return of the killer mutations In Welsh, certain word combinations and grammatical circumstances can cause the initial letters of some words to change. This is called mutation. There are three types of mutation - soft, nasal and aspirate. Together they affect only nine consonants, although not all mutations affect all nine letters. The unmutated form is called the radical. Radical Soft Nasal Aspirate c g ngh ch p b mh ph t d nh th g - ng - b f m - d dd n - ll l - - m f - - rh r - - To begin with, mutations might seem rather daunting, but if you practise enough they will soon come naturally. The main thing is not to worry - you would be undestood even if you missed every mutation. This cheat sheet goes through the most common circumstances which cause mutation, but it is not exhaustive. For a definitive guide, refer to a good grammar book, or the Welsh Academy English-Welsh Dictionary. soft mutation - treiglad meddal This mutation (also called lenition) is the most common and the only one of the three types that is consistently applied across all Welsh speaking regions. These are the main causes of soft mutation that you will come accross: 1. Y/yr/'r = the, plus a singular feminine noun, but not a plural feminine noun. cath = a cat y gath = the cat cathod = cats y cathod = the cats merch = a girl y ferch = the girl merched = girls y merched = the girls 2. When an adjective follows a feminine singular noun, but not a plural feminine noun. cath las = a blue cat cathod glas = blue cats merch fach = a little girl merched bach = little girls Thus: y gath las = the blue cat y cathod glas = the blue cats y ferch fach = the little girl y merched bach = the little girls When any noun follows an adjective. hen wraig = an old lady unig fab = only son unrhyw fore = any morning 3. When nouns or adjectives follow yn, the linking particle, (not 'in'). Ll and rh are not affected. mae'n drueni = it's a pity mae'n dda = it's good 4. After most monosyllabic prepositions, preposition compounds (including prepositions with personal endings), and the abbreviated forms used after i and o. am, ar, at, dan, dros, (drwy), gan, heb, hyd, i, o, (tan), (tros), trwy, wrth dros ben, o dan, oddi wrth, etc., (but not i mi, i ti, i mewn, i maes) i'th, o'i, i'w Examples: Trefor - i Drefor = to Trefor Bangor - o Fangor = from Bangor blynyddoedd - am flynyddoed = for years 5. After some possesive adjectives. dy = your (singular) ei = his car = a car dy gar = your car gafr = a goat ei afr = his goat 6. After these miscellaneous words, some of which are very common. ail = second (in order, not in the time sense) cyn = as (with equative form) dau = two (masculine) dwy = two (feminine) dacw = there is ... dyma/'ma = here is ... dyna/'na = there is ... fe or mi = affirmative particle go = fairly, quite mor = so (with adjective, but does not affect l or rh) mor = as (when creating equative form) neu = or pa = which pan = when pur = very pwy = which (South) rhy = too un = one (feminine) 7. For sentences using inflected verbs: After the grammatical or notional subject (a word that isn't the subject, but is in the position of subject) of the sentence. On intial letter of the verbnoun stem in the affirmative (optional), interrogative, and negative (when aspirate mutation not applied). brynu Siān fara? = Did Siān buy bread? fe welodd Bethan gi = Bethan saw a dog (Bethan is the actual subject of the sentence) rhaid i Osian fynd = Osian has to go (Osian is the notional subject of the sentence) 8. On the initial letter of adverbs of time, saying when something happened. blwyddyn = a year flwyddyn yn ōl = a year ago dydd Mercher = Wednesday ddydd Mercher = on Wednesday 9. In compound words, on the second word. prif (main) + dinas (city) = prifddinas (capital) 7. After some prefixes. an + bodlon (willing) = anfodlon (unwilling) ail + meddwl (think) = ailfeddwl (rethink) di + defnydd (use) = diddefnydd (useless) ym + dangos (show) = ymddangos (seem) nasal mutation - treiglad trwynol This mutation isn't always spoken, but is always written. 1. After fy = my. cath = cat fy nghath = my cat plant = children fy mhlant = my children Note that sometimes the 'fy' is dropped, so nghath is sufficient for 'my cat'. 2. After the preposition yn = in, but note that yn also changes form in some cases. Caerdydd - yng Nghaerdydd Penybont - ym Mhenybont Trefor - yn Nhrefor Gwent - yng Ngwent Bangor - ym Mangor Dolgellau - yn Nolgellau aspirate mutation - treiglad llaes Only C always changes in the modern spoken language, with the others optional, although all three are the norm in writing. 1. After the following miscellaneous words: a = and ā = with chwe = six ei = her (possessive, including i'w = to her; o'i = of her) gyda = with na = than/or oni = unil tri = three (masculine) tua = about, towards 2. On a negative inflected verb (with personal endings). colli = lose cholles i ddim = I didn't lose talu = pay thala i ddim = I won't pay 3. Aspiration of vowels. H is added to words beginning with a vowel after: ei = her ein = our eu = their E.g.: ei harian - her money