Preliminary comments

The purpose of this Web page is to act as a working site which can help build up a list of linguistic variables in Welsh dialect syntax.

No analyses are provided, only examples.

No attempt is made to identify locations at this stage.

The material is not intended for direct use with informants. There are issues of pronunciation, mutations, and lexical choices which may distract from the variable which is being investigated. None of these matters are addressed here.

The relationship of formal written Welsh and informal spoken Welsh may also figure in this inventory. This may indicate stylistic differences and not necessarily dialectal ones e.g. agreement clitics.

In some instances, the variation is not really syntactic but is based on lexical choices but which, however, realize syntactic elements.

Morphonological differences have not been considered. But some morphological differences may be relevant e.g the -odd versus -ws contrast: wedodd e 'he said' versus wedws e. Or the incidence of -s- in past perfective endings: wel(s)och chi Mair? Or the third person singular future -ith/-iff as in welith/iff hi Gwyn heno.

A very interesting project to consult is one by David Willis (Cambridge), Maggie Tallerman (Newcastle) and Bob Borsley (Essex), The Syntactic Atlas of Welsh Dialects.

A Linguistic Geography of Wales by Alan R. Thomas gives a comprehensive description of lexical variation in the Welsh dialects. The Welsh Dialect Survey edited by Alan R. Thomas and co-edited by Glyn E. Jones, Robert O. Jones, and David A. Thorne, mainly gives an account of segmental phonology with some deatils about morphophonolgy and morphology.

If you know of a linguistic variable which is not in this list or if you have any comments or observations, please click bmj@aber.ac.uk to send me an e-mail with the details.

Linguistic variables

Addressee pronouns	Past perfective and noun clauses
Agreement clitics	Piau or Perchen
Bron or bron â bod	Expletive subject yna 'there'
Byddai or buasai	Possessive sentences
Demonstrative postmodifiers	Prepositional stranding
Focus particles, main, negative	Preverbal particles, positive, main
Focus particles, main, positive	Preverbal particles, positive, subordinate
Focus particles, subordinate, negative	Pro-drop
Focus particles, subordinate, positive	Reflexive pronouns
Gorfod	Resumptive pronoun
Habituality	Tags
I gyd 'all'	Verbs: simple or periphrastic expressions
Negatives, main clauses	Wants, needs
Negatives, subordinates	Inversion of subject and predicate
Equative degree	Copula dropping

Verbs: simple or periphrastic expressions

gerdda' i i'r dre

na' i gerdded i'r dre

gerddodd Gwyn i'r dre

na'th Gwyn gerdded i'r dre

ddaru Gwyn gerdded i'r dre

faswn/fyddwn i'n mynd fory

awn i fory

elwn i fory

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Habituality

dw i'n cerdded i'r gwaith bob dydd

fydda' i'n cerdded i'r gwaith bob dydd

o'n i'n cerdded i'r gwaith bod dydd

fyddwn i'n cerdded i'r gwaith bob dydd

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Byddai or buasai

'would be' in counterfactuals and future-in-the-past

fyddwn i'n aros yma

faswn i'n aros yma

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Preverbal particles, main, positive

mi fydd Gwyn yna

fe fydd Gwyn yna

i fydd Gwyn yna

fydd Gwyn yna

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Focus particles, main, positive

Gwyn sy'n mynd?

ie Gwyn sy'n mynd?

efe Gwyn sy'n mynd?

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Focus particles, main, negative

dim Gwyn sy'n mynd

nage Gwyn sy'n mynd

nid Gwyn sy'n mynd

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Focus particles, subordinate, positive

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod ma' Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod na Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod taw Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod Mair sy'n mynd

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Focus particles, subordinate, negative

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod dim Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod nage Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod ma' dim Mair sy'n mynd

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod nad Mair sy'n mynd

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Demonstrative postmodifiers

y llyfr yma

y llyfr hwn

y llyfr hyn

y llyfr yna

y llyfr hwnnw/hwnna

y llyfr hynny

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Wants, needs

isho    ishe    ise

ma' Mair isho/ishe/ise aros

ma' Mair yn moyn aros

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Negatives, main clauses

(dy)dy Mair ddim yna

(d)yw Mair ddim yna

sa Mair yna    (and other realizations)

nag yw Mair yna

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Negatives, subordinates

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod na fydd Mair yna

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod na fydd Mair ddim yna

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod fydd Mair ddim yna

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Preverbal particles, positive, subordinate

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod bydd Mair yna

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod fydd Mair yna

ma' Gwyn yn gw'bod y bydd Mair yna

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Possessive sentences

mae gan Gwyn gar newydd

ma' car newydd gan Gwyn

mae (gy)da Gwyn gar newydd

ma' car newydd gyda Gwyn

mae Gwyn gan gar newydd

mae Gwyn gyda car newydd

mae Gwyn efo car newydd

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Agreement clitics

(d)w i wedi gweld 'i llyfr hi

(d)w i wedi gweld llyfr hi

(d)w i 'n 'i ddarllen o/e

(d)w i 'n ddarllen o/e

(d)w i 'n darllen o/e

Be ti 'n 'i f'yta?

be ti 'n fy'ta?

be ti'n b'yta?

Be ti 'n 'i symud

be ti 'n symud

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Past perfective and noun clauses

ddydodd Gwyn fod Gwyn wedi mynd

ddydodd Mair a'th Gwyn

ddydodd Gwyn i Mair fynd

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Addressee pronouns

Addessing one person who you know well:

o'ddet ti yna?

o'dde' chdi yna?

oeddech chi yna?

oedd o/e yna?

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Expletive Subject yna'there'

ma' 'na adar yn y coed

mae adar yn y coed

mae sêr disglair yn yr awyr heno

mae yna sêr disglair yn yr awyr heno

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Bron or bron â bod

mae hi wedi cyrraedd bron

mae hi wedi cyrraed bron â bod

mae hi bron yna

mae hi bron â bod yna

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Reflexive pronouns

yn hun        yn hunan

dy hun        dy hunan

'i hun          'i hunan

ych hun      ych hunan / hunain

yn hun        yn hunan / hunain

'i hun          'i hunan / hunain

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Gorfod

'got to, have to'

(d)w i'n gor(f)od aros

gor(f)od i mi aros

gor(f)od fi aros

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Pro-drop

It is generally the case that informal spoken Welsh does not have pro-drop in unbounded positions, unlike formal written Welsh. But there are some instances of pro-drop in the dialects. But establishing a generalization is a bit tricky. Possible instances are pronominal subjects to finite verbs, and pronominal complements to prepositions.

Resumptive pronoun

See also prepositional stranding.

dyma'r merched ma' pawb yn son amdanyn

dyma'r merched ma' pawb yn son amdanyn n(h)w

ti'n gw'bod y ffilm o't ti'n edrych arno?

ti'n gw'bod y ffilm o't ti'n edrych arno fo/fe?

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Prepositional stranding

See also resumptive pronoun

dyma'r merched ma' pawb yn son amdanyn (nhw)

dyma'r merched ma' pawb yn son am

i le ti'n mynd?

lle ti'n mynd?

lle ti'n mynd i?

am be ti'n chwilio?

be ti'n chwilio amdano (fo)?

be ti'n chwilio am?

efo pwy ti'n siarad?

pwy ti'n siarad efo (fo/fe)?

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Piau or Perchen

fi (sydd) pia/bia hwnna

fi sydd berchen hwnna

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I gyd 'all'

mae'r dynion i gyd wedi mynd

mae (i) gyd o'r dynion wedi mynd

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Inversion of subject and predicate

mae gen i Audi newydd

mae Audi newydd 'da fi

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Equative degree

mae Mair cyn gryfed â Siôn

mae Mair mor gryfed â Siôn

mae Mair mor gryf â Siôn

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Copula dropping

dw i'n aros / fi'n aros
w i'n aros yma / fi'n aros yma

wyt ti'n cytuno? / ti'n cytuno?

mae o'n iawn / fo'n iawn
ma' fe'n iawn / fe'n iawn
ma' hi'n iawn / hi'n iawn

dan ni'n mynd / ni'n mynd
yn ni'n mynd /ni'n mynd

dach chi'n dod heno?/ chi'n dod heno?
ych chi'n dod heno? / chi'n dod heno?

ma'n nhw wedi cyrraedd / nhw wedi cyrraedd

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Bob Morris Jones
bmj@aber.ac.uk

05 January 2007 13:50:11