[.ca] Welsh Dictionary (ISBN 0340871105)

Teach Yourself Welsh Dictionary:
This dictionary's bragging rights are noted in the Foreward. As a works-in-progress it was awarded First Prize at the 1989 Llanrwst National Eisteddfod. Completion of the text was commisioned by the Eisteddfod Council. Quite an honor. But any dictionary's true value is determined by the ability to serve the user's needs and the amount of effort required to obtain information from the text. What does this dictionary have to offer? It is well laid out using a format easy on the eye. There are two columns per page with the subject word in bold type. Translations are kept short but each entry contains several variations of meaning to consider when needed. Mutations are a building block of the Welsh language and common mutations are presented with an easy to understand code that quickly directs the user to the non-mutated word. An interesting feature is the placement of the Welsh alphabet across the top of each page. This is a helpful reminder when attempting to find a word starting with the letter "k", for example, which is not part of the Welsh alphabet. This dictionary is meant for the translation of the writen word but the usual guidelines to pronounciation and parts of speech are offered in seperate sections at the rear of the book. North/South Wales dialect differences are noted as are those of South West Wales (i.e. Swansea area). Coverage is limited to common everyday speech and not modern business, military, and science terms. There are other Welsh-English dictionaries on the market that better serve interests in those areas. "Field Test" of the reviewed product: My current need for a Welsh-English dictionary is to translate Welsh words used as band names and song titles found on "modern" Welsh folk music CD's. Using the "Rough Guide to the Music of Wales" CD as a test subject I had a sucess rate of about 75% after a half hour of research.