Saturday, July 22, 2017

Welsh Place Name meanings or translations and emergency words

Problem
It helps you to get around, find your wall past landmarks and to your hotel if you can understand Welsh names and emergency signs.
What do Welsh places names mean? If I knew the meaning, it would be easier to remember them.

Answer
Here's a useful list.
http://acen.co.uk/en/welsh-place-names-2/

In Cardiff a major tourist site is Castle Coch, or Castell Coch, which means red castle. In Welsh the adjective comes second.

Aber is mouth, usually mouth of the river, where it joins the sea, but it could just join another river. The word which follows is often the name of the river. The one which immediately comes to my mind is the place name Aberystwyth.

Welsh - English
aber - mouth
afon - river
bach/fach - small
betwyn - house of prayer
castell - castle
coch - red
coed - wood
llan - church
llyn - lake or pool
pen - top or end
pont - bridge
ty - house (with a hat or circumflex on the Welsh y, like a rooftop)
y - the

So Llandudno, is a church, the church (of St) Tudno.
Llandewi is the church (of saint) David.

English - Welsh
avenue - avenue
hill  - bryn
house - ty (y with a circumflex)
lane - lôn (with a circumflex on the vowel o)
lake or pool - llyn
mouth (of river) - aber
promenade promenâd (a with a circumflex)
road - fford
river - afon
street - stryd
wood - c o e d
y - the

Useful Emergency names
danger - p e r y g l
doctor - meddyg
chemist / pharmacy - f f e r y l l f a / f f e r e l l y d d
fire brigade - frigâd dân
garage - g a r e j
help - helpu
mechanic - me c a n i c
no smoking - dim y s m y g u
nurse - nyrs
police officer - h e d d w a s
school - Ysgol
shop - siop

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, Author and Speaker, teacher of languages. See my previous post on Welsh colours. Please link to your favourite posts.



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