At 08:52 30/03/99 EST, Susan Hammond <Links4two(a)aol.com> wrote:
Could someone please also tell us how to pronounce Tangwystl,
Llywelyn,
Fychan, and Rhys? I've been waiting for a lesson in Welsh names
pronunciation!
In reverse order:
Cribbing heavily from "Welsh Made Easy"... again
... and Geiriadur yr Academi...
Rh is the same as r (trilled/rolled), but with a strong emission of breath
when
uttering it. (it is sometimes suggested that "hr" - with a rolled r - is a
good imitation)
y is here long and clear, like English "ee"; like "i" in
"bin" but longer;
a bit like a French "u".
s is a strong sibilant, like "s" in "sister"
( *never* as in "miser" or "treasure")
F is like "v" in English
y is here short and dark, like "u" in English "fur", "but"
(as it is always, when a vowel,
in any syllable other than the final one)
ch as in Scots "loch" or German "Bach"
( *never* as in "aching" or "church")
a is here short like a in Enlish "hat"
n is the same as English n
Ll is a voiceless lateral L ... Practice uttering the word "long" from the
_right-hand_side_ of the mouth only, and note carefully where the tongue is
placed to produce the L. Now place the tongue in this position again, but
without uttering a sound, and expel the breath sharply. No humming sound
should be heard ... nothing but a sudden escape of breath between the tongue
and the upper teeth on the right hand side of the mouth. Now put the tongue
in this position again ... and breathe (out) steadily, without making a
humming sound; then utter the syllable "-ong" ... you will have pronounced
the the Welsh word "llong", a ship.
The pronounciation of l in the English words "atlas, please, clean"
whispered loudly ...faintly resembles Ll ...
yw here is a dark y (see above) followed by a short w (like oo in foot):
giving a sound "more or less like ow in bowling"
e is short as in English "let"
l as in English
y is here short and clear, like i in English "dip" (as usual in the last
syllable)
n is the same as English n
Tangwystl - I assume you're referring to the mother of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
( tang (archaic) = peace ; gwystl = pledge, hostage)
I'm not altogether certain about this one. Here is a guess - correction
welcome!
Tang - pretty much as in English, though possibly -ng-g at the end
wy as "wi" in English "wit", though there are other possibilities
stl as in English (more Bristol than bristle, though)
You'll find some of these sounds in .wav recordings of Welsh placenames
- plenty of "Ll"s ! - on John Ball's web page:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/sound.htm
Good luck!
Theo Brueton