English review follows

Mae Gareth Jones yn hanu o Flaenau Gwent ac fe ddysgodd y Gymraeg mewn dosbarth nos ym Mholytechnig Cymru (Prifysgol Morgannwg erbyn heddiw).

Ymgais i ehangu geirfa’r dysgwr sydd yma, trwy ddefnyddio gwreiddeiriau (root words) a’r nifer mawr o ragddodiaid ac ôl-ddodiaid sydd gan yr iaith, megis: ad-, ar-, cy-, cyd-, cyf-, rhag-, ym-; ac –aeth, -aidd, -fa, -i, -iad, -iant, -us, ac –wr. Felly, o dan ‘dangos’, rhestrir ‘arddangos’ ac ‘ymddangos’; o dan ‘chwilio’ rhestrir ‘archwilio’ ac ‘ymchwilio’; o dan ‘gweld’ rhestrir ‘cyd-weld’, ‘cyfweld’, ‘rhagweld’, ‘ymweld’, ac yn y blaen. Dyma syniad gwych i ddatblygu geirfa’n sydyn, gan adeiladu ar ryw ddeugain o ragddodiaid a rhyw saith deg o ôl-ddodiaid a chan gasglu cannoedd, os nad miloedd, o eiriau defnyddiol.

Felly nid geiriadur yw Welsh Roots & Branches ond gwreiddiadur, neu lyfr esboniadol ar un o nodweddion yr iaith sy’n ei wneud yn hynod o gyfoethog.

Nodwedd arall yw gallu’r Gymraeg i fathu geiriau wedi eu creu allan o fwy nag un elfen, megis ‘buddsoddi’, ‘cymhorthdal’ a ‘gwefan’. Wrth i’r iaith ennill mwy o statws swyddogol fel cyfrwng cyhoeddus yng Nghymru, mae angen mwy a mwy o eiriau i adlewyrchu’r oes fodern. Diolch byth, mae hi’n gallu bathu’r geiriau hyn i raddau helaeth o’i hadnoddau ieithyddol ei hun.

Un o broblemau’r dysgwr yw dod o hyd i ragor o eiriau er mwyn cadw’r sgwrs yn fyw. Yn aml, mae mor hawdd troi at y Saesneg unwaith y mae ef/hi wedi dihysbyddu'r geiriau sydd ganddynt. Mae ef/hi yn gwybod y gair ‘cymdeithas’, er enghraifft, ond nid y gair ‘cymdeithasol’ neu ‘cymdeithaseg’ neu ‘cymdeithasu’. Gyda help y llyfr hwn, mae ef/hi yn gallu cael gafael ar fodd eithaf hawdd o ddatblygu’r gallu i fynegi yn y Gymraeg.

Mae Gareth Jones i’w longyfarch ar ddarganfod un o gyfrinachau’r Gymraeg ac ar lunio cyfrol swmpus a hylaw er mwyn rhannu ei brofiad gyda dysgwyr eraill.

Meic Stephens

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Gareth Jones hails from Blaenau Gwent and learnt Welsh in a night-class at the Polytechnic of Wales (now the University of Glamorgan).

This book is an attempt to expand the Welsh-learner’s vocabulary by using root-words and the large number of prefixes and suffixes to be found in the language, such as ad-, ar-, cy-, cyd-, cyf-, rhag-, ym-; and –aeth, -aidd, -fa, -i, -iad, -iant, -us, and –wr. So under the word ‘dangos’ (to show), are given ‘arddangos’ (to display) and ‘ymddangos’ (to appear); under ‘chwilio’ (to seek) are given ‘archwilio’ (to investigate), and ‘ymchwilio’ (to research); under ‘gweld’ (to see) are given ‘cyd-weld’ (to agree), ‘cyfweld’ (to interview), ‘rhagweld’ (to foresee), ‘ymweld’ (to visit), and so on. This is a terrific idea for the rapid development of vocabulary by building on some forty prefixes and seventy suffixes which are to be found in Welsh, and thus acquiring hundreds, if not thousands, of useful words.

So Welsh Roots & Branches is not a dictionary but a glossary of root-words, or an explanatory book about one of the language’s features which make it so remarkably rich.

Another feature is the ability of Welsh to coin words made out of more than one element, such as ‘buddsoddi’ (to invest), ‘cymhorthdal’ (subsidy) and ‘gwefan’ (website). As the language wins greater status as a public medium in Wales, there is more and more need for words which reflect the modern age. Fortunately, it is able, to a large extent, to coin these words from its own linguistic resources.

One of the Welsh learner’s problems is finding enough words to keep the conversation going. Often it is so easy to turn to English once he or she has exhausted the words at his or her command. He or she knows the word ‘cymdeithas’ (society), for example, but not the word ‘cymdeithasol’ (social) or ‘cymdeithaseg’ (sociology) or ‘cymdeithasu’ (to socialise). With the help of this book the learner can find quite an easy way of developing his ability to express himself or herself in Welsh.

Gareth Jones is to be congratulated on hitting upon one of the secrets of Welsh and on compiling a substantial and easy-to-use book with which to share his experiences with other learners.

Meic Stephens

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.