#yr iaith gymraeg

[mouth-almighty]

Ynys Môn am byth!

[llyfrenfys]

Do you know any free and/or online resources to learn Welsh?

Hello @runin-reads Just getting round to this ask now but there's a few things I know of which might help. Followers feel free to add on any more as well!

Resources:

Free Welsh coursebooks from DysguCymraeg available to download on their website

Free collection of Welsh dictionaries available to view on The Internet Archive

Cysill and Cysgeir are free to download here. Cysill is a Welsh grammar checker that checks for correct spelling, mutations etc. Cysgeir is a Welsh dictionary app. Both were developed by Bangor University and are free to download on Windows.

Gweiadur is a free online Welsh dictionary which not only has a comprehensive guide to Welsh words, but also provides example sentences, idioms and conjugation tables.

Followers add on any more if you can think of any!

[oldguardiannewtricks]

This so clever- lyrics in Welsh (Cymraeg) and English.

This folk song is so important and beloved! Dafydd Iwan is a Welsh legend and was imprisoned for his activism. But look where we are now, mae’r hen iaith yn fyw, the old language lives!

[elen-benfelen]

welsh remus guide pt.2

Second Lesson

Wales vs Cymru

Wales is the English term for the country, deriving from an old Germanic term with a meaning along the lines of “foreigner” or “other”. Cymru is the Welsh term for the country, meaning something along the lines of “countrymen”.

Not to be confused with Cymry which is pronounced exactly the same but means “welsh people”.

To put in a phrase - The Cymry live in Cymru. Welsh - Cymraeg

The Welsh Language - Yr Iaith Gymraeg

Welsh Man/Person - Cymro

Welsh Woman - Cymraes

Cymro is technically masculine but can serve as a gender neutral term if you don’t want to use the plural Cymry. Welsh, like Spanish and many others, is quite gendered.

A Welsh speaking Welsh person might refer to themselves, especially if they’re first language, as a “Cymry Cymraeg” which sounds silly in English as “Welsh Welsh” lmao. If my Mam were to tell me “Arwen is a Cymry Cymraeg” I would know that Arwen is a Welsh speaker. Alternatively you say the more literal “Siaradwr Cymraeg” (Welsh speaker) or “Dysgwr Cymraeg” (Welsh learner).

Side note: These days, there’s a lot of discussion over how labels influence identity. So there’s lots of debates over going by Cymru in official capacities and such, however dw you are not committing any mistakes or hate crimes by using “Wales” or “Welsh”. You are however, definitely an asshole if you criticise a Welsh person’s decision to personally only use “Cymru” or “Cymraeg”.

Next up is a quick guide to the alphabet/sounds before finally, the main meal: slang and terms of endearment

Note: I am not the collective consciousness of every Welsh person. My experience is not universal - especially when it comes to North Walian things. This is just meant to serve as a general guide. Hope this helps and good luck with your writing!

pt.3

[pontydd-a-choed]

Wythnos Pump

Heddiw dw i eisiau siarad am gerddoriaeth. (Echdoe roedd y Dydd Miwsig Cymru ond dw i'n hwyr, y thema fy mlog i) Dw i'n mynd i rannu pum cerddor/band. Heb drefn penodol:

Chwalaw: Darganfyddais i nhw trwy Rownd a Rownd ac eu cân "Diflanu". Mae'n well gyda fi eu cân "Dim Arwyr". Dyna gân efo alaw sorbiaidd, iaith lleiafrifol o'r Sorbiaid yn Sacsoni a Brandenburg (taleithiau yr Almaen)

Adwaith: Dw i ddim yn cofio sut darganfyddais i nhw ond dw i'n hoffi eu cerddoriaeth. Gaethon nhw gynherddau yn yr Iseldiroedd yr wythnos 'ma a ro'n i eisiau mynd. Ond does dim amser gyda fi (a dw i ddim yn byw ger yr Iseldiroedd ar hyn o bryd) Er hynny dw i eisiau mynd ar gyngerdd yn y dyfodol. (Ella ym mis Mai yn Antwerpen, gwelwn ni) Un rhwng fy hoff gân yw "Cwympo".

Sŵnami: Dw i ddim yn cofio chwaith, ond dw i'n gwybod bod nhw fy hoff fand cynta pwy sy'n canu yn y Gymraeg. Dw i'n meddwl oedd "Mynd a Dod" y cân cynta clywais i ganddyn nhw, ond dw i ddim yn siŵr. Dw i'n hoffi "Wyt Ti'n Clywed".

Gwilym: Dw i'n nabod nhw ers sbel ond oedd y fideo ar Lŵp am eu halbwm newydd "ti are dy ora' pan ti'n canu" yn... ansefydlog ond grêt. Yr holl albwm yw grêt. Dw i'n hoffi "Dwi'n cychwyn tân"

Thallo: Darganfyddais i nhw trwy Lŵp, sianel YouTube efo cerddoriaeth Cymraeg. Dw i'n hoffi ei chân "Pluo", y clarinét yn arbennig.

Os gennych chi argymhellion dwedwch wrtha i! :D

Geiriau newydd:

thema, themâu, eb - theme cerddor, cerddorion, eg - musician trefn, trefnau, eb - order penodol - particular, specific argymhelliad, argymhellion, eg - recommendation darganfod - discover alaw, alawon, eb - melody sorbiaidd - Sorbian lleiafrifol - minority Sacsoni - Saxony clarinét, clarinetau, eg - clarinet er hynny - nevertheless ansefydlog - unsettling

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

dwi'n disgwyl babi ym mis Mawrth ac yn trio meddwl am enwau niwtral o rhan rhyw (heb law am Ceri) neu enwau fysa'n hawdd addasu i llysenw benywaidd/gwrywaidd.

Dwi ddim yn keen ar Ceri yn anffodus

Ie, mae'n amhosibl i gael enw niwtral go iawn yn Gymraeg, rili, achos dyw'r iaith ddim yn gweithio fel na. Hyd yn oed Ceri - enw gwrywaidd yw hwn, mae'n jyst bod digon o bobl yn defnyddio 'Kerry' am ferched yn Saesneg, ac mae wedi teithio i mewn Gymraeg hefyd.

Mae rhai enwau gwrywaidd Cymraeg yn cael eu defnyddio yn America am ferched? Morgan, Meredith, pethau fel na. Mae'n swnio'n od yng Nghymru, tipyn bach, ond deallusol. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'n bosib i'n addasu - Morgan -> Morgana, er enghraifft. Maredudd -> Meri. Mae lot o enwau sy'n gorffen gyda -wyn neu -wen, sy'n hawdd i newid. O, ac yn yr un patrwm fel Morgan(a), mae enwau fel Aeron(a) a pethau fel na. Mae lot o enwau'n dod gyda fersiynau gwrywaidd a benywaidd ta beth (Llywelyn/Llywela, ayyb).

Sai'n siŵr os mae unrhyw o ma'n defnyddiol, ond LLONGYFARCHIADAU!!! :D

[creatrixcymraes]

Dechreuais i grŵp sgwrs Gymraeg ar WhatsApp, i siarad ac ymarfer yr iaith! Linc yma 😇

[gaeilgeblr]

Cyfarchion sylfaenol yn yr iaith Gymraeg

[ioantalfryn]

Trechaf Treisied, Gwannaf Gwaedded - Bwlio a’r Iaith Gymraeg

Deugain mlynedd a mwy yn ôl, ar ôl i mi symud i Ogledd Cymru, dechreuais weithio am gyfnod gyda chwmni preifat ar Ynys Môn.  Wna i ddim enwi’r cwmni.  Y cyfan wna i ddweud oedd mai Saeson cefnog oedd y perchnogion ac mai Cymru dosbarth gweithiol oedd y gweithwyr.   Yn gyffredinol roedd y berthynas rhwng y cyflogwyr a’r gweithwyr yn un bur ormesol ac ymdeimlad eithaf cryf o ‘ni a nhw’ yn y lle.  

Yn fy naïfrwydd ifanc roeddwn i’n credu na fyddai’r math o berthynas ormesol wedi bodoli yn y cwmni petai’r perchnogion a’r gweithwyr fel ei gilydd yn siaradwyr Cymraeg.  Wedi’r cyfan, mewn sefyllfa felly oni fyddem i gyd yn Gymry Cymraeg oedd yn rhannu’r un Iaith a’r un hanes?  Oni fyddem i gyd yn rhan o’r un teulu Cymraeg?

Mae fy mhrofiad o fywyd ers hynny wedi newid fy meddwl yn llwyr ar y mater hwn ac rwyf wedi sylweddoli’r hyn y dylwn i fod wedi’i ddeall o’r cychwyn cyntaf sef mai yr un yw anian dyn (neu ddynes) ar chwe cyfandir, er gwaethaf gwahaniaethau diwylliannol.  Yn fwy na hynny rwyf wedi dod i’r casgliad efallai fod ymddygiad gormesol (bwlio, bychanu a thrin yn ddirmygus) yn waeth o fewn y byd Cymraeg gan fod sefydliadau Cymraeg, yn amlach na pheidio, yn gyndyn o weithredu i ddelio ag o rhag ofn i hynny niweidio’r fuwch sanctaidd honno, y Gymraeg.  

Yn hyn o beth mae’r rheiny sy’n ceisio claddu unrhyw gwynion neu feirniadaeth am ymddygiad gormesol y tu fewn i sefydliadau Cymraeg yn debyg i arweinwyr yr eglwys Gatholig ac Eglwys Loegr (neu’r Met yn Llundain) a fabwysiadodd strategaethau tebyg i’w gilydd i i amddiffyn eu buchod sanctaidd hwythau.  Fel arfer, gyda’r cyrff hyn, byddai’r cŵynion yn cael eu hanwybyddu cyn belled ag yr oedd modd.  Os na fyddai hynny’n gweithio byddai’r sawl a gyhuddwyd yn cael ei symud yn ddistaw bach i rywle arall a byddai’r camymddygiad gwreiddiol yn parhau.  Petai unigolion yn mynnu parhau i dynnu sylw at y camymddygiad, fodd bynnag, (boed hynny’n ymyrraeth rywiol, hiliaeth neu fisogynistiaeth) byddai’r cyrff hyn wedyn yn mynd am y dewis niwclear gan ddefnyddio holl rym eu sefydliadau i geisio tanseilio ac erlid y sawl oedd yn cynhyrfu’r dyfroedd.

O fewn y Gymru Gymraeg gallem feddwl am achos John Owen fel yr un mwyaf eithafol o beidio â gweithredu yn erbyn unigolyn carismataidd oedd yn denu sylw mawr i’r Gymraeg. Roedd ei aflonyddu rhywiol yn cael ei amau am flynyddoedd cyn iddo ddod yn destun archwiliad gan yr heddlu ond wnaethpwyd dim byd amdano.  

Dw i’n cofio wedyn achos o fewn fy nheulu estynedig i o bennaeth un ysgol Gymraeg a oedd yn dwyn arian o’r ysgol.  Pan aeth aelodau o’r staff at eu cynrychiolydd undeb i fynegi eu pryderon cawson nhw eu cynghori i gadw’r peth yn ddistaw rhag niweidio addysg Gymraeg.

Dydy’r ddwy stori a gyrhaeddodd y penawdau’n ddiweddar ynglŷn ag ymddygiad gormesol a bwlio (a misogynistiaeth ac ymyrraeth rywiol!) tu fewn i Blaid Cymru ac S4C, er yn ofidus iawn, ddim yn sioc i lawer ohonom sydd wedi gweithio yn y byd Cymraeg ers blynyddoedd. Yn aml iawn mae’r diwylliant gwaith mewn ambell sefydliad neu faes Cymraeg yn medru ymdebygu i rifyn o A Game Of Thrones, ond heb y rhyw (wel, mae hynny’n dibynnu ar ba straeon dych chi’n fodlon eu credu)

Y cwestiwn ydy, pa gorff fydd yr un nesaf i gael ei gyhuddo o nid yn unig o oddef ymddygiad gormesol o fewn y sefydliad ond o fynd ati’n gwbl fwriadol i danseilio ac erlid unrhyw un a geisiodd dynnu sylw at y camymddygiad?  A wneith y datgeliadau hyn droi’n gaseg eira fel y digwyddodd gyda’r ffenomenwm Me Too? Ac o ba le y daw’r stori nesaf?  O Bontanna, o Ben-y-Bont, o Ben Llŷn?  

Fasai hi ddim yn anodd iawn canfod enghreifftiau lluosog o ‘Gymry da’, hoelion wyth y byd diwylliannol Cymraeg, sy’n waradwyddus o euog o roi buddiannau sefydliadol a buddiannau (tybiedig) y Gymraeg uwchlaw buddiannau’r bobl sy’n gweithio i ryw sefydliad neu’i gilydd.  Efallai eu bod nhw’n twyllo’u hunain trwy ddweud eu bod yn gyfeillion i’r Gymraeg trwy wneud hyn.  Ond gyda chyfeillion felly does dim angen gelynion ar y Gymraeg.

Ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl, yn dilyn achos o gamymddygiad go ddifrifol gan rai siaradwyr Cymraeg tuag at siaradwyr Cymraeg eraill, gofynnodd un cyfaill o ddysgwr o Sais i mi (yn dorcalonnus braidd). “Os mai dyma sut mae Cymry Cymraeg yn trin ei gilydd pam wnes i drafferthu dysgu Cymraeg?”.  Doedd gen i ddim ateb iddo ar y pryd.  

A dweud y gwir rwyf wedi gofyn yr un cwestiwn i mi fy hun dros y blynyddoedd, serch mai dysgu Cymraeg i eraill fel athro y bu hi yn fy achos i.  Ond yr un yw’r emosiwn, teimlo eich bod chi wedi ymroi i rywbeth dim ond i weld camymddygiad ar bob llaw sy’n gwneud i chi amau gwerth yr hyn y dewisioch ei wneud.  

Mi wnaeth hynny gyrraedd penllanw i mi ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl ac rwy’n cofio ble’r oeddwn i.  Yn sefyll yn fy nghegin ac yn meddwl – mae’r plant i gyd wedi hedfan y nyth (dros dro, fel y digwyddodd), yn byw dramor neu wedi gadael i’r brifysgol gyda’r bwriad o fynd tramor.  A wnes i feddwl “Jest peidiwch â dod nôl i Gymru.  Ewch i unrhyw le arall yn y byd i wneud bywyd newydd i chi’ch hunain yn hytrach na dychwelyd i’r twll yma ble mae Cymry Cymraeg uchelgeisiol yn aml yn ymddwyn yn y modd gwaethaf posib, yn gormesu eu cydwladwyr ac yn trywanu’i gilydd yn eu cefnau.”

Ond ys dywedodd T.H. Parry-Willams un tro “Ymollwng a wneuthum.  Rwy’n tynnu fy ngeiriau yn ôl”.  Oherwydd mae’n amlwg i mi erbyn hyn fod y math uchod o ymddygiad annerbyniol yn digwydd ble bynnag yn y byd y bydd gan rai unigolion bŵer dros eraill, yn enwedig os yw’r diwylliant ehangach yn ei oddef fel rhan o fywyd na ellir ei newid.  A dyna’r allwedd : os yw’r diwylliant ehangach yn ei oddef.

Mae nifer o astudiaethau diweddar gan arbenigwyr ym maes paleontoleg ac anthropoleg  megis Richard Wrangham, Brian Hare a Christopher Ryan wedi tanlinellu’r faith fod gwahaniaeth sylfaenol rhwng y ffordd yr oeddem yn arfer byw cyn y chwyldro amaethyddol a sut yr ydym yn byw o fewn cymunedau hierarchaidd trefniedig.  Gweler, er enghraifft :

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/43350/were-hunter-gatherers-peaceful-egalitarians 

Am ddegau o filoedd o flynyddoedd cyn y chwyldro amaethyddol a ddigwyddodd ryw 10,000 o flynyddoedd yn ôl roeddem yn byw mewn bandiau bach crwydrol, egalitaraidd.  Ac roedd uchelgais personol, chwennych awdurdod dros eraill o fewn y band a’u trin yn amharchus yn cael ei ystyried yn rhywbeth peryglus i undod y band.  Yr hyn fyddai’n digwydd i unigolyn oedd yn amlygu tueddiadau felly oedd yn y lle cyntaf cael ei watwar a’i fychanu gan weddill y band (yn ddynion a merched).  Os nad oedd hynny’n llwyddo i newid yr ymddygiad yna byddai’r ‘cefndryd’ neu’r hynafgwyr (sef casgliad o ddynion priod y band) yn penderfynu cael gwared ar yr unigolyn peryglus ac yn trefnu i’w ladd (gweler : The Goodness Paradox gan y preimatolegydd Richard Wrangham sy'n casglu ynghyd dystoliaeth hanesyddol yn ogystal â thystiolaeth anthropolegol fwy cyfoes o bobloedd brodorol modern).

Am ddegau o filoedd o flynyddoedd felly roedd diwylliant egalitaraidd y grwpiau crwydrol cyn amaethyddol yn rhwystr i ymdrechion unigolion uchelgeisiol rhag codi uwchben eu stâd.  Ond unwaith i’r chwyldro amaethyddol ddigwydd (The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race chwedl yr anthropolegydd a’r biolegydd Jared Diamond) dechreuodd rhai unigolion a grwpiau reoli adnoddau megis bwyd ac adeiladu stwythurau mwy hierarchaidd.  Yn y pen draw esblygodd y cymdeithasau amaethyddol cynnar hyn yn deyrnasoedd ac ymerodraethau hierarchaidd gyda’r Brenin yn ben ar y cyfan.  

Os ydym am weld diwedd ar y math o fwlio a chamdrin a amlygwyd yn adroddiad Plaid Cymru ac yn y cyhuddiadau ynglŷn â diwylliant gwaith S4C mae’n rhaid i ni greu diwylliant ehangach sy’n ymwrthod yn llwyr â breintiau hierarchaidd cyffredinol, diwylliant mwy egalitaraidd, diwylliant mwy agored, diwylliant sydd ar un ystyr yn fwy fel diwyllaint grwpiau cyn-amethyddol o ran eu hagwedd tuag at uchelgais personol. Mae angen i ni ddechrau amau cymhelliant a gwerth pobl uchelgeisiol gan fod unigolion felly yn tueddu i’n harwain i gorsydd peryglus. Meddylier am y llanast a grewyd gan Tony Blair a Boris Johnson.  

Ydy, mae democratiaeth yn beth gwych.  Ond efallai y dylem osgoi pleidleisio dros unigolion sy’n dymuno cael eu hethol (ac efallai y dylem ymatal rhag penodi unigolion sy’n ymgesisio am swyddi bras).  Onid yw’r ffaith eu bod yn chwennych pŵer yn y lle cyntaf yn eu gwneud yn anaddas i’w dderbyn?  Efallai fod hynny’n swnio fel jôc sy’n debyg i un o’r posau annatrysadwy Zen hynny megis Beth oedd eich wyneb gwreiddiol cyn i chi gael eich geni? Ond o ddarllen am helynt mewnol Plaid Cymru efallai fod mwy o wirionedd paradocsaidd iddo nag a welir ar yr olwg gyntaf.

Ond i ni yng Nghymru, ac yn benodol i ni Gymry Cymraeg, y prif angen ydy sicrhau nad yw’r ‘Cymry da’ hynny sydd wedi cael eu hunain i safleoedd o awdurdod (ac yn byw’m fras yno) yn cael camddefnyddio’r awdurdod hwnnw.  Mae angen sicrhau nad ydynt yn medru amddiffyn eu sefydliadau neu’r fuwch sanctaidd haniaethol honno Y Gymraeg ar draul y bobl gyffredin (ac yn amlwg, y merched) sy’n ei siarad neu, yn achos y cyfaill o Sais y cyfeiriais ato uchod, a wnaeth ymdrech i’w dysgu.  Cenedl heb Iaith, cenedl heb galon.  Efallai.  Ond cenedl heb gyfiawnder?  Pa werth sydd i honno?  

[cambiodecodigo]

dydd gŵyl dewi hapus!

happy saint david's day!

ers dw i wedi ddechrau'r cwrs prifysgol, dw i ddim yn wedi bod yn ymarfer gymraeg fell yn y blwyddyn diwetha. mae'n ddrwg gen i am y camgymeriadau yn y baragraff hyn. ond i ddysgu cymraeg oedd yn fendigedig a dw i'n mwya hyderus rŵan na os dw i ddim yn ei wneud. diolch i fyn nhiwtoriau a ffrindiau yn y dosbarth.

dw i ddim yn medru wneud dwy dosbarthiadau yn yr wythnos rŵan - sgen i ddim amser a sgen i ddim ynni i hwn. ond mae dal gen i'r llyfrau o'r gyrsiau mynediad a sylfaen a mynediad ar gwefan a ssiw a dw i'n medru gadw mewn cysylltiad efo'r siaradwyr bod dw i'n nabod!

dw i'n medru trio.

mae dewi sant y sant batron o gymru ond hefyd o beirdd - mae o'n swper cysylltiol efo'r iaith. felly, dewi sant, os gwelwch chi'n dda, fy helpu i siarad yn hyderus ac efo sgil, i gael yr amser ac y cymhelliad, i cysylltu â'r gymuned eto. diolch yn fawr.

[llyfrenfys]

On Cadi as the Welsh equivalent of Queer

(image: screenshot of the entry for Cadi in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru)

Some of you may already know this, but for those who don't, Cadi is a Welsh word which is analogous to the word Queer in English. I say analogous, since their meanings aren't quite a 1:1 match. But for shorthand, Welsh equivalent of Queer sums 90% of it up.

It has been suggested tentatively by some to use Cadi as the Welsh translation of Queer. I'm going to explore arguments for and against, but ultimately the choice to use/not use Cadi as a 1:1 with Queer is entirely up to you. Warning that this post is quite long, but I do hope you'll stick with it- please let me know what you think in the notes!

Without further ado, let's get into it:

Definition of Cadi:

Cadi is a term which has existed in Welsh since the 17th Century (roughly) and generally refers to effeminacy in men (real or perceived). Over time, the meaning of the term has expanded to refer to other (Queer) things as well. But the term itself largely has been applied to Queer men and queer masculinities through time.

The term itself derives from the girl's name Catrin and you will come across women who call themselves Cadi as a shortening of their name (like Liz from Elizabeth and so on). In this way, there is a strong point of comparison to be had with the English queer pejorative Nancy, which also derives from a girl's name.

Can Cadi be considered the Welsh equivalent of Queer?

So now to the real meat of the post. Can Cadi be considered the Welsh equivalent of Queer? The answer to that is, unsurprisingly, complicated.

As described above, Cadi is a term which has had strong associations with male effeminacy (real or perceived) and has close parallels to the English term Nancy, which is also nearly exclusively applied to Queer men and masculinities. What this presents is a quandary and I'll explain what I mean by that. But first, we need to outline the history of LGBTQIA+ terminology in general (in the West).

LGBTQIA+ Terminology and the inclination towards cis gay language:

This is a huge huge topic which I cannot possibly do justice to here alone, so I'd highly recommend reading up on these topics when you have time, but for the sake of brevity, here is a tldr on the history of LGBTQIA+ terminology (slightly UK-centric but similar events also happened in the US and Canada, as well as other parts of Europe).

Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) is a British Lesbian and Gay rights organisation founded in the 1960s, during a time of great social and political change. The organisation's membership grew and grew well into the 70s before declining in the 80s. It was during this time that some lesbian members of the organisation left citing erasure of lesbian issues and misogyny in the movement. CHE and similar gay and lesbian rights movements in this period had been inclined to centre gay men's issues in their activism, which understandably led to many lesbians feeling alienated. Some lesbians left in the late 70s and early 80s and began to form their own advocacy groups. This indirectly fed into a wider feminist upheaval at the time and led to the rise of lesbian feminism, which aimed to centre lesbian issues within feminism, but unfortunately (for complex historical reasons) did then contribute to the proliferation of rad\ical femi\nism within the Queer community, which then unfortunately contributed to the rise of tra\ns exclu\sionary rad\ical fem\inism. Regardless of the unfortunate rise of transphobia within the lesbian feminist movement, the original catalyst for the formation of these groups was a sense of alienation from the rest of the Queer community because gay men's issues had been prioritised over lesbian issues, when both could have been tackled together, with each other. This alienation was echoed in the names of organisations and events- many early homosexual rights groups only had homosexual or gay in their group names. It took many years before advocacy groups started adding 'and lesbian' to their names and events.

(For further reading, I would suggest watching this video by Verilybitchie about the history of lesbian erasure in homosexual advocacy and how that led to (some) lesbian groups excluding bi and trans people in the same way they were excluded by gay men)

What does that history mean for Cadi?:

Because of a history of lesbian (and by extension, women's) exclusion from homosexual advocacy groups, is Cadi the best term to use as a catch-all given its strong associations with men's expressions of Queerness? (namely, that as a pejorative it is largely aimed at femininity in men and subsequent assumed homosexuality). It is important to consider if using Cadi as an equivalent of Queer would centre a (typically cis) gay experience/expression of Queerness and if that would alienate other members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

However, a counterpoint to this would be that there are variations of the term Cadi which do include other experiences of Queerness:

Cadi ffan (similar to just 'Cadi')- typically used to describe femininity in men and boys [N. Wales]

Cadi genod/ Cadi merched (similar to above) - effeminate man/boy [N. Wales]

Cadi bechgyn - Romping girl, tomboy [N. Wales]

Cati fachgen - (similar to above)- Romping girl, tomboy [S. Wales]

Cadi Haf - Male maypole dancer dressed as a girl

They are, however, somewhat limited for use in reclamation and have to be qualified by another noun to indicate diversion from the original term's meaning.

But when talking about the term Cadi, we often speak in the abstract- without the context in which the term is used. So here are a few extracts from texts which use the term Cadi (or variants). Since this is a mostly spoken slang term, it doesn't turn up in print often, but there are a few examples to draw on.

Examples of Cadi in texts:

Page 164- Cwm Eithin by Hugh Evans (1931):

"DAWNSIO HAF Ceir darnodiad o'r ddefod hynafol dawnsio haf yn Y Gwyl- fedydd, 1823, tudal. 306, gan un a'i geilw ei hun “ Callestrwr,” fel yr arferid hi yn Callestr (Fflint, mae'n debyg). Ym mis Ebrill arferai o ddwsin i ugain o bobl ieuainc ymuno i baratoi ar gyfer y ddawns. Gwisgai'r dawnswyr eu crysau yn uchaf wedi eu haddurno ag ysnodennau a blodau. Cariai'r arweinydd fforch bren ar lun y llythyren Y. Gwnïid lliain o'r naill fraich i'r llall, ac addurnid y fforch ag amryw lestri arian, tebotiau, llwyau, cigweiniau, efc. Byddai gyda hwy grythor yn ei ddillad ei hun, “cadi” mewn gwisg merch, ac ynfytyn mewn gwisg ryfedd â phlu yn ei ben"

[emphasis mine]

This extract is the author's account of Dawnsio Haf- a Summer dance held on May Day and his investigations into it. At his time of writing (1931) the practice has died out, but later in this chapter he interviews an old woman from the Conwy Valley who participated in the dances as a child. Evans draws upon a source from 1823 for his description of Dawnsio Haf. In it, he mentions that 20 young dancers meet up for the dance wearing shirts decorated with ribbons and flowers. A leader carries a fork in the shape of the letter "Y"- between each point on the "Y" a cloth was strung with silverware dangling from it to make noise. With the 20 dancers would be a crwth-player (crythor), a Cadi in women's clothes and a fool with a feather on his cap and odd clothes.

This usage is quite archaic and refers to a folk dance- much like mumming or morris-dancing. There is however, a picture in the People's Collection Wales titled 'Cadi'r Big' taken by the prolific photographer John Tomas c. 1875, near Y Ro-wen:

Which is very interesting as Cadi'r Big has dried flowers and ribbons attached to their clothes, much like in the description in Cwm Eithin. This is very likely a picture of a "Cadi" from a Dawnsio Haf.

Page 4- Y Ddraig Binc Issue 4 (1994):

Y Ddraig Binc was a Welsh-language Queer magazine published by CYLCH, a gay and lesbian rights organisation based in Aberystwyth. The term Cadi-ffan is included in an article about the commercialisation of Queer identity in the magazine's fourth edition.

"...Nawr te, medd wrtho’i hun, be’ gymera’ i’r mis hwn, copi o GQ ynte Arena neu ydw i, efallai, yn teimlo’n ddigon ifanc a trendi am Sky? Ond aros funud, beth yw hyn? Dau gylchgrawn steil newydd a gwynt digamsyniol cadi-ffan arnyn nhw?

Ydy, mae’r hyn a oedd y tu hwnt i ddychymyg wedi digwydd. Mae grymoedd y farchnad rydd a chystadleuaeth wedi cyrraedd y byd cyhoeddi hoyw - rhaid bod Lêdi T wrth ei bodd. Nawr fe gaiff llanc hoyw ddewis o ddeunydd darllen sgleiniog, llawn erthyglau a hysbysebion yn arbennig ar ei gyfer ef a’i rywioldeb. Hwrê! Fedr hynny ddim bod yn beth drwg. Neu a fedr o?..."

[emphasis mine]

This humorous article (dealing with an important topic, mind) pokes fun at the arrival of Queer commercialisation. The article opens by explaining that there's a ruckus in the gay world (and not two old queens getting into fisticuffs)- but that this ruckus is taking place at WHSmith (UK stationery shop and newsagents)- apparent winner of this year's most vulgar uniform award. The author goes on to describe a hypothetical situation in which a gay man walks into a WHSmith to buy a magazine. He wonders whether to get a copy of GQ or Arena (men's style magazines- remember this was published in Section 28 Era so explicitly gay magazines were not common) or is he trendy enough to read Sky? (film and tv magazine). But wait- what's this? Two new style magazines with a whiff of Cadi-ffan about them? The author explains that yes, the unimaginable has happened. The forces of the free market and competition have reached the world of gay publishing.

Now a gay youth has the choice of glossy reading material, full of articles and advertisements especially for him and his sexuality. Hooray! That can't be a bad thing. Or can it? Writes the author. The article is very witty and I recommend a read (find a pdf copy here). But the usage of Cadi-ffan here is very much in a reclaimed sense. Though it must be noted that the story is told through a stereotypical cis gay lens.

Conclusions:

As I said at the start of this post, you are free to claim or not claim Cadi as you wish. However, as awareness of Welsh LGBTQIA+ terminology increases, I wanted to raise important questions and start a conversation about the words we have, what we want them to be and how they have been used against us. I hope in any case that this post has been interesting to you. If it has, please reblog this or add any comments/thoughts in the notes, tags or in my asks.

Beth yw eich barn chi? I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this and start a conversation about it! Diolch am ddarllen

[oldguardiannewtricks]

So, I made a post about bad Welsh translation and saw a hashtag that said something about Welsh having so few vowels and so many consonants.

The thing is that Welsh is a different language and therefore our words look different.

The English alphabet has 26 letters of which 5 are vowels (A. E. I. O. U).

Behold Yr Wyddor- the Welsh alphabet. We have 29 letters and 7 (seven) of those are vowels (A. E. I. O. U. W. Y) Though Y is a vowel when it wants to be AND a consonant when it wants to be- it’s just cool like that. So we actually have two more vowels than English.

Words like dŵr- water or wyth-eight or llychlyd-dusty have vowels in them just not the ones you’re used to so you may think they don’t.

Also yes some of our letters are made up of two together- it changes the sound they make. F makes a V sound like in Voice and FF makes a F sound like in Four.

[panwalescymru]

“Bore da…how can I help you?” Gwenith Price o swyddfa Comisiynydd y Gymraeg sy’n atgoffa cyrff cyhoeddus bod yn rhaid i’r sawl sy’n ateb y ffôn gynnal sgwrs, nid ond cyfarch yn Gymraeg, er mwyn cynnal yr #iaith. Lip service to #Welsh in the #publicsector is not enough any more 👏 #ELEN2022 (at Mecure Hotel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTZ0F7I0zu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[totally-not-a-renegade-time-lord]

yn unol â Deddf yr Iaith Gymraeg 1993 mae’n ofynnol i bob sefydliad yn y sector cyhoeddus ddarparu gwasanaethau i’r cyhoedd yng Nghymru i drin y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg yn gyfartal.

ydych chi'n... chwilio am swydd gyda nhw? neu dim ond ymladd dros gydraddoldeb? Achos os yw'r olaf... daliwch ati!

[cloudsnbones]

having a big boi welsh moment 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

basically this is like really old myths and legends handed down by word of mouth for centuries in Wales and one of the oldest texts in welsh existing (the oldest being Y Gododdin). It consists of 11 stories and they’re all wild as fuck!! There is also the Mabinogi which includes 4 “branches” which are the main stories of the Mabinogion. This is a translated version so it’s not in big boi Middle Welsh like it was written in originally in the 12th/13th centuries but yeah. V excited because I’ve been wanting to actually read these for ages!! Because they’re apparently really entertaining and also v excited to *try* and read them in Welsh.

But anyways Y Mabinogion is inherit to Welsh culture and literature and is overall really really cool and I’m just a bit excited XD And it’s really important for shit especially old shit to be in Welsh due to the Acts of Union when Wales wasn’t allowed to use welsh for administration because it’s a peasant language and our laws (the most progressive in Europe[apparently,, at least more progressive than England]) just got thrown in the bin. And then after that in the 1800s with Brad y Llyfrau Gleision (the betrayal of the blue books) where basically speaking welsh in schools was banned because English people don’t understand it (inspectors asked monolingual Welsh speakers questions in English and they couldn’t answer duh so they just assumed the language made people stupid) and it was condemned as the language of heathens and the devil and stuff so many people grew up having to speak a strange foreign language in schools and therefore not be able to write in their mother tongue but also perhaps not able to speak English properly because they would have no need to so their identities would have just been a mess and there used to be a punishment (The Welsh Not) for speaking Welsh in classrooms because again it’s only spoken by stupid people. Of course! Meaning the language basically started to die out.

Anyways it was cultural genocide and no one talks about it and Wales is made fun of for trying to get its language back and celebrate its culture.

This was the shittest summary I’m v sorry. And there is so much more to add especially about the origins of “The Prince of Wales” and Capel Celyn and how an MP literally had to threaten to starve himself to the death so we could get Welsh tv. But that’s for another day and I shall phrase more eloquently 🧐

And like I know this happened a lot of places but obviously this is one I’m v passionate about. I did not mean for this to become a rant.

But YES the Mabinogion!!!

[oops-ibrokereality]

Dw'i di bod yn siarad 'da rhai o fy cyfeillion sy' n byw just tu-fas o Dimbych-y-pysgod, a dw'i 'di dod i'r canlyniad bod cael gwesti a tai dim ond am Yr gwyliau wir yn ladd yr cymuned. Does bron nev yn byw yn yr pentref oherwydd mae season yn perchyn a pob un or tai mewn canol y dref! Yr unig adeiladau sydd ddim yn ail-tai grocels yw yr hotels! Nawr dw'i'n gwybod mae twristiaeth yn bwysig I economi yr wlad ond dw'i'n wir yn meddwl does dim angen berchyn a mwy na un tý! Especially os byddwch chi'n dim ond yn defnyddio am 3 wythnos Yr fuckin blwyddyn!

Mae berchyn a carafan mewn campsite Bach yn wahanol, a dw'i ddim yn erbyn hotels neu yr ddiwidiant twristiaeth ar Yr cyfan, ond mae'n gwarthus mae Yr wlad yn reliant arni!