CYMRAEG.ORG.UK
A portal linking to useful online language tools such as Apertium - an open-source Welsh to English translator - and a dictionary called Eurfa.
GWYBODIADUR
If you're looking to build up a shelf of books to help you learn Welsh, this portal should really help you decide which ones to go for. Apart from the assessments of Welsh dictionaries, grammar and language learning books, there are listings and reviews of tens of websites.
WELSH LANGUAGE ON SUITE 101
Articles about the history and current status of the language and links to useful sites for Welsh linguists. Sarah Baig has written a useful rough guide to pronunciation of Welsh sounds - including the ever challenging 'll'.
WELSH LANGUAGE HOLIDAYS
Menter Iaith Gwynedd and Conwy's website enables you to book a holiday and stay where you can hear, learn or use Welsh.
LAMPETER UNIVERSITY DICTIONARY
This is not only an excellent online dictionary, it's also got audio. Type 'mwswgl' and it not only lets you know this is Welsh for 'moss', but it also lets you actually hear how this word is pronounced.
GWEFAN CYMRU-CATALONIA
Features a Welsh - Catalonian - English dictionary of 7,000 words and an e-text library. The navigation's confusing and there are some problems with some special characters but there are some gems to be found here though.
YR ODLIADUR
If you write Welsh song lyrics or poems, you should find this online rhyming dictionary useful.
INTERTRAN
A web-based translator. This site is coming close to doing what AltaVista's Babelfish has done for translating web pages and texts in French, German, Italian... Unfortunately InterTran can only translate word-by-word. Could be useful though if you need to grab the gist of a text quickly.
GEIRIADUR CYMRAEG-ALMAENEG
Welsh-German and German-Welsh dictionary searching a database of 10,000 simple-form words. Instructions in Welsh and German. Lists most-searched-for words too, (with some rude words making it into the top ten!)
(Unable to connect - December 2000. OK again March 2001. Changed link to point to Wanadoo domain July 2001. July '03 - need to scroll down to read Welsh).
Computer-related terms:
(Dec 02 - site's gone)
Several word-lists:
Finally ... words for joggers:
CADWYN
You can download a free copy of the latest issue of CYD's 12-page magazine for Welsh learners - Cadwyn. There are articles in Welsh with word lists, news, reviews and much more. You'll need to have the free program Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to open this.
THE STORY OF WELSH
(English)
(Welsh)
The TV history of the language with Huw Edwards. Timeline, clickable maps, Census results.
ETHNOLOGUE
A great place to go to find out more about any language. There are statistics here showing how many people speak various languages around the world. Find Welsh at:
DIGWYDDIADUR
If you're looking for something to do in Wales this week, this is a handy bookmark. This accesses information from the same Welsh-language events database that Radio Cymru presenters use on air.
GIGS
Welsh pop, rock and dance listings, in Welsh, on the website of Gang Bangor (great name that).
BUILDING A NATION
This history of Wales, by Dr John Davies, spans from Roman amphitheatres to the National Assembly. This site is also available in Welsh. It's called Creu Cenedl and it's on the Cymru'r Byd website:
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HISTORY WELSH TIMELINE
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ History's Wales history timeline. The navigation takes a little getting used to. Hidden at the bottom of pages in the main section are links to other pages about the same subject.
BEIBL 1620
The Catalunya/Cymru website is digitising the 1620 edition of the Welsh Bible. Scroll down to 2/3 of the way down the page to see which Books they've published so far. (Site very slow: October 2002)
MADOC
The site's about the Welsh prince Madog who, some say, was the first European to sail to North America. Catchphrase newsletter subscriber ,V. Martin of Charlotte, NC, USA, wrote to say hes convinced the legends real:
"Some of the Madoc/Modoc groups merged with Indian tribes, including the Cherokee and Mandan, Shawnee and others, including some of my relative families: Martin, Combs, and many others of the American South."
You can read a one page piece about Madog's discovery here:
MADOG
And there's even a whole 62-page book about the subject available online at Canadian.org website. The book, published in 1792, is called: 'Farther observations on the discovery of America by Prince Madog ab Owen Gwynedd, about the year 1170: containing the account given by General Bowles, the Creek or Cherokee Indian, lately in London, and by several others, of a Welsh tribe or tribes of Indians, now living in the western parts of North America'. Phew! If that link doesn't work for you, try searching for books with 'welsh' in their titles at:
CEG
An online Welsh lexical database with a million Welsh words. There's also a list of the 50 most-frequently-used written Welsh words.
READING THE RUINS
This site is based on the TV series about the archaeological history of Wales.
WORLDWIDEWALES
WorldwideWales gives you a choice of dozens of Flash movies to view. They're mini documentaries about Wales. There are movies about a Dylan Thomas walking tour around Swansea, the Blaenafon Ironworks and y Mari Lwyd. The interface is straightforward and the movies are really interesting.
TESTUN
SMS text messaging via cellphones has become really popular. Cymru'r Byd is compiling a list of Welsh texting terms like these:
nain (grandmother) = 9
rhywun (someone) = RHYW1
blodau (flowers) = BLOD2
Read more and suggest your own on this site.
VWALES E-TEXTS
An online library of Anglo-Welsh writings where you can download Borrow's Wild Wales, Guests' Mabinogion, and more.
RESOURCES CATALOGUE
Welsh second language resources to buy ONLINE FROM Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wales Education and Learning. You can now buy Catchphrase Lessons and Cam Ymlaen CDs and books here. There's also stuff for young children and a GCSE Bitesize Welsh Second Language video (in PAL format). Search for more resources from here:
PRAYERS
You can read the Book of Common Prayer in Welsh online here.
PATHE
British Pathe's short newsreels were well known in cinemas here in Wales from 1910-1970. Today, Pathe are in the process of digitizing their archive and sharing it with the web community, for free.
DOLEN YSGOLION CYMRU-PATAGONIA
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Cymru'r Byd's trilingual website in association with the British Council. The site's called 'Dolen Ysgolion Cymru Patagonia' and, by linking schools in Wales and Patagonia, it will help The British Council in Wales in: "...assisting with the development of the Welsh language in the only overseas Welsh speaking community, in Chubut Province, Argentina. It will also assist in the training of local teachers of Welsh. The aim is to help the community become self-reliant in its revival of the Welsh language."
There's a history of 'Y Wladfa' by Elvey MacDonald, you can browse a photo gallery and there's a comprehensive webguide to Patagonian websites.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
A follow-up to the magazine's Wales special, this online area concentrates on the Hay Festival, Skomer and rain. If you follow the 'Online Sampler' link at the bottom of this page, there's useful content about Wales - an essay on the Welsh in America, a Welshcake recipe and an audio clip of a soprano.
CELTICWEB1
It's always good to read about Wales on a site that looks at all the Celtic nations. If you're interested in Celtic music, there are reviews of CDs by bands like Fern Hill and Portland. There are recipes, features about customs, travel, mythology and, of course, the Celtic languages... (Dec '02 - site down )
READING MIDDLE WELSH
This online book, written by the late Gareth Morgan, will be of interest to people studying Welsh to an advanced level. It'll help those who want to deconstruct the kind of language used in the Mabinogi. You can read the story of Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed here.
WELSH ACCENTS
A guide to the accented letters used in the Welsh language, with suggested escape characters for use in HTML pages. The circumflex accent on 'w' and 'y' continue to give problems on most people's browsers.
GEIRIADUR PRIFYSGOL CYMRU
About the University of Wales' Welsh dictionary. A site to keep an eye on for the future, because there's a 'search dictionaries' feature coming up, according to assistant editor and systems manager, Andrew Hawke. At the moment you can search biographies and submit words for inclusion in the dictionary's next edition. Good to see a large print Betsie version of this site being made available.
GWALES
Search for and buy Welsh books online. The navigation could have been a lot simpler. Why hide the search facility four clicks deep instead of putting it on the homepage? This Welsh Books Council site does fill a gap in the market though for people wanting to choose from a comprehensive range of Welsh books and order them online with their credit card.
BRITANNIA'S WELSH SAYINGS AND EXPRESSIONS
Learn what the Welsh expressions that translate to 'beetle in her head', 'fiddle in the roof' and 'the young roof' mean. The Britannia website has some fantastic features about Wales' history too.
FAMOUS WELSH
Was Elvis Welsh? This site fuels the debate by claiming Presley comes from Preseli - the Welsh mountain range which is home to a church called St. Elvis! Did lawn tennis emerge from the Welsh sport Cerrig y Drudion? The first car driver was a Welshman too.
