> I'm learning Welsh in Wales and we are taught to use the "Cymraeg yr Internet" > form or the even the shorter "Wi" for positive statements in spoken Welsh, e.g. > > Wi'n hoffi.... > Dw i ddim yn hoffi.... > > (I'm pretty sure for writing our course notes / exercises we were told to put > a space between 'Dw' and 'i' but no space in 'Wi' - although I suppose, since > this is "a way of writing *spoken* Welsh" it's a little arbitrary). True, although I would see a difference between 'dwi' and 'dw i' - I would read the second as having two syllables and thus a stress on the 'i' eg. "Dwi yn mynd i Fangor." "Wel, dw i yn mynd i Aber." ("I'm going to Bangor." "Well, *I*'m going to Aber.") Also some of the forms below are southisms (iaith hwntw!). > As I recall the form I've learnt is: > > (D)Wi - I am Wi = southern > Wyt ti - You are (fam/sing) in colloquial spoken welsh the 'wyt' might be dropped. > Mae e - He is e = southern. In North Wales: Mae o - He is > Mae hi - She is You probably won't here the 'e' at the end of 'Mae' in many conversations in welsh either. Ma' hi - She is not usually dropped in 'mae o' because it sounds a bit odd- "ma' o" but some speakers do. > Yn ni - We are Yn = southern (in this context of course) "Da ni" is what you're likely to hear in the north. > Ych chi - You are (formal/plural) similarly "Da chi" > Maen nhw - They are will probably come out as: "Ma nw" Sorry to complicate matters. Mwynhewch. -- Illtud Daniel Computing Officer, Jesus College, Oxford. idaniel@jesus.ox.ac.uk