'Dim Sôn am Dduw na Dyn': Ar Drywydd yr 'U Ogleddol' yng Nghanolbarth Cymru. (“No Mention of a Duw or a Dyn”: Investigating the ‘Northern U’ vowel in mid-Wales)

The high central vowel, or the ‘northern u’ as it is informally called, is well known to be a characteristic feature of northern Welsh. Generally in north Wales, a clear contrast is heard between pairs such as ‘tŷ’ / ‘ti’ and ‘sur’ / ‘sir’. Conversely, since this contrast is neutralised in the south, these words are homophones, and are always pronounced with the high front vowel ‘i’. The main aim of this study therefore is to analyse quantitatively the way in which this contrast between ‘northern u’ and ‘southern i’ is lost in parts of mid-Wales. Consequently, the results will show the complex patterns of variation that arise in one particular ‘transition zone’, namely the Tywyn district, and demonstrate how speakers’ use of the high central vowel in this area is conditioned to a considerable extent by specific linguistic factors. Finally, this article will postulate that the interchange between the high front and the high central vowels is also related to variation in the length of diphthongs, and the implications of this theory will be probed

Hunanieithoedd Cymru heddiw

Wrth fyfyrio ar y profiad, yr unig beth a’m blinai oedd a wnawn i lwfrhau o gwbl wrth draethu fy mhrofiad... [N]id yw’r gweledigaethau hyn yn glod i neb yn yr oes amheugar hon, a byddwn gallach a sicrach o’m henw da pe tawn â sôn amdanynt

'Dim Sôn am Dduw na Dyn': Ar Drywydd yr 'U Ogleddol' yng Nghanolbarth Cymru. (“No Mention of a Duw or a Dyn”: Investigating the ‘Northern U’ vowel in mid-Wales)

The high central vowel, or the ‘northern u’ as it is informally called, is well known to be a characteristic feature of northern Welsh. Generally in north Wales, a clear contrast is heard between pairs such as ‘tŷ’ / ‘ti’ and ‘sur’ / ‘sir’. Conversely, since this contrast is neutralised in the south, these words are homophones, and are always pronounced with the high front vowel ‘i’. The main aim of this study therefore is to analyse quantitatively the way in which this contrast between ‘northern u’ and ‘southern i’ is lost in parts of mid-Wales. Consequently, the results will show the complex patterns of variation that arise in one particular ‘transition zone’, namely the Tywyn district, and demonstrate how speakers’ use of the high central vowel in this area is conditioned to a considerable extent by specific linguistic factors. Finally, this article will postulate that the interchange between the high front and the high central vowels is also related to variation in the length of diphthongs, and the implications of this theory will be probed

Length and quality in Welsh mid vowels: new evidence from Mid Wales

Previous accounts of the vowel systems of Welsh (e.g. G. E. Jones 1984; Ball and Williams 2001; Awbery 2009; Mayr and Davies 2011; Hannahs 2013) have focused mainly, if not exclusively, on differences of length, i.e. distinctions between long and short vowels, thereby assuming that vowel quality is largely determined by vowel length in Welsh. However, the empirical quantitative results presented in this article will show that the situation is far more complex, at least in two distinctive areas of mid Wales where a substantial degree of variation can be seen in the quality of various vowels. Indeed, it will be clear from the discussion that follows that vowel length is only one factor with which vowel quality varies, and that other linguistic factors appear to be equally as important, e.g. the vowel's position within the word (i.e. the syllabic environment), and the phonetic context (e.g. whether the vowel is followed by a single consonant or a cluster in stressed penultimates). It will therefore be argued that previous assumptions that Welsh vowels of the same length behave uniformly across all contexts do not appear to hold, and that the effects of other relevant linguistic factors have been largely overlooked

Astudiaeth o ganfyddiadau tiwtoriaid Cymraeg i Oedolion o anawsterau ynganu ymhlith dysgwyr yr iaith

Cyflwyna’r erthygl hon ddadansoddiad manwl o safbwyntiau tiwtoriaid profiadol ar ynganu dysgwyr Cymraeg i Oedolion (CiO) a’r sylw a roddir i ddysgu ynganu yn y sector. Casglwyd y data a gyflwynir yma drwy ddosbarthu holiadur ar-lein i diwtoriaid profiadol o wahanol rannau o Gymru, a thrwy gynnal grwpiau ffocws â sampl o’r tiwtoriaid hyn mewn dau leoliad penodol yng Nghymru. Nodau’r ymchwil yw sefydlu sut y mae tiwtoriaid yn canfod anawsterau ynganu dysgwyr, a darganfod i ba raddau y maent wedi eu hyfforddi’n ddigonol ar gyfer cynorthwyo dysgwyr o safbwynt yr agwedd heriol hon ar ddysgu iaith. Archwilir hefyd i ba raddau y mae gwahanol elfennau ynganu (e.e. cynhyrchu seiniau penodol a goslefu) yn effeithio ar allu dysgwyr i gyfathrebu’n effeithiol y tu allan i’r ystafell ddosbarth. Cyflwynir ar ddiwedd yr erthygl hon gyfres o argymhellion o ran y modd y gall y sector CiO wella ei darpariaeth o safbwynt ynganu. Mae’r argymhellion hyn yn ymwneud â darpariaeth y cyrsiau, yr hyfforddiant y mae ei angen ar diwtoriaid, yr adnoddau y gellid eu datblygu, y gweithgareddau allgyrsiol y gellid eu cynnal, yn ogystal ag ymchwil pellach a allai lywio pedagogeg y sector