Assembly People: Anna, Welsh Language Tutor

Shwmae! I’m Anna, and I was appointed Welsh Language Tutor for Assembly Commission staff in November 2014. I offer one to one mentoring sessions, formal lessons and more informal learning activities to learners on all levels, from beginners to those who are more advanced. In this new post, it has been a pleasure to meet so many members of Assembly Commission staff who are enthusiastic about learning to speak Welsh. It is a joy to hear those learners using Welsh freely around the offices at Tŷ Hywel and in the Senedd. One of the highlights for me so far was being greeted spontaneously in Welsh in song by Assembly officials as I entered the building one miserable January morning. During the previous day, I had held a session on greeting and guiding in Welsh with them. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and it was the inspiration for this video in which they star:

 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxKDwnrYvMs&w=560&h=315]

Another highlight has been teaching the canteen staff to serve in Welsh. It is a thrill for me to hear them use the phrases they have learnt at work, and I always look forward to my sessions with the team as they always bring so much fun with them. [caption id="attachment_1185" align="alignnone" width="660"] Assembly canteen staff each holding up a card to complete the phrase: 'Schmae! Dyn ni'n dysgu gweini yn Gymraeg.'[/caption] Here are some handy phrases that they have learnt that may be useful to us all to get us through the day at work: coffi gwyn                      white coffee coffi du                          black coffee coffi gwyn bach              small white coffee coffi du bach                  small black coffee coffi gwyn mawr             large white coffee coffi du mawr                 large black coffee Ga i helpu?                     May I help? Dyna chi                         There you are Diolch                            Thank you Croeso                           You’re welcome Pysgod a Sglods             Fish and Chips Brechdan                        Sandwich Bara brown                     Brown bread Bara gwyn                       White bread One thing that has struck me since I started in this post in November is how difficult it can be for learners to have an opportunity to speak Welsh outside the classroom. Therefore, I’d like to use the space that I have left to call on all Welsh speakers to give our learners a chance – turning to English can undermine their confidence that they can communicate in Welsh. So, Welsh speakers and Welsh learners, give it a go! Pob lwc! Watch Anna teaching Dewi the Dragon some key Welsh phrases in this short video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqUeCam-rg&w=560&h=315]