The Welsh Language. Mutations. Part 2

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Note: Some words which look as though they should mutate, do not. These include some words borrowed from English, often words starting with a ‘g’ such as gêm (game) and golf (golf); place-names and personal names for which there is not a Welsh equivalent, so Caergrawnt (Cambridge) mutates, but Birmingham does not; some important prepositions whose present form represents an earlier mutation e.g. dan (under), dros (over), drwy (through), gan and gyda (with); the question words beth (what) and ble (where), which are contracted forms of pa beth (what thing – peth) and pa le (what place – lle); a group of miscellaneous common words such as mae (he/she/it is), mor (as, so), pan (when).

SOFT MUTATION (treiglad meddal)

Soft mutation converts the mutable letters as shown above: C/G P/B T/D B/F D/DD M/F LL/L and RH/R. G mutates out, i.e. is dropped.

It operates:

When feminine singular nouns are preceded by the definite article (y, yr or ‘r), un (one) and ordinal numbers:

cath/y gath (cat/the cat); geneth/yr eneth (girl/the girl – NW); merch/y ferch (daughter/the daughter);

ceiniog/un geiniog (penny/one penny); merch/un ferch (daughter/one daughter).

yr ail dro (the second turning – tro); y bedwaredd ferch (the fourth – pedwaredd – daughter).

Note: ail (second) also mutates masculine nouns. The other ordinals do not. Also mutation after un is less observed in SW.

When nouns are preceded by dau (two, masc.) or dwy (two, fem.):

dyn/dau ddyn (man/two men); llong/dwy long (boat/two boats).

When nouns follow various prepositions (am ar at dros drwy dan i wrth o hyd heb gan):

am ddau o’r gloch (at two - dau - o’clock; i ben y mynydd (to the top -pen - of the mountain); heb geiniog (without a penny -ceiniog ). Note: after yn and the definite article, i is the commonest word in Welsh and therefore an important trigger for soft mutation.

After the personal pronouns fi/i, ti/di, e; hi; ni; chi; nhw:

mae gen i fab (I have a son – mab); oes gennych chi blant (do you have children?)

rhaid i chi frysio (you must hurry –brysio); gadewch i fi weld (let me see)

Note: the latter construction also illustrates a more general principle, that soft mutation is triggered when infinitives follow an indirect object. So any noun substituted for a pronoun in this situation will induce Soft Mutation:

rhaid i John frysio (John must hurry)

After ‘linking’ yn (with nouns and adjectives, not verbs nor words beginning with rh and ll):

Mae’r afal yn goch (the apple is red – coch); mae’n ddrwug gen i? (I’m sorry. Pardon? Drwg – bad). This is the common so-called ‘predicative’ use of ‘yn’, linking some quality to a noun or pronoun.

After yn forming an adverb:

yn gyflym (quickly: cyflym – swift), yn dda (well: da – good).

Note: Yn can also mean ‘in’. When it does it should strictly be followed by nasal mutation e.g yng Nghaerdydd (in Cardiff – Caerdydd) but there is a tendency to use soft mutation in such cases as well, and to avoid mutating ‘T’ and ‘D’ altogether.

After the possessive adjectives dy/’th (your [informal]) and ei/’i/’w (his):

dy fam (your mother – mam); ei dad (his father – tad)

Note: fy (my) is followed by nasal mutation: fy nhad (my father); and ei meaning ‘her’ is followed by Aspirate Mutation: ei thad (her father).

Conjugated verbs in questions:

Compare ‘Oes rhywun in gallu siarad Saesneg?’ Can anyone speak English? – (gallu is an infinitive verb form, meaning ‘to be able’) with ‘Allwch chi ddweud hynnu eto? – (allwch is a conjugated form of gallu, its second person plural) in Linguata. Communication problems.

Expressions of time and place:

ddoe (yesterday), ddwy flynedd yn ôl (two years ago), ganol dydd (midday: canol – middle);

gartre (at home: cartre – home).

Following various indicator words:

dyma (here is), dyna and dacw (that is, there is); yma (here), yna (there)

rhy (too), lled (rather), go and pur (quite), mor (so).

Although this review of mutation is by no means exhaustive it will inevitably appear daunting. It will be helpful to begin with the commoner aspects and concentrate on:

1. Learning feminine nouns with the definite article.

2. Learn the list of prepositions and add the expressions of time and place, indicator and intensifier words.

3. Study the effect of the personal pronouns and their possessive adjectives.

4. Study the different kinds of yn.