Vretin son Arfon, ‘sy chaair

There were three of us at language learners’ group yesterday, and we talked in English, Welsh and French. I hope there’ll be more people on Tuesday. After that I went to a play called ‘I’m with the band’ at the university. It was a play about a band with members from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland called ‘The Union’. They were together for a long time, but broke up after the guitarist from Scotland left – a reference to Scottish independence. It was funny and interesting, and there was a discussion afterwards with the writer, the director and the actors with Alun Ffred Jones, Wales Assembly Member for Arfon, in the chair.

Laa braew

By Simon

Va laa braew, grianagh ayn jea. Cha row agh jees j’in ayn ec y sheshaght chiaullee corragh riyr, agh ghow shin arrane ansherbee. Dobbree mee ‘sy voghrey jiu, as chloie mee ymmodee greieyn-kiaull ‘syn ‘astyr. Ta mee goll dys y possan ynseydee çhengey nis.

It was a fine, sunny day yesterday. There was only two of us at the crazy choir last night, but we sang anyway. I worked this morning, and played various musical instruments this afternoon. I’m going to the language learners’ group now.