The Beauty of a Language
S’mae! Ben dw i. Dwi’n dysgu cymraeg. That is, ‘hello, my name is Ben and I’m learning Welsh’. I’ve been learning Welsh now for almost nine months. It’s not a new language to me – I learnt it at school. I got an E in my GCSE. I’ve lived in Wales for almost thirty years. I’ve heard Welsh all my life. So, nothing new. I was just never able to speak it or understand it very well before. What is new is the way in which I’m learning this language and the enjoyment I’m getting from learning. Welsh is a beautiful language. It might not sound it to outside ears, what with all those guttural sounds, the double L’s, the rows of consonants, the seemingly impenetrable nature of it all overwhelming the outsider. But once you start getting a grip on it, can begin to wrap your tongue around the word structures that are alien to English, it starts to become fun to speak. Welsh is a language...