The high central vowel, or the ‘northern u’ as it is informally called, is well known to be a characteristic feature of northern Welsh. Generally in north Wales, a clear contrast is heard between pairs such as ‘tŷ’ / ‘ti’ and ‘sur’ / ‘sir’. Conversely, since this contrast is neutralised in the south, these words are homophones, and are always pronounced with the high front vowel ‘i’. The main aim of this study therefore is to analyse quantitatively the way in which this contrast between ‘northern u’ and ‘southern i’ is lost in parts of mid-Wales. Consequently, the results will show the complex patterns of variation that arise in one particular ‘transition zone’, namely the Tywyn district, and demonstrate how speakers’ use of the high central vowel in this area is conditioned to a considerable extent by specific linguistic factors. Finally, this article will postulate that the interchange between the high front and the high central vowels is also related to variation in the length of diphthongs, and the implications of this theory will be probed.

The Sun is a dynamic, complex system, full of interesting and important features. These kinds of features can be modeled in various ways, such as with Non-Linear Force-Free Field (NLFFF) models. In this paper, NLFFF simulations are built. The intention is to estimate spatial patterns of the magnetic field in the solar chromosphere and corona and changes in the free energy in the system, in particular losses of energy as a result of solar eruptions. Most existing models have a temporal cadence of 12 minutes at best (that is, the situation is simulated every 12 minutes). The method discussed in this paper makes various approximations but it aims to achieve a temporal cadence of 45 seconds. The method used is found to successfully simulate synthetic data, and when dealing with real data, it produces images which frequently correspond well to observations. Several reductions in the free energy of the system are seen, corresponding to observed eruptions.

The literature contains many studies on code-switching. The socio-cultural method of studying networking in the classroom as described by Mercer (2000) is based on a detailed analysis of the discourse of language classes. Mercer noted a number of linguistic techniques used by teachers. This article analyses the views of trainee-teachers on code-switching as a practice in the classroom. In the study, the class practice of two trainee teachers, bilingual in Welsh and English, was examined. The two were observed and their teaching recorded. Interviews were also held with the trainee teachers to ask them about their attitudes to the use of the first language in a secondary-school class where English is a second language. The collected data is analysed using Critical Discourse analysis methods. Specific consideration is given to what extent the trainee teachers succeeded in teaching in a way that was within the attainment of the bilingual pupils under their care. The occasions when the teachers switched from English to Welsh for a minute could be seen to correspond to the code-switching functions noted by Camilleri. The code-switching suggests a legitimate way of using common linguistic resources as a teaching support in the classroom.

The Welsh language has several features in its grammar which are crosslinguistically very unusual. This paper looks at five such features, at their rarity in the languages of the world and at their place in Welsh grammar. It shows that the textual frequency of each feature, in corpora of spoken and written Welsh, is declining. These five features, which had been stable in Welsh since the earliest records well over a thousand years ago, have in the lifetime of older speakers become optional or obsolescent in the spoken language: the grammar of the language has changed. Welsh is likely changing because of bilingualism. Along with the recent increase in the public use of Welsh has come an increase in the use of English in the everyday lives of Welsh speakers. The average Welsh-speaker now speaks more English than Welsh, outside the family at least. Speaking a second language fluently and regularly HAS been shown to affect the speaker's first language, probably to lessen the psychological load in constantly switching between the two languages. It is argued that in such a situation cross-linguistically unusual features are inherently more susceptible to loss. Finally, the paper looks very briefly at possible future developments.

Y prif siaradwr yn y Gynhadledd Heriau Cyfieithu a gynhaliwyd ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth ar 27 Hydref 2017 oedd John Evans, Cyfieithydd yn y Comisiwn Ewropeaidd. Dyma'r delweddau sy'n cyd-fynd â'i gyflwyniad yn trafod rôl y cyfieithydd o fewn y Comisiwn Ewropeaidd.

The introduction of non-native species presents one of the most significant threats facing biodiversity worldwide. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly affected, due to the widespread introduction of species to rivers and lakes for aquaculture and fishing. This article describes non-native, freshwater animals that are present and invasive in Britain, as well as those which are likely to become established over the coming years. The effects of these animals on freshwater ecosystems are explained, and problems that are faced when attempting to manage invasive species are highlighted. Additionally, the effects of climate change and other stressors on the future distribution of non-native species are discussed. 

The manuscripts of Iolo Morganwg (1747-1826), as well as his collection of native folk-songs, give us a unique insight into an important period in the history of Welsh culture during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The central focus of this study is the love-songs found in his collection, together with the wider social context and background which serve to underpin the folk songs. One can trace this tradition to the poets of the nobility, and especially to the age of Dafydd ap Gwilym. Also one folk-tune in particular will be discussed in detail, ‘The Lady of Sker’. The love story, the folk-tune and the words which are normally associated with ‘The Lady of Sker’ are all well-known in several circles, however the folk-tune recorded by Iolo is totally unknown.

