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Gwenhwyseg

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Gwenhwyseg or Y Wenhwyseg (also called "Gwentian" in English) is a Welsh dialect of South East Wales.[1] The name derives from an old term for the inhabitants of the area, y Gwennwys. One of Gwenhwyseg's characteristics is the change in the long a vowel to a long e e.g. y Ted a'r Meb a'r Ysbryd Glên rather than the standard y Tad, y Mab a'r Ysbryd Glân ("the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit"). The diphthong ae is changed in the same way:

Standard Welsh Gwenhwyseg
Cymraeg Cymrêg
Traed Trêd
Cae

This is a diphthong which varies in pronunciation over the Gwenhwyseg territory and not realised with same phoneme; it is also found in words like pen, pren, pert, etc. This does not occur in monosyllabic words containing a short a like mam and naw as happens in some of the dialects of Montgomeryshire. Gwenhwyseg has influenced the English spoken in the area with English speakers using Welsh words and syntax (see Welsh English), e.g. "What is on her?" reflects Welsh Beth sy' arni hi?.[2]

Other differences between standard Welsh and Gwenhwyseg are:[3]

English Standard Welsh Gwenwhyseg (Gwent Welsh)
to walk cerdded cered
to play chwarae wara
canal camlas cnel
window ffenest(r) ffenast
shoes esgidiau sgitsha
to do gwneud nithir
aunt modryb bopa
to speak siarad wilia
chair cadair catar

References

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  1. ^ "Geiriadur Gwenhwyseg / Gwentian Dictionary". Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  2. ^ BBC – De Ddwyrain – Geirfa'r Wenhwyseg
  3. ^ Burkitt, Sian (25 February 2020). "Gwent Welsh - the once common dialect that has almost disappeared". Retrieved 24 January 2023.
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