Traditional Carmarthenshire

Say it...

Wherever you go in Carmarthenshire you will hear the lyrical, sing-song lilt of Welsh being spoken. The Welsh language is alive and vibrant here; Carmarthenshire has the highest number of Welsh speakers across the whole of Wales - as many as 70 per cent of the population in some rural areas.

We think that, when visiting Carmarthenshire, an understanding of the language will make your trip more enjoyable. Here are a few helpful hints:

the Welsh alphabet does not have the letters - j, k, q, v, x, z.
it has one "f" pronounced as "v" in English and "ff" pronounced as "f" in English.
a "dd" pronounced as "th" in "then".
a "ll", put your tongue on the top of your mouth and hiss.

Here are a few names you will come across whilst travelling the County:

aber = estuary	afon = river	bach = small
bont = bridge	bryn = hill	caer = fort
coed = wood	coch = red	cwm = valley
dol = meadow	fawr = large	glan = shore
llan = holy settlement	llyn = lake	mynydd = mountain
pwll = pool	tre = town	ty = house
ynys = island

Useful phrases:

Croeso	Welcome
Bore da	Good morning
Noswaith dda	Good evening
Hwyl	Goodbye
Sut mae?	How are things / you?
Diolch	Thank you
Dim diolch	No thank you
Iechyd da!	Good health (Cheers!)
Oes banc yma?	Is there a bank here?
Ble mae'r orsaf rheilffordd?	Where is the railway station?
Mae’n braf iawn	Its (the weather) very fine

Sosban Fach

Carmarthenshire is the birthplace of one of the best-known and most often sung songs in the Welsh language, Sosban Fach. The song, which translates as 'Little Saucepan' catalogues the troubles of a harassed housewife. It is synonymous with Llanelli RFC and the especially the Scarlets, one of Europe’s top professional teams. The association is believed to stem from Llanelli’s historic tinplate past and its status as the tinplate capital of the world. During the final years of Stradey Park, the former ground of Llanelli RFC and the Scarlets, the goalposts were adorned with Scarlet saucepans as a tribute to the town's history. These have been transferred to the new ground at Parc y Scarlets. The Scarlets' official magazine is also titled Sosban.

After Llanelli famously beat a touring New Zealand side in November 1972, a new English chorus was introduced - "Who beat the All Blacks, Who beat the All Blacks, Who beat the All Blacks? Good old Sosban Fach". It is said that sung slowly, the melody can deceive non-Welsh speakers into believing the song is a hymn. One story alleges that group of Welsh rugby supporters once tricked a whole platform full of Englishmen at Liverpool station into removing their hats in solemn respect to a somber rendition of 'Sosban Fach'.

Lyrics:

Cymraeg: Mae bys Mari Ann wedi brifo, A Dafