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[GinnydJack]

Well, I know it is better to learn before starting to write, but I have not seen anything yet saying when (if) you are asked in the course to start writing.

I guess what Im saying is, does the course tell you when to and how to start, or do you have to start from the pdf (that says what you learn in each lesson) by yourself?

I am fine with waiting, actually kind of nervous about it, but I just wanted to know (:

[faithless78]

Shwmae Adelaida a chroeso cynnes i y fforwm! (A warm welcome to the forum)

To be honest, there isn't really a written part of the course available (as of yet!). SaySomethinginWelsh is very much a spoken course which will help you learn to speak this beautiful language as you will hear it spoken by Welsh speakers, and give you the confidence to use the Welsh you learn like no other course available because of this learning method.
Initially, it isn't recommended to try and learn how to read and write the language until you are confident with your spoken welsh, since the words are written and sound very differently to how they would in English (for example, the Welsh alphabet contains letters and digraphs that sound very different to English - Welsh 'U's have an "ee" sound as opposed to the English "uh" sound, and the digraphs 'LL' and 'RH' have a sound all their own, unique to the Welsh language). It is common for learners to use the written word to try and improve their pronounciation, yet if they are not familiar with the Welsh alphabet and the sounds of their letters, they will automatically use the English alphabet as a guide, hence the Welsh word they're learning will no longer sounds correct.

Once you are more confident with the language, you may use the course guides to familiarise yourself with the written words, and perhaps make a list of the words you have learned with a pronounciation list next to them so you know what the word actually sounds like. This can, in time, familiarise you with the Welsh alphabet somewhat. One thing I will stress if you do this though, is that you run through the audio lesson first before you look at the course guide, so you at least familiarise yourself with the way the word is meant to sound before you see how it is written.
I think many SSiWers here follow the same technique, or perhaps have a technique that works better for them when it comes to writing. I'm sure they will share it with you if they do!

Hope this helps, and best of luck learning your new language!

Hwyl am y tro

Gav

[dinas]

Good stuff from, Gavin! I held back on reading and writing myself - on SSIW advice - until much of course 1 was well embedded...But, I'm happy to say the reading came quite rapidly when I did start: Something I think a lot of SSIWers have found.

[sumsmeister]

Hi GinnydJack! Here's a LINK to the thread about the Hampshire/Sussex meet in Lewes this coming Saturday - it would be great to see you . We are a very welcoming group from all kinds of professions and we're not limited to those two counties, we can include Kent and Berkshire as well! I'm sure there are lifts spare if you wish to share transport and you should absolutely not worry about how much or how little Welsh you can speak:D
As far as writing goes, SSIW is a speaking course, but there will be a writing course put together eventually, I'm sure. There are amazingly large plans on the table and an amazingly larger amount of work to achieve to realise them. You may like to look at threads where we contribute in Welsh, but the forum is generally run in English to maximise majority understanding - it's an all-inclusive approach, which means we have quite a large membership.
Pob lwc

[cwmgoch]

Yes, like Gav, I waited until the end of course 1 before starting on reading and writing too. A lot of my writing to date has been in short emails and texts (mainly to other learners), which is a nice, manageable, and not-too-stressful introduction to using written Welsh, I think.

[sumsmeister]

Just a thought, when you do decide to go after a bit of literacy, you may like to look seriously at "E-Ffrindiau" by Lois Arnold. It assumes some prior knowledge but has some vocab translations to help on each page. It's a cleverly-written series of emails between two women that become increasingly more complex as you read more.
Pob lwc!

[simonwalton]

Just a thought, when you do decide to go after a bit of literacy, you may like to look seriously at "E-Ffrindiau" by Lois Arnold. It assumes some prior knowledge but has some vocab translations to help on each page. It's a cleverly-written series of emails between two women that become increasingly more complex as you read more.
Pob lwc!

Thanks for the recommendation; I have just purchased it on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/E-Ffrindiau-Loi ... 1848511051

[faithless78]

Just a thought, when you do decide to go after a bit of literacy, you may like to look seriously at "E-Ffrindiau" by Lois Arnold....

Thanks for the recommendation; I have just purchased it on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/E-Ffrindiau-Loi ... 1848511051

Me too!

[sumsmeister]

Wow, what have I started! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If that goes down well, you could try stuff by Fflur Dafydd. Joining Y Lolfa was another enjoyable experience. Try it using Welsh, that was really fun!

[Carole]

Gari, you should be on commission - I'm getting the book too! Thanks for the recommendation.

Carole