This article uses theatre as a lens in order to examine the cultural exchange between Wales and the Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills that is rooted in the history of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Overseas Mission present in north-east India between 1841 and 1969. Focusing on Khasi plays from the colonial period as well as an example of Welsh missionary performance staged in Wales in 1929, the article considers the extent to which Welsh conceptions of theatre and drama influenced native performances in the Khasi Hills, and correspondingly, to what extent the missionaries’ perception of India influenced the idea and the representation of the country in Welsh performative portrayals.

This article analyses the relationship between Welsh and English speakers in pub scenes in two contemporary novels set in south Wales, namely Y Tiwniwr Piano by Catrin Dafydd (2009) and The Book of Idiots by Christopher Meredith (2012), in light of philosophical theories about the ‘other’ and otherness. The development of the concept of the ‘other’ is traced by considering the work of philosophers and cultural theorists such as Georg Hegel, Simone de Beauvoir, Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha. Turning to the work of Charlotte Williams and Simon Brooks, the article argues that both Welsh and English speakers in Wales can experience otherness, and the novels are then analysed to explore how this is reflected in contemporary fictional texts. The article draws conclusions about the significance of otherness to contemporary Welsh imagination and identity and suggests how other philosophical ideas could help us find common ground between Wales’s two main language communities.

Datblygwyd y llawlyfr ar-lein yma gan Brifysgol Cymru: Y Drindod Dewi Sant. Mae’n cyflwyno a thrafod prif elfennau creadigrwydd yn yr ysgol gynradd ar gyfer ymarferwyr y Cyfnod Sylfaen a Chyfnod Allweddol 2. Mae’r llawlyfr yn ymateb i ddatblygiadau polisi Llywodraeth Cynlluniad Cymru ac yn cynnig arweiniad ar sut i baratoi, creu, cynllunio, datblygu, trefnu ac asesu gweithgareddau dysgu ‘creadigedd’ o ansawdd uchel.

Dyma'r disgrifiad cynhwysfawr cyntaf un o Hen Gymraeg (iaith y 9fed ganrif hyd ddechrau'r ddeuddegfed) i ymddangos yn yr iaith Gymraeg. Mae'n addasiad (gan yr awdur ei hunan) o Gramadeg Hen Gymraeg, Alexander Falileyev, a gyhoeddwyd yn Rwsieg yn 2002, ac yn Ffrangeg yn 2008. Yn ogystal â throsi'r gwaith i'r Gymraeg, mae Dr Falileyev wedi'i addasu ar gyfer cynulleidfa Gymraeg, ac wedi ymgorffori ffrwyth yr ymchwil diweddaraf ar y testunau hyn (peth ohono eto i'w gyhoeddi). Mae hyn yn golygu y bydd o ddiddordeb i ysgolheigion profiadol yn ogystal â myfyrwyr a lleygwyr. Mae'n cynnwys disgrifiadau manwl o'r testunau hysbys, gyda llyfryddiaeth lawn, penodau ar ffonoleg, gramadeg a chystrawen yr iaith, a detholiad o destunau golygedig gyda nodiadau cynhwysfawr a geirfa. Mae'r llyfr hwn yn rhoi cyfle, am y tro cyntaf, i'r Cymry ddod i adnabod rhai o'r enghreifftiau cynharaf hysbys o destunau yn eu hiaith. Mae Dr Falileyev, yn enedigol o St Petersburg, Rwsia, yn arbenigydd ar yr ieithoedd Celtaidd. Mae wedi cyhoeddi'n helaeth ar enwau lleoedd a phersonol Celtaidd o Ewrop yn yr hen gyfnod, ac ar iaith a llenyddiaeth Cymru'r Oesoedd Canol Golygydd y Gyfres: Dr Simon Rodway, Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Mae’r llawlyfr hwn yn esbonio beth yw technolegau iaith ac yn ddisgrifio rhai o’r cydrannau mwyaf sylweddol yn ogystal â cheisio egluro’r dulliau a ddefnyddir i'w gwireddu. Mae wedi’i fwriadu ar gyfer myfyrwyr, datblygwyr, academyddion, swyddogion polisi, ac eraill sydd heb gefndir yn y maes ond sydd eisiau deall mwy am feysydd pwysig prosesu iaith naturiol, deallusrwydd artiffisial, technoleg cyfieithu a thechnoleg lleferydd. Mae'r llawlyfr hefyd ar gael ar wefan Porth Technolegau Iaith Cenedlaethol Cymru. Ysgrifennwyd gan swyddogion o Uned Technolegau Iaith, Prifysgol Bangor, a Cymen Cyf gyda chymorth grant bach gan y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.