I am new to this list (and to lists in general), but this is hello. I am amazed that such a resource exists. My mothers maiden (surname) was "Owens" and apparently (according to the family geneology lover) that is from "Ap' Owen" whatever that means exactly! "Born of" or "son of" maybe? Any way, the very few times I have heard Welsh spoken (appalachian America wasn't the place to hear much of the Welsh language!) I found it beautiful. The ancestry and the admiration for the language prompt me to put some (sporadic) time into trying to learn the language. I don't speak a word of the Welsh language (unless there are cognatives in American english or Appalachian slang which I am unaware of), but I do speak Mandarin Chinese and have a respect for the insight language (if understood from itself) gives into the mind and ways of a people. I am thinking that there must be some tutorials available in Welsh (is this the correct word for the language or is it Cymru?.... something else?) and I would like to know where they are. I have seen things from this list's messages which suggest that there are such resources. Anyone who will tell me where? I hope people will bear with me as a newcomer to this list, but I am much intrigued by the conversation about the postal addresses to Wales (and Scotland) (Cymru, Alba?). Aside from the practicality of just getting a written message from one place to another across different systems of handling, this conversation seems interesting in its social scope. As an American, I hear the term "grass roots" in relation to political thought (or political emotion and invective at least!) quite a lot. It seems likely that questions about who a people (group of people) are are much related both to the identity their language(s) invites them to take ownership of, and to whom (beyond their own nationality and geographical location) their language continues that invitation of viewing them as a collective (possibly seperate?) group/entity in some fashion. Anyone with thoughts on this (probably better understood by you than me!) observation....... I would love to hear them! Last, Hello all you WELSH-L folks. Nice to meet you (virtually) ;) and I hope to learn a lot from you! If any kind soul out there has suggestions for me in undertaking this language project..... please seize the moment and tell me what you know (or what I ought to know)! My thanks, and thanks again... Marvin Timothy Gray (Tim)