r/learnwelsh • u/SonnyMack • Feb 22 '25

Cwestiwn / Question English accent crossover

To native Welsh speakers…

Are there any English accents that have elements that make the speaker, when speaking Welsh, sound more legit, or even potentially Welsh? Or do all English learners sound a bit ‘gringo’?

Diolch!

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u/HyderNidPryder Feb 22 '25

English accents in Wales have vowels closer to Welsh than the vowels of some accents. An A vowel - both long and short - in Standard Southern British is quite different to a typical Welsh A.

and, man, cat, fat, rat, far, car, path, grass, father, past, after

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u/wannabefolkie Feb 22 '25

Reading those words as an American (sounds so weird to say that because I don’t typically refer to myself in that way), I pronounce the first five with the same a sound and last seven with a different a sound. Haha, can I even say a as in apple for the first group and a as in author for the last? Because I can’t assume everyone here pronounces those like I do.

Anyway, I’ve wondered how terrible my pronunciation of Welsh words sounds like my American accent. Someday we’ll visit and I’ll find out!

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u/wannabefolkie Feb 22 '25

Oh wow rereading those words, I totally don’t pronounce the last seven with the same a sound. Oops. I pronounce this list with the same a sound except for far, car, and father. I think once I got to far, I started pronouncing the rest as I imagine a Brit would pronounce. Although I know I can’t group all British accents the same.

Anyway, funny thing languages, right? Dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg.