“Dim Saesneg” – Blwydden Cerdded yn Cymru Siarad Cymraeg
Yn 2005, des i i Gaernarfon y tro cyntaf. Sefyllais yn yr arddangosfa Tywysog Cymru a chrio. Meddwlais i am yr hanes yr wlad, a hanes yr iaith. Wedais i wrthyf fy hun byddwn i’n dod yn ôl un dydd i deithio dros yr wlad ac yn siarad dim iaith ond Gymraeg am blwydden a dydd. On i’n meddwl, “If the Prince of Wales can’t learn to speak the language, this country deserves outsiders who will care enough to learn it. Perhaps I can be one.”
Wel, mae’n amser rŵan. Eleni dw i mynd i dechrau y daith yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn Moduan, Gwynedd. Bydda i’n cerdded dros yr wlad am blwydden ac dydd. Bydda i’n siarad dim iaith ond Gymraeg o dre i dre a siarad â dysgwyr eraill yn Gymru.
Paratoi am y Daith
Dw i wedi symud i Gaernarfon o de California yn y mis Mai. Dw i’n paratoi ar gyfer y daith bob dydd gydag astudiaethau Cymraeg a thrafodiaethau gyda’r pobl yn y dre. Dw i’n sgwennu caneuon a cherdd yn Gymraeg i berformio dros yr wlad, a dw i’n recordio prosiect ar gyfer dysgwyr eraill a phlant.
Bydd map o’r daith. Bydd siaradwyr Cymraeg a dysgwyr eraill yn gallu yn nilyn i am sgwrsiau a phrofiadau trwy’r blwydden. Bydda i’n ymweld lleoedd pwysig i’r hanes Cymru, y mytholeg o’r wlad, pherformio yn y tafarnau, siarad yn y capeli a eglwysi, a threfnu nosau sgwrsiau.
Pam y Daith?
Mae fy nghalon yn byw yn Nghymru. Deudeg flwydden yn ôl roeddwn i’n trafferth efo trasiediau personol. Des i i Gymru am dwy fis, ac roedd o’n helpu fi yn iawn. Rŵan dw i isio rhoi rhywbeth yn ôl i’r pool a’r lle a helpodd fi.
Dw i’n credu yn mhobl yn Gymru, ond dw i’n credu eu bod yn gymhleth hefyd. Er mwyn rhoi rhwybeth yn ôl i Gymru dw i’n bwriadu i helpu’r pobl i ymarfer eu Gymraeg, a meddwl am y pethau pwysig yn eu bywydau. Mae gan un person ddiddordeb mewn hanes a diwylliant, un arall mewn economeg a diogelwch. Mae un eisiau rhyddid, mae un arall eisiau heddwch. Mae un yn poeni am y blaned, mae un arall yn poeni am y gymuned. Dw i am drafod am yr holl pethau hyn drwy’r flwydden, ac dw i’n mynd i deithio o dre i dre: o’r gorllewin i ddwyrain a gogledd i dde i annog dysgywr a siaradwyr eraill.
Doleni i ragor o wybodaeth am Y Flwydden Dim Saesneg:
Cyfweliad BBC – https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/63286572
Cylchgrawn Golwg360 – https://golwg.360.cymru/cylchgrawn/2111470-americanwr-mynd-daith-saesneg
Podlediad am y Daith (yn saesneg) – https://youtu.be/Hzn1DlWPgec
Wefan – https://philwyman.com (mewn datblygiad rŵan)
The sketchy Google Translate Version:
“No English” – Year of Walking in Wales Speaking Welsh
In 2005, I came to Caernarfon for the first time. I stood in the Prince of Wales exhibition and cried. I thought about the history of the country, and the history of the language. I said to myself I would come back one day to travel across the country and speak no language but Welsh for a year and a day. I thought, “If the Prince of Wales can’t learn to speak the language, this country deserves outsiders who will care enough to learn it. Perhaps I can be one.”
Well, it’s time now. This year I’m going to start the journey at the National Eisteddfod in Moduan, Gwynedd. I will walk across the country for a year and a day. I will speak no language but Welsh from town to town and talk to other learners in Wales.
Preparing for the Journey
I’ve moved to Caernarfon from southern California in May. I prepare for the trip every day with Welsh studies and discussions with the people in town. I write songs and music in Welsh to perform across the country, and I record a project for other learners and children.
There will be a map of the journey. Welsh speakers and other learners will be able to follow me for conversations and experiences throughout the year. I will visit places important to the history of Wales, the mythology of the country, perform in the pubs, speak in the chapels and churches, and organize conversation nights.
Why the Tour?
My heart lives in Wales. Twelve years ago I was struggling with personal tragedies. I came to Wales for two months, and he helped me a lot. Now I want to give something back to the pool and the place that helped me.
I believe in the people of Wales, but I believe they are also complicated. In order to give something back to Wales I intend to help the people to practice their Welsh, and think about the important things in their lives. One person is interested in history and culture, another in economics and security. One wants freedom, another wants peace. One cares about the planet, another cares about the community. I want to discuss all these things throughout the year, and I’m going to travel from town to town: from west to east and north to south to encourage other learners and speakers.
Links For more information about Y Flwydden Dim English:
BBC interview – https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/6328657
Golwg360 Magazine – https://golwg.360.cymru/crworghne/2111470-americanwr-mynd-taith-saesneg
Podcast about the Journey (in English) – https://youtu.be/Hzn1DlWPgec
Website – https://philwyman.com (currently under development)
Phil Wyman: Dim Saesneg 
I love your resolve, but must say that as Prince of Wales King Charles did learn to speak Welsh and does speak Welsh, he even went off script in his first speech in Welsh because he knew the powers that be wouldn’t understand what he was saying and wouldn’t find out until afterwards. I hope your year is a blessing to you.
Shwmae Sally! How are you? ❤️
I should probably make an open post about how I feel about this, because then I can make a simple link to the post. This was a great comment to challenge me on describing all these things a little more clearly, but then again, most of this site is turning Welsh and will continue to be in Welsh. Then I let Google translate my Welsh so that I actually will not be writing in English, but only letting Google translate it, and that is pretty sketchy sometimes. 😂
I am familiar with his history with the Welsh language. If he was anyone other than “the Prince of Wales” I might give him a credit for learning to pronounce a speech in Welsh, and go off script with a simple, probably memorized (you know how language learning can be), statement. He appears to have done well for the Investiture, but beyond that did not continue. Unfortunately, after 50 years in that office as Prince of Wales his Welsh was worse than it was at his Investiture here in Caernarfon. He read a speech at the Welsh Sennedd as the King, and his pronunciation mediocre and the stilted, broken reading was evidence that he did not continue in his Welsh learning. I guess I feel about him a bit like I do about Christian leaders. I expect Christian leaders to know their stuff and be a good example. He was neither as Prince of Wales and his son, the new Prince of Wales has stated that he only knows a few Welsh words.
I have way more understanding for the Welsh citizens who grew up where the language was not spoken, and haven’t grown beyond the compulsory classes in school, than I do for the Prince of Wales. I could never take on a title like that and not work toward fluency in the language. It would be an utter embarrassment to me, and should be for anyone with that title (personal opinion and personal opinion of many Welsh speakers). I suppose it’s just one more way that the Welsh have felt like second class citizens in their own country for generations. Even the person using a royalty title over them can’t be bothered to learn their mother tongue with fluent proficiency.
Ah fair, I am not a monarchist, but I do have time for him, though I must admit I am not sure about handing out titles, and yes I hear the second class citizens bit.