Elinor Nauen

Apparently not.

I naively agreed to a meet-up of Welsh learners, lulled by one of them saying she had a 6-month-old baby and hadn't really been keeping up. Ha! Joan & Joanie were fluent! Turns out they've both been to Welsh boot camp, a week of speaking only Welsh, and Joanie even  Read More 

Dych chi eisiau afal neu lemon?*

Eich bod yn synnu fy mod yn siarad eich iaith mor dda!**

DuoLingo launched their Welsh course this afternoon & I was one of the first people to sign up. I already know the days of the week & some greetings, although the words are pretty mushy in my mouth.

I remember going to visitmy relatives in Cardiff, and Aldwyn insisting I try to use Welsh, so I dutifully told the taxi driver I was going to 4 Llanfair road in as clicky a Welsh accent as I could manage.

The driver shrugged: Never heard of it.

It's a big street! It's right off of Cathedral Parkway!

I gave in & said "lan-fair" & he said, Oh! and took me right there.

* Do you want an apple or a lemon?
** You are surprised I speak your language so well! OK, I got this one from Google translate. It's the one sentence the brilliant & hilarious Barbara Barg knows in a dozen languages.