I Am Welsh

@Abstraction I live in Carmarthenshire. We don't speak English much! I was once in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Economically it's poor but spiritually it's rich.

@LilirWyddfa His father was worked in the slate mines. He left his father and sister, came to Australia and became a shire president. I have the translation of the letter sent to him enquiring after his father's death. It had one phrase untranslated, and for years I couldn't find a translation. It's not that complex really. "Do you still preach Sion bach? Remember when you used to preach long ago?"

I remember my dad asking what preaching sion bach would be.
How would you translate that? I know what I think, but interesting to hear how you'd put it. Yes, his name was John.

Sion is Welsh for John. Bach means little. It means, Do you still preach, John bach. Welsh people often add bach to a name. It’s a term of endearment. In English it means little but Little John doesn’t carry the same meaning even though it’s a literal translation. You have to understand Welsh mentality to understand Sion bach. It’s like when you might say my dearest John but I don’t think English can begin to describe the emotions that Welsh people feel for each other. Simple words convey intense emotions.
It isn’t preach Sion bach. There should have been a comma after preach. It’s obvious to me that Sion used to preach. In other words he used to take services in one of the chapels. I hope that helps and if not, love to talk to you again. Love to talk to you again, anyway! @Abstraction

@LilirWyddfa That's a very rich and meaningful interpretation, thank you. In the context of the letter and what I know of his life, what happened after he left his home, Bwlch Hwfa, in Ffestiniog, and the death of his father - even more so. I'm sure there was a comma - my cousins have the original Welsh letter, I only have the translation with only that phrase left untranslated. Like so many who left Britain, their fortunes changed in the colony - his father a carter in slate mines, the son was first shire president in Australia in his twenties. I want to get back and see the old homestead and explore...

I worked in Papua New Guinea, which has more languages than any other nation on earth. The lingua franca, tok pisin, developed as a trading language, and lacks the vocabulary for higher education. Sometimes in a community you could express something in a more roundabout way - perhaps by illustration or explaining concepts that are in a single word in English. When you study in Welsh - which is obviously a lot richer than tok pisin - yet I still imagine you'd have to borrow vocabulary from English?

We try not to. I have even made new words for words that don’t exist! @Abstraction

@LilirWyddfa I love it. The dynamic and alive iaith Gymraeg (if that's correct.) And you get to contribute to that.

And before I know it others are using them! @LilirWyddfa

My government are determined that one million of us will speak Welsh by 2050. And it like climate change. We’re almost there! @Abstraction