And isn't Machynlleth a lovely one to pronounce?! Does anyone know of a website where we can find out more about the pronounciation of place names in Monmouth? I studied in Wales (near Machynlleth) for two years, but I still find myself puzzling over some of the places my ancestors lived in Monmouth. (I did start to learn Welsh, but my tutor was sent to jail for damaging English language roadsigns.) Lynda > Subject: Re: [MON] Ioan Gruffud, pronunciation It was not until I delved into family history that I discovered who I was, so to speak, mostly westcountry English with a dash of Shropshire and Tipperary. And then to my great delight I found a Welsh connection in Machynlleth just a few months ago. The real thing with patronymic naming!

John Ball's website - the one with the pictures - has a page with a huge list of places and if you click on the place you can listen to how it is pronounced. http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/glossary/index.htm This should help Ann Macey List Admin > And isn't Machynlleth a lovely one to pronounce?! > > Does anyone know of a website where we can find out more about the > pronounciation of place names in Monmouth?

Lynda wrote > And isn't Machynlleth a lovely one to pronounce?! > > Does anyone know of a website where we can find out more about the > pronounciation of place names in Monmouth? I studied in Wales (near > Machynlleth) for two years, but I still find myself puzzling over some of > the places my ancestors lived in Monmouth. (I did start to learn Welsh, > but my tutor was sent to jail for damaging English language roadsigns.) Among the gems on John BALL's website is a guide to the pronunciation of a number of placenames in Wales http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/sounds/index.htm There are not many Monmouthshire places listed but many of the elements of placenames are to be found in other examples. It should be borne in mind that there was a very big English influx into Monmouthshire (and Glamorgan) in 19th and early 20th century, and the way that places were and are pronounced by people who were born and brought up there may not be exactly as the original Welsh was pronounced years ago, or as they are pronounced in official circles like BBC Wales news. Jeff