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Welsh Language CD-ROMs, Part I

© Sarah Stevenson

As we move ever farther into the information age, we are able to take increasing advantage of the educational powers of technology. CD-ROMs in particular have a lot to offer people who wish to study on their own, at their own pace. This is especially useful when it comes to language learning, where the multimedia capabilities of CD technology can provide basic lessons in written, visual, AND auditory form. With a lesser-known language such as Welsh, this is quite helpful, since Welsh classes can be hard to come by in many parts of the world.

There is a fair amount of Welsh-language-related software, much of it small applications such as spell-checkers, browsers, and grammar tools. I will discuss these sometime in the future. In terms of software packages with Welsh lessons, there seem to be five major ones out there. By major, I mean simply that these five have been mentioned and/or reviewed on multiple websites. The five CD-ROM sets mentioned in this two-part article contain in-depth material for the beginning Welsh learner, and to my knowledge they are pretty readily available.

Much of the information I have included about the CD-ROMs is from two very helpful websites for learners, BBC Catchphrase and Gwybodiadur. For more detailed information than I’ve listed here, click the preceding links. BBC Catchphrase has full reviews of all five software packages, including publisher comments. Gwybodiadur includes the publisher’s blurbs about each software package, and also has a list of cassette- and video-based courses.

Cadw Sŵn.
This course bills itself as “the speedy way to learn Welsh using the revolutionary power of classical music.” It’s not exactly a CD-ROM course, but an audio CD-based set of lessons; however, it has been favorably reviewed by BBC Catchphrase’s Rachel Treadaway due to its comprehensiveness. The 20 beginning Welsh lessons are read over a track of classical music, and then exercises are provided for the following day, after the lesson has sunk in.

The Cadw Sŵn website states: “CADW SWN is designed for people with no previous knowledge of Welsh, although it can also be used successfully by those with some knowledge of Welsh, as a refresher course, or as a supplement to those already attending an evening class.” The 10-CD set and file of course materials costs £79, and is available directly from the Cadw Sŵn website.
BBC Catchphrase Review

Dyna Hwyl!
This CD-ROM package for beginners was given an excellent review by BBC Catchphrase, who commended its use of audio and video clips during lessons as well as its extensive lists of vocabulary and idioms. According to the website, “Dyna Hwyl! is shipped on two CD-ROMs packed with video, audio, animation and graphics….To complement each lesson there is a series of exercises to put the student through a series of tests.” The Dyna Hwyl! website also has an overview of the concepts and lessons covered. However, Dyna Hywl! is only available for the PC, and not for the Mac format so far.

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