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Dafydd Iwan: Cyrraedd brig iTunes. Tarddiad: Llywelyn2000 (drwy Wikimedia Commons) Tomos Evans Prif Olygydd
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ros yr wythnosau diwethaf, mae’r iaith Gymraeg wedi profi cyfnod cyffrous. Mae’r iaith Gymraeg yn perthyn i bawb ond, bellach, mae’r Gymraeg yn cael ei dysgu a’i defnyddio gan fwy o bobl hefyd. Yn ddiweddar, roedd un o gystadleuwyr y gyfres realaidd boblogaidd Love Island, yn siaradwr Cymraeg. Mynychodd Connagh Howard Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glan Taf yng Nghaerdydd. Gwnaeth Conagh ddysgu ychydig o Gymraeg i rai o’i gydgystadleuwyr yn ystod ei amser yn y fila. Defnyddiodd Iain Stirling hyd yn oed, llais Love Island, ychydig o’r Gymraeg hyd yn oed, gan gyfeirio at sgwrs ar y ‘bagiau ffa’. Wrth gwrs, mae hyn yn dilyn cynrychiolaeth o’r Gymraeg mewn pennod o’r gyfres Netflix boblogaidd, The Crown, a oedd yn sôn am arwisgiad Tywysog Cymru. Ar ddechrau’r mis, cafwyd cryn syndod pan gyrhaeddodd Yma o Hyd gan Dafydd Iwan, un o ganeuon enwocaf yr iaith Gymraeg, rif un yn siartiau iTunes. Daeth y llwyddiant ysgubol yn sgîl ymgyrch gan y grŵp Yes Cymru, sy’n ymgyrchu dros annibyniaeth i Gymru. Mae’r cyfleoedd sydd ar gael i ddysgu’r Gymraeg wedi cynyddu yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf gyda
nifer o ddosbarthiadau nos ar gynnig i bawb sydd am ddysgu’r Gymraeg. Mae cymaint o bobl wedi mynd ati i ddysgu’r Gymraeg ar draws y byd, drwy ddefnyddio gwefannau megis Say Something in Welsh neu ap Duolingo sydd yn cynnig cwrs Cymraeg i’w ddefnyddwyr. Fis Medi diwethaf, nododd Duolingo fod ganddynt 38,600 defnyddiwr ar eu cwrs Cymraeg yn ystod y mis hwnnw. Dywedodd Say Something in Welsh fod ganddynt 60,000 defnyddiwr rheolaidd ar eu gwefan. Y llynedd, gwnaeth hanes Geordan Burress gipio cefnogaeth y genedl wrth iddi ymweld â Chymru am y tro cyntaf ers iddi ddysgu’r Gymraeg. Yn dilyn hyn, mae Geordan wedi mynd ati i greu flogiau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Ar hyn o bryd, mae nifer o selebs Cymreig yn dysgu Cymraeg gan gynnwys Ruth Jones a Carol Vorderman. Bydd cyfres newydd ar S4C yn dilyn eu siwrnau wrth iddynt gwblhau tasgau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg megis actio yn Pobol y Cwm a chyflwyno’r tywydd. O fewn y Brifysgol ei hun, mae dosbarthiadau Cymraeg i Bawb yn cael eu cynnig. Felly, mae digon o gyfleoedd ar gael i fyfyrwyr fynd ati i ddysgu’r Gymraeg. Gan ei bod hi’n ddegawd newydd, mae’n gyfle euraidd i fynd ati i ymgymryd â her newydd ac mae dysgu iaith yn un ohonyn nhw. Mae’r Gymraeg ar gerdded, ymunwch yn y daith.
Dafydd Iwan: Reaching iTunes number one. Source: Llywelyn2000 (via Wikimedia Commons) Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief
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he last few weeks have been an exciting period for the Welsh language. The Welsh language belongs to all, but now the language is learned and used by an increasing number too. Recently, one of the competitors on the popular reality series, Love Island, was a Welsh speaker. Connagh Howard attended the Welsh-language school Ysgol Glan Taf in Cardiff, and taught some Welsh to his fellow islanders during his time in the villa. Even Iain Stirling, the voice of Love Island, spoke some Welsh during the show. This follows Welsh language representation in an episode in the most recent series of the hit Netflix show The Crown, which explored the inauguration of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. At the beginning of this month, Twitter was also taken by surprise when popular Welsh-language song Yma o Hyd by Dafydd Iwan, reached number one on the iTunes chart. The success came in light of a campaign by the group Yes Cymru, which supports Welsh independence. The opportunities to learn Welsh have also increased in recent years with many evening classes available for everyone who wishes to learn the language of the heavens.
Many people have gone on to learn Welsh right across the world through the use of sites such as Say Something in Welsh or the Duolingo app which also offers a Welsh language course to its users. Last September, Duolingo reported that they have 38,600 users of their Welsh course during the month. Say Something in Welsh have 60,000 regular users on their site. Last year, Geordan Burress’ story garnered the support of the nation as she came to Wales for the first time ever, after she’d taken the decision to learn Welsh. Following this, Burgess, from Ohio, has gone on to create Welsh-language vlogs. At the moment, several Welsh celebs are learning Welsh too including Ruth Jones and Carol Vorderman. A new series on S4C will follow their journey as they complete tasks through the medium of Welsh such as appear in an episode of Welsh-language soap Pobol y Cwm and present the weather in Welsh. Within the University itself, Welsh for All classes are available as well. So, there are plenty of opportunities on offer to those who want to learn Welsh. As it’s a new decade, it’s a golden opportunity to take on a new challenge and learning a language is one of them. If you’re looking for something new to do, why don’t you take the plunge and learn Welsh? The Welsh language belongs to all of us; embrace it and reap the rewards.