> > Please forgive the fact that i'm posting this in English. [snip] > diolch yn fawr. Please, Dr. Gowing, by all means post in English! I was a bit leery about subscribing to this list, wondering if my poor mbox would be buried in Cymraeg and therefore 80% indecipherable to poor little very-novice me! After all, part of the server name is "LEARN"... :-) A quick introduction: I'm Valerie Meachum, currently of Columbus, Ohio. I pay the bills as a preschool teacher and keep my sanity as an actress, singer, dancer and writer. I have a BA in Humanities from Michigan State University (not terribly marketable, perhaps, but I was never overly concerned about pretty pieces of paper anyway; I got the learning base I wanted), with emphases in English, French and linguistics. The last has pretty much led me here in a roundabout fashion; I first became interested in linguistics at the ripe old age of nine through reading Tolkien, and have always had a special affection for Celtic language and culture. Thanks to the wonders of "TEach Yourself..." (yes, they leave something to be desired, but it's a place to start and preschool teachers don't make much around here) I'm off on the adventure of learning a language for which I actually have some genetic affinity. I'm afraid I chose to learn Welsh first and Irish Gaelic second (the only two Celtic languages I can find enough independent-study resources for) for the rather arbitrary reason that Welsh orthography makes a lot more sense to me at the outset. :-) But here I am. Be kind to my mistakes...there will be many, I'm sure. Nos da! -- The Bad Penny * Valerie Lynn Meachum TORVILL AND DEAN ARE STILL SUPREME!!! :-)