|
INTRODUCTION
Emphasis on spoken, not literary Welsh
Email, web and phone support
Emphasis on listening and conversation
Passive, interactive, and active learning
Study at home
Graded conversation with the professor
Also available for university credit
Use your Welsh right from the start
No previous
knowledge of Welsh needed!
This course begins at absolute beginner level. You will see, hear, and say
the words right from the beginning. The phrases in Welsh have comprehensive
and accurate translations in English on the right side of the page.
When will you be at conversational level?
By the time you finish Welsh I, you will not be able to hold a normal
conversation yet, but you will have laid some of the groundwork for this.
This course is also for linguists.
This course also offers something to you language enthusiasts out there
since we also include notes and links of a more complicated nature.
What is the purpose of this course?
This course is designed to help you help yourself become a Welsh-speaker,
and to award you with a certificate if you pass.
How will you become a Welsh-speaker?
By carefully graded conversation, you will use your Welsh right from the
beginning. It doesn't matter if you don't know more than 5 words - you will
use those 5 words. This course puts emphasis on speaking and listening
skills. Interaction with the professor will be in Welsh only right from the
beginning. Interaction in Welsh only is advised with the other students -
this is your biggest weapon in the fight to acquiring Welsh. Included in the
course is a strategy for acquiring Welsh in conjunction with this course.
When speaking Welsh, say what you can in the beginning and sacrifice any
immediate desires to convey exactly what you want by using English. It's
amazing what you can do with body language and a few words - but remember,
using body language will be difficult, or even impossible, even with a
webcam. You will know dozens of words by the end of unit one. It's good to
know some words, but better to use them.
How will you really become a Welsh-speaker?
1] Confidence. 2] Finding ways to use Welsh.
How do students acquire Welsh so far away from Wales?
Distance is not a barrier and your study schedule is flexible. Students get
the language through vision and sound on this website. Weekly conversation
classes using Skype, Yahoo! or the phone offer you the chance to speak with
the professor and practice with the other students. Calling long-distance
has become much cheaper.
You are not alone!
We will hold your hands softly for a little while. We will support you for
the duration of the course, but you must take the language law into your own
hands. There are tens of thousands of people acquiring Welsh, and
Welsh-speakers are generally very appreciative of, patient with, and helpful
to "learners". The BBC supplies news in Welsh for learners, and there are
organizations to help you. We don't want to "teach" you. We will assist you
as you acquire the language through regular use. The strategy page will help
you.
You learn as part of a group, and support is there right from the beginning
through email, message board, and phone contact. Your professor will help
you, and students can help each other.
Join the polyglot club
Monoglots are the minority in the world. Many people in Europe and India
speak four or five languages fluently - a local language or two, a regional
language, a national language, and an international language or two.
Which dialect is taught in this course?
The main Welsh dialects are north and south. This course mainly teaches
general non-local-dialect South Walian [The Welsh of South Wales]. The
voices in the course are northern, so the student will learn a general
spoken Welsh in order to understand and be understood everywhere. Some
northern variants will be introduced later on in the course. |
