[twigs]

I can read it and speak it to a limited degree.

I envy you. A number of years ago, I was engaged to a Welsh immigrant who came first to the US and then to Canada. He is a journalist, so he uses the English language beautifully. But when he told me he still thought in Welsh, which amazed me, I asked him to speak it. Wow! What a BEAUTIFUL language!

[Myrddin]

My cousins in Pontrhydygroes said the same thing. They can speak English, but they think in Welsh. That sometimes causes a pause in response. I was out in the garden with my friends in Cwmystwyth one afternoon. A very beautiful bird landed on a nearby tree. My friends recognized the bird and knew what to call it...in Welsh. They didn't have any idea of what it was called in English.

I listen to Welsh music performed in the dialect that is common in the mid-valleys. My favorite folk group is "Plethyn". The lead singer in that group in Linda Healy. She has a number of her own albums. You can buy the music directly from Sain in Wales via their website. The Plethyn cassette "Teulu'r Tir" is a nice collection and representative of the typical fine quality of singing in very close harmony. Plethyn literally translates as "entwined".

Before I post this, I'll point out that Welsh is phonetic and those names have more vowels than are apparent. The name "Cwmyswyth" is approximately "koom UHST' with" for an English speaker. Pontrhydygroes is approximately "pont RID' uh groys". Stress is on the penultimate syllable. The "r" is always rolled.