15 Comments
I'm struggling with the ll pronunciation... anybody got tips? Or maybe its IPA representation? Diolch!
The IPA symbol is /ɬ/. If you're struggling to say it, try saying "kettle". Keep your tongue around the position of the "ttle" and say "ttl" a few times, then try blowing out at the end of the sound. After a while the blowing sound should get smoother and you should be able to say it without the preceding "ttl". Then it's just a matter of slightly adjusting your tongue until it sounds juuuuust right. (I learned to say LL using "kettle" when I was in primary school, and I'm not good at explaining but... the method worked!)
The way I started to learn it was by saying 'l', but blowing air over my tongue like I was saying 'sh' at the same time. But skuggstralar's suggestion sounds good too.
The main thing is remembering that it isn't said with any particular force or "whispered" like some guides say. It's actually said in the same way as any other sound.
See what works for you in here as well: http://gwybodiadur.tripod.com/ll.htm
The way I understand it--which may be entirely wrong--is to pronounce the L sound as normal, but aspirate as well.
It's a voiceless lateral fricative, so you put the tongue in an L position and "blow" through the sides of the tongue.
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Also Ive noticed llysiau is never pronounced with the SH, is that correct?
Well spotted! You have a tendency in some parts of the south to keep the s and i as separate sounds: [sj] (the "sy" in "bless you"), whereas in other parts of Wales, definitely in the north, they might become one sound [ʃ] (the "sh" in "shop").
Similar but not quite. Skuggstralar does a good explanation of the Welsh sound above. You can compare the recordings Wikipedia has for the sounds.
Icelandic 'll': /t͡ɬ/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_lateral_affricate
Welsh 'll': /ɬ/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_dental_and_alveolar_lateral_fricatives
Although single 'l' is /ɬ/ at the ends of syllables in Icelandic: siglt /sɪɬt/, which could help if you know Icelandic.
This came up saying I had a typo as I said "I'm eating meat and vegetables" and instead thought I meant to type "I'm eating meat and veggies".
Since veggies isn't really a word in English and slang for vegetables it shouldn't really be the "correct" answer should it?
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For me the only options were "I'm" and veg/veggies but it said i had a typo and the proper asnswer was "i am" and "vegetables"
