Anabledd a Dysgu Cymraeg | Disability and Learning Welsh
I’ve been looking to join discussions on Disability and Welsh Language learning for a while now. So I guess I decided that I should start by sharing my thoughts/experiences.
I ‘properly’ began my learning journey with a Dysgu Cymraeg class and I absolutely loved the tutor as well as all of my classmates however the structure of a class is fundamentally inaccessible for me. Without sharing the depths of my disablement I will give a bit of clarity.
I struggle with anxiety during social interactions so limit these in my daily/work life as much as possible.
I experience situational mutism (meaning there are times when I cannot speak)
I struggle with processing audio (which means that I can hear what’s being said and I understand the words but I cannot easily process what the information means)
All of this means that a Welsh Language class is inaccessible to me. That system isn’t flawed, it’s just not for me.
The terminology surrounding language learning in general has the ability to exclude. This isn’t me coming after terms or calling anyone out. I just think it’s worth a discussion. If someone doesn’t use speech to communicate but can fluently read and write in Welsh they are still not a ‘Welsh speaker’ however, the spirit of who a ‘Welsh speaker’ is would most definitely include them. I’m not saying we need new terms - I guess this is for anyone who is worried they can’t be counted as one of the million Welsh speakers in 2050 because of one reason or another.
I want to be counted. But I will not force myself into a way of learning that is unhealthy for me. I want this learning journey to be as beautiful as the language I desire to learn.
So, where does that leave me?
GOALS
I’ve been learning Welsh, slowly, for over 5 years. These years have been very valuable for me to gain a familiarity with the language. Perhaps more important, these years, especially through performing in Welsh, I have grown an excitement for the language. However, after all this time, I think I must push on or I’ll never actually speak Welsh.
So, I’ve made myself really clear goals for the next six months.
By the end of January:
Be able to have a basic conversation in Welsh. This seems like a small goal but even in English (my first language) I script my social interactions and struggle to process spoken conversations (it’s why I prefer email/text) so doing this in another language is terrifying.
By the end of February:
Have read two Welsh language novels. I’ve bought Llyfr Glas Nebo ( just finished the first chapter) and Tu ôl i'r Awyr and have already begun reading the first chapter.
By the end of April:
Be able to deliver a dance workshop in Welsh.
By the end of June:
Write a 15-minute bilingual play.
Live day to day life with the ability to use 70% Welsh (this including emailing/texts/social media as well as speaking)
In order to accomplish those goals I am doing a few things:
Duolingo actually works really well for me because it is primarily text-based. They do have listening exercises, but if I’m over stimulated then I can shut that function off for the day and still do my lesson. It also allows me to choose whether I speak the words so when I am unable to speak, I can still take part in the lesson.
Say Something In Welsh
I do use spoken language to communicate in my everyday life so I do want to use spoken Welsh to communicate. This app works well because it’s teaching me in a very different way than Duolingo so I’m also getting used to different ways of speaking Welsh. Also, if there are days that I cannot speak or process audio, I still put the lesson on and just allow it to seep into my mind so that I can become familiar with the language. I was surprised how much hearing Welsh during the Swyn rehearsals and tour helped my comprehension even when I struggled to process the audio it still made a massive difference. Using an app takes away the added pressure of speaking to people directly.
Reading emails and social media posts aloud. Many of my work emails and most of my social media is bilingual. So now, instead of scrolling past the Welsh, assuming I won’t understand it, I make sure to read the Welsh first and then the English and I make note of how the sentences are structured and any new words.
Cerddoriaeth (music). Ffilm. Theatr.
I’m listening to more Welsh language music, watching Ryan Renolds films with the Welsh subtitles (my Welsh tutor gave me that advice), and booking to watch Welsh Language theatre as well.
Practice
When I lay in bed to go to sleep I practice social encounters in Welsh. And, when I go throughout my day talking to others or my son in English, I repeat the sentence afterwards to myself in Welsh.
I’m Moving. . . temporarily. For the month of June Young Lowe and I are moving to North Wales to a small town to practice and learn. I’m making note of major North/South differences as I learn.
Things that have challenged me:
Most times when people teach you a new language they tell you the English equivalent of each word (if you’re an English speaker). However, it really bothers me how inaccurate this system is. When I learned English as a small child, I wasn’t relating each word to a different word, I was relating it to a concept. The problem is that I’m trying to relate Welsh to English word by word instead of allowing the English equivalent to be a guide to what the concept of the Welsh word is. Now that I understand this I feel so much more comfortable in my learning.
When I speak, I aim to be as direct as possible to avoid confusion. However, when learning a new language, it’s difficult to be sure I’m being direct when I speak. I don’t have a plan for this yet.
Things that have encouraged me:
While I find spoken communication difficult for a number of reasons, written communication (reading/writing) feels like home for me. One of the really great things about the Welsh language is that it’s phonetic - so when you learn the alphabet, you can read quite easily. Even the verb blends and mutations easily make sense. This is a very different experience to learning to read in English. Because English is a collaboration between many different languages, when you learn to read in English you are learning the grammatical rules of many languages (Greek, Latin, French to name a few). However, Welsh is not a collaboration in this way so once you learn the Welsh grammatical rules that’s it. Each word abides by those same rules.
Welsh speakers. So far, all the Welsh speakers I’ve been around are so proud of their language and so encouraging for people joining them. That’s been a big real relief actually, I was so worried about ruining the language with my accent or clumsy reading but at each turn there has been someone so supportive.
