| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la brute; le tyran | bully | bwli | tirant |
| tyraniser; rudoyer; intimider | to bully | gormesu; bwlio | gaiet gante; abafiñ |
| la laisse | lead | tennyn | roll |
| le pont | deck (of ship) | bwrdd | pont |
| la passerelle (de commandement) | bridge (of ship) | pont (lywio) | pontenn |
| l’arête (f) / le dos | bridge (of nose) | cefn | ker |
| le chevalet | bridge (of violin) | pont | pontig |
| quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent | when the cat’s away the mice will play | llon llygod lle ni bo cath |
Category: Welsh (Cymraeg)
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| se vendre | to sell out | gwerthu rhth i gyd; gwerthu’r cwbl | gwerzhañ holl (?) |
| la sueur | sweat | chwys | c’hwezenn |
| suer; transpirer | to sweat | chwysu | c’hweziñ |
| suer/transpirer comme un boeuf | to sweat like a pig | chwysu fel mochyn/ceffyl | |
| la scène musicale | the music scene | man cerddoriaeth (?) | |
| ouvert aux éléments | open to the elements | agor i’r gwynt a glaw; agor i’r tywydd mawr | |
| le pavé | paving stone | carreg balmant; fflacsen | pavez |
| la gare routière/d’autobus | bus station | gorsaf fysus | gar ar c’hirri-boutin |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir une idée en tête; être obnublié par qch | to have a bee in one’s bonnet | chwilen yn dy ben | |
| être imbu(e) de soi-même | to be full of oneself | bod yn llawn ohonat ti dy hunan | |
| imbiber qch de | to soak sth in | gwylchu/mwydo rhwybeth mewn | intrañ; spluiañ; gouzourañ |
| s’imbiber de | to become saturated with | dirlenwi efo/gyda | gouzourañ |
| le noisetier | hazel (tree) | cyll | kelver |
| la dépression; la cuvette | hollow | pant; cafn; ceudod | izelder |
| le tourbillon | whirlpool | trobwll; pwll tro | mordro(l)enn(ad); korvent; troenn-vor |
| le mode de comportement | pattern of behaviour | patrwm ymddygiad | patrom emzalc’h |
| l’élastique (m) | rubber band | band rwber/lastig | stirenn; lastikenn |
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
On Anglesey not far from where I live, there’s a place with quite a long name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, or Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG for short. It has the longest officially recognised place name in Europe which was contrived during the 1860s by a local man who wanted to attract visitors to the town – with great success. It was originally called Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll.
The name breaks down into the following parts:
Llanfair [[ɬanvair] = St Mary’s church
– llan = church, parish, village
– fair = mair = Mary – the m of a feminine word mutates to f in a compound like this
Pwllgwyngyll [puɬɡwɨ̞ŋɡɨ̞ɬ] = hollow of white hazel trees
– pwll = pool, pit, hollow
– gwyn = white
– gyll = cyll = hazel trees
gogery = near the (not entirely sure about this part)
go [ɡo] = under (?)
ger [ɡɛr] = near
y [ə] = the
chwyrndrobwll = rapid whirpool
– chwyrn [χwərən] = rapid
– drobwll [drobuɬ] = trobwll = whirpool (tro = to turn, pwll = pool)
Llantysilio [ɬantɨ̞siljo] = St Tysilio’s church
gogogoch = (of the) red cave
gogo [ɡoɡo] = ogof = cave
goch [ɡoːχ] = coch = red
This post was requested by André Bosch.
The importance of stress
Last night at the Polyglot conversation group a friend who is learning Welsh told me about the difficulties he had when trying to buy a train ticket to Dolwyddelan, a small village in the Conwy valley in North Wales. None of the ways he tried to pronounce it were understood by the ticket seller, so he ended up spelling it out. I also wasn’t sure what place he was referring to until he spelled it for me, even though I’m used to hearing mispronounced versions of Welsh place names.
In Welsh word stress almost always falls on the penultimate (last but one) syllable, so in Dolwyddelan it’s on the ddel, i.e. /dɔlʊiˈðɛlan/. If you put the stress anywhere else words just sound wrong or incomprehensible.
In languages like Welsh where there stress is usually in the same place it’s not so hard to get it right, but in languages with irregular stress placement, like English and Russian, it’s more difficult. You can try to learn where it goes in each individual word, and/or try to develop an instinct for it through extensive listening. I think I’m beginning to do his for Russian.
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le poney (des îles Shetland) | (Shetland) pony | merlen; merlyn; poni (Shetland) | pone (Shetland) |
| la mouette tridactyle | kittiwake | gwylan goesddu | karaveg |
| l’ornithologue | ornithologist | adaregwr, adaregydd | evnoniour |
| l’orinthologue amateur | bird-watcher; twitcher | gwyliwr adar; sbeciwr ar adar | evnoniour amatour |
| la menuiserie | woodwork (joinery) | gwaith coed | munuzerezh |
| sortir d’un peu partout | to crawl out of the woodwork | ||
| la charpenterie | carpentry | gwaith coed/saer; saernïaeth | frammerezh; kilvizerezh |
| l’ébénisterie (f) | cabinetmaking | gwaith saer | ebenouriezh |
| le cil | eyelash | blewyn amrant; blewyn llygad | (blev) malvenn |
| le sourcil | eye brow | ael | abrant |
| pire | worse | gwaeth | gwashoc’h |
| empirer | to worsen | gwaethygu; mynd yn waeth | gwashañ |
| ne faire que empirer | to get worse and worse | mynd o ddrwg i waeth | gwashoc’h-gwashañ |
| au pire | if the worst comes to the worst | os daw hi i’r pen; ar y gwaethaf | ar gwashañ |
Partners, other halves and significant others
There was some discussion last night at the polyglot conversation group about the words boyfriend and girlfriend and their equivalents in other languages, particularly in Dutch. In English the words boyfriend and girlfriend seem to indicate someone who is relatively young, so don’t seem quite appropriate for use by more mature couples when referring to each other. There are many alternatives, including partner, life partner, other half, better half, companion, gentleman/lady friend, soul mate, significant other, sweetheart, lover, paramour and so on. Do you use or do you know others?
In Dutch it’s much easier – a special male friend is referred to as mijn vriend (my (male) friend), and a special female friend is referred to as mijn vriendin (my (female) friend). A non-intimate friend is simply een vriend(in) (a friend) or een vriend(in) van mij (a friend of mine).
In Welsh it’s straightforward as well – cariad covers both boyfriend and girlfriend, and cyfaill or ffrind is used for ordinary friends.
Les mots de le semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le mine (de charbon) | (coal) mine | mwynfa (glofa; pwll glo) | poull-glaou |
| le mine | (explosive) mine | ffrwydryn | min |
| se venger (de qn) | to take one’s revenge (on sb) | dial (ar rywun) | venjiñ |
| ingénieux; astucieux | clever (device, system) | dyfeisgar; medrus | ijinek; barrek |
| à double vitrage | double-glazed | dwbl-wydrog | gweradur doubl |
| le double vitrage | double glazing | ffenestri dwbl; gwydro dwbl | |
| le store | (window) blind | cysgodlen; bleind | rideoz |
| le volet | (window) shutter | caead | stalaf |
| le rideau | curtain | llen; cyrten | rideoz |
| le valeurs mobilières; les titres | stocks and shares | stociau a chyfrannau | teulioù |
| toxicomane; accro | addict | adict | drammgaezhiad |
| l’ardoisière (f) | slate quarry | chwarela llechi | meinglazeg |
| la déesse | goddess | duwies | doueez |
| la lance | spear | gwaywffon | goaf |
| la hanche | hip | clun | lez |
| nier; refuser | to deny | gwadu | nac’hañ |
| creuser; bêcher | to dig | cloddio; palu | kleuzañ; palarat |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la surabondance | superfluity | gormodedd | gourfaoter |
| superflu | superfluous | gormodol | didal; diouverus |
| le pari | a bet | bet; mentro arian | pariadenn |
| parier | to bet | betio; mentro; chwarae hap | pariañ |
| les futilités; les bagatelles | trivia | pethau dibwys/diwerth | raneoù |
| la dune de sable | sand dune | twyn tywod | tevenn (traezh) |
| le gage | pawn (in chess) | gwerinwr | gouestl |
| le paon [pɑ̃] | peacock | paun | paun |
| la paonne [pan] | peahen | peunes | paunez |
| la pantoufle | slipper | sliper; llopan; esgid nos | pañtoufl |
| pantoufler | to switch from civil servant to the private sector | luduenniñ | |
| pantouflard | stay-at-home | cartrefol; diantur; difenter | ludu |
| se relaxer | to chill out | ymlacio | dibrezañ; dizalc’hen |
| le soap; le feuilleton | soap opera | sioe sebon; opera sebon | heuliadenn |
| tour à tour | alternately | bob yn ail | a bep eil |
| l’échange | exchange | cyfnewid | eskemm |
| intermédiaire | go-between | canolwr | hanterour |
| le relais; l’auberge | hotel, inn | llety, gwesti | leti; ostaleri |
| le relais | (electronic) relay | relái | relae |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le gratte-papier | pen(cil)-pusher | clercyn | louf-torchenn |
| l’écurie (f) | stable (for horses) | ystabl | kraou (-kezeg) |
| la fausse couche | miscarriage | erthyliad (naturiol) | kolladenn |
| l’erreur judiciaire | miscarriage of justice | aflwyddiant cyfiawnder | fazi barnerezh |
| le mal d’altitude | altitude sickness | salwch pen mynydd | |
| le vertige | vertigo | pendro; pensyfrdandod | pennfoll |