Hello Jo and Walt, et, I suppose we all have family stories about the Welsh or Welsh not speakers. I grew up in the Rhondda to English speaking parents. But, keeping ears and eyes open it just could not ge avoided to pick up at least some idea of the Welsh language. It was because of my non Welsh speaking parents that I was denied a place at the local bilingual school. However, my maternal gran had some knowledge of Welsh, and her English translations were comical on times. She would say 'pudding rice, instead of rice pudding. My paternal grandmother was English speaking because her family hailed from Radnorshire and her mother's family originally hailed from Kington in Herefordshire. So, gain you would have English and Welsh marriages with the English side taking over because the other did not understand. As for the double ll sound Jo, I found out some years ago, that English speaking tongues would pronounce it as cl. So, when my grandmother told me that her mother was born on a farm called Lamarowie, I found the farm with the name on the gravestone spelled as Clan bach howey. Actually, it was called ' Llan Bach Howey. Another case of using my own limited knowledge to work that out and eventually finding the correct farm. Another farm wa called Teeisha, according to the pronouncication of my grandmother, but I found it spelled as Tyisha. The correct form would be Ty Isaf. Lower house. The first farm would probably be Little place on the Howey river. But, that is my own interpretation. Anyway, I did something to rectify some of this lapse in my forebears, because I sent my youngest to abilingual school, and one of my children sent all three of hers to the same school. My Merionethshhire gteat grandparents, and grandfather would have been pleased I am sure. Hope you enjoyed my input. Regards, Maureen

At my son's wedding to his Welsh fiance, we had a friends table, an English speaking table and a Welsh speaking table, and all had a great time. I have a Welsh speaking daughter in law, a fluent Welsh speaking 13 yr old step grandson, and a grandson 5yrs at a bilingual school who like his older brother trys to teach poor English Nanna how to speak Welsh. I cannot get that LL sound, always comes out cl. My son works for the Welsh Government, he has had Welsh lessons, and with the aid of his children's school reading books as they have learnt to read in Welsh is speaking it quite well nowadays. Me and Grandpop are a lost cause I'm afraid. I can say bread and butter and red sauce, and yellow in Welsh and that is about it! Jenny Kingsbury. ----- Original Message ----- From: <MJen512444@aol.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 3:44 PM Subject: Re: [MON] Ioan Gruffud, pronunciation > Hello Jo and Walt, et, > > I suppose we all have family stories about the Welsh or Welsh not > speakers. > > I grew up in the Rhondda to English speaking parents. But, keeping ears > and > eyes open it just could not ge avoided to pick up at least some idea of > the > Welsh language. It was because of my non Welsh speaking parents that I > was > denied a place at the local bilingual school. However, my maternal gran > had > some knowledge of Welsh, and her English translations were comical on > times. > She would say 'pudding rice, instead of rice pudding. My paternal > grandmother was English speaking because her family hailed from > Radnorshire and her > mother's family originally hailed from Kington in Herefordshire. So, > gain you > would have English and Welsh marriages with the English side taking over > because the other did not understand. As for the double ll sound Jo, I > found out > some years ago, that English speaking tongues would pronounce it as cl. > So, > when my grandmother told me that her mother was born on a farm called > Lamarowie, I found the farm with the name on the gravestone spelled as > Clan bach > howey. Actually, it was called ' Llan Bach Howey. Another case of using > my own > limited knowledge to work that out and eventually finding the correct > farm. > Another farm wa called Teeisha, according to the pronouncication of my > grandmother, but I found it spelled as Tyisha. The correct form would be > Ty Isaf. > Lower house. > > The first farm would probably be Little place on the Howey river. But, > that > is my own interpretation. > > Anyway, I did something to rectify some of this lapse in my forebears, > because I sent my youngest to abilingual school, and one of my children > sent all > three of hers to the same school. My Merionethshhire gteat grandparents, > and > grandfather would have been pleased I am sure. > > Hope you enjoyed my input. > > Regards, > > Maureen > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >