Using Welsh by Blogging

The latest addition to my Blog List is Everyday Welsh. I will let the blogger explain what the blog is for:

Right, to begin, I would like firstly to explain (briefly) my intentions for this blog.

This blog should NOT be used as your PRIMARY source for learning Welsh.

I assume, that any visitors here have already delved somewhat into the beautiful language and know at least some basics. My goal is to IMMERSE you in modern/essential Welsh culture, current Welsh culture! Therefore, I have decided to aid all of your learning by teaching aspects of the language through Videos/Music etc. Short, engaging clips that you SHOULD watch OVER & OVER... and with my help you WILL come to UNDERSTAND their meanings.

I set the idea out, knowing that this EXPOSURE to Welsh IS very beneficial. Studies have been conducted PROVING that exposure to the target language (i.e. Welsh in this case) improves language acquisition, or, the rate it will take you to grasp the language. Although incomprehensible initially, YOU WILL start to know the media clips on this site WELL. You therefore will have a REPOSITORY or a WELL of available vocab etc. you can SQUEEZE into your conversations!!

One point I would like to stress.... ENJOY the clips! Have fun! Don't worry if you don't understand at first... YOU WILL BE ABLE TO. Good, so... relaxed?

I wish all the best to "Everyday Welsh". It is an interesting addition to Welsh learning facilities and I hope that it succeeds in its mission.

This should make me laugh (apparently)

People who send me e-mails, expecting me to plug their blogs, addressed to Al, rather than to Dear Mr ap Huw Humphreys piss me off rather than make me laugh! So I was not amused by this request:

Hi Al
This should cheer you up you miserable old fart, a news blog but it's meant to make you laugh:
http://welshnewsnot.wordpress.com/

Some New Blogs.

Challenging the Druid of Anglesey is Laudanum; Iolo Morganwg apparently invented neo-druidism under the influence of the drug.

Every election seems to throw up some new short term blogs for the campaign. The four Plaid hopefuls in the North Wales region are the first off the mark for 2011.

The Black Cat’s Blog

Browsing the web I have just found out that Guto Bebb, Tory PPC for Aberconwy, has been blogging for about a month now.

His pearls of wisdom can be found here

Hello again Marcus

After an absence of about six months Marcus Warner is back blogging, his latest site goes under the name Sweet and Tender Hooligan. Marcus previously blogged as Renewed Labour, Clear Red Water and Southpaw Grammar.

True Welsh Blogs

Three new blogs all relating to the referendum:

True Wales is The Cross Tory Campaign Group opposed to Welshies being allowed to make their own laws up.

True-Wales is campaigning to abolish the National Assembly, and replace it with an appointed Secretary of State who will govern Wales by decree, without the need for any democratic process. It features guest posts from Neil Kinock and John Redwood.

Wales First is a blog supporting a call for a referendum and campaigning for a yes vote in that referendum

The Western Male

The Western Male has asked that I link to his (I assume) blog:

this is a brand spanking new blog.
It is purely done for cheap kicks and humour, not to make any political points.

If anyone is thin skinned enough to be offended by the post, I repeat, it is all done in jest and to hopefully raise a smirk.

Miserable Old Farts are, by our very nature, thin skinned enough to be offended by the posts, and to rant about how inappropriate such posts are!

What on earth makes this boy think that I would be so silly as to give publicity to his blog. I would never even consider putting links on my blog to to posts such as this and this!!

New Blogs

I have added a few new found blogs to my list today:

Chwith, which is the Welsh word for Left (as in left hand rather than left out) obviously looks at Welsh politics from a left wing view.

Gray's Monotony has been blogging since the beginning of the month "writing on sport, politics and whatever 'culture' implies in the name of fun and interest."

Ian James Johnson is a Plaid Cymru researcher in the House of Commons, who also started blogging at the beginning of the month

and

The Stonemason who has been commenting on this blog for some time without me realising that he also had a blog. The Stonemason blogs from Caerphilly on the advantages of Wales remaining part of the UK.

I'll see you in cwrt

There is a new gosip and scandal blog on the Welsh block The Cwrt.

Given that blogs of this sort don't seem to last long in Wales due to the touchiness of some of the elected and salaried officials down in the Bay, readers are encouraged to visit the blog as a matter of urgency, so that they know what the fuss is about when the plug is inevitably pulled on it.

Act of Disunion

It would be silly to welcome Penddu to the Welsh blogosphere because he has been one of the most prolific commenters on Welsh blogs for some time and a regular contributor to the Welsh Independence joint blog. However it is good to see that he now has his own personal blog Act of Disunion.

I am also one of the contributors to Welsh Independence and its Welsh version Annibyniaeth. Neither have had any recent posts. All contributors (myself included) will have to do something about this inactivity!!!

Blog rolls and blog lists

I am in the process of getting rid of my blogrolls and replacing them with Bloggers new blog list.

The main difference between the two is that whilst the rolls were static and alphabetic, the lists note the latest posts of those that I link to, so the latest posts will rise to the top.

At the moment the list shows just the last ten posts. When I have added all my links I will increase the number (might even set it at show all). However if you are looking for a blog that you know use to be linked from here, you can still do so if you click on the show all link at the bottom of the list.

Amongst the new blogs added to my list are:

The Pwllmelyn Tangent. Another nationalist blog, which has an excellent post on the lessons for Plaid to learn from the SNP's victory in Glasgow East. It is so good I wish I had written it myself!

Caught in the Bay, the latest hacks blog from the Western Mail.

Ffranc Sais, a Lib Dem councillor from Neath.

The Right Student (on the right wing, rather than not being one of the many wrong students!)

And Pulse Wales, News and Views from the Heart of Wales, but strictly for the weekend!

Let me know if you think that I've not included your pearls of wisdom on my list.

Dib Lemming

I have added Dib Lemming, who has been blogging since February to my blog roll.

It is written by Stephanie Ashley, a Lib Dem branch officer from Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, who had her 15 minutes of fame when she caused some controversy by describing Llandudno as a place where people from the north west of England go to die

Cambria Politico #2

Clive Betts, the Archdruid of Welsh Political commentary, has moved house. His pearls of wisdom can now be found here

evidently chicken town

evidently chicken town is a poem by "punk poet" John Cooper Clarke, notable for its use of the f word twice in each line

the fucking pies are fucking old
the fucking chips are fucking cold
the fucking beer is fucking flat
the fucking flats have fucking rats
the fucking clocks are fucking wrong
the fucking days are fucking long
it fucking gets you fucking down
evidently chicken town

The poem has inspired a new blog on politics, news, culture and Wales

New Blogs galore

A number of new blogs have appeared since the election.

Two of the new Plaid Cymru councillors in Wrexham have a joint blog here

Another Plaid Councillor, Carwyn Fowler of Pembre Community Council is here

Also lending support to Plaid is I Support Plaid Cymru.

And John Dixon one of the big names in Plaid has resurrected his blog too (HT to Ordo fo this one).

Away fom Plaid, Blaenau Ffestiniog's Llais Gwynedd Councilor Gwilym Euros Williams is blogging here

Click the Flag

I am not sure if it is strictly a blog or a web page. However, newly elected Councillor Owen Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru, Dyffryn Aeron) has a new "with feeds" presence on the internet.

The page has caused some controversy on the Welsh Language discussion board Maes-e

Cllr Llywelyn has a bilingual site. To read his pearls of wisdom in Welsh one clicks a Red Dragon Flag, to read them in English click the Union Jack.

To me this gives the message that only Welsh speakers are truly Welsh and that non Welsh speaking Welsh people are Brits.

I'm sure that this message is unintentional, perhaps I'm being petty. I would like to know what others feel, especially non Welsh speaking nationalists / supporters of Plaid.

The Welsh Lobbyist

Another blogger has joined the Welsh Politics Club : The Welsh Lobbyist. Welcome.

Cambriapolitico

I have only just realised that the high priest of Welsh political reporting, Clive Betts, has been blogging for the past fortnight. His blog Cambriapolitico can be found here.

Blog Gethin

I mentioned in an earlier post that my nephew in law, Gethin Williams, is standing as a Llais Gwynedd candidate in the forthcoming council elections.

He has a campaign blog to support his candiadature HERE.

All the best with the campaign and the blog Gethin.

Hwyl Wncl Alwyn!

Upper or Lower?

The latest member of the Welsh political blogging family is Owain Cwmtwrch - he doesnt say if that is Upper Cwmtwrch or Lower Cwmtwrch though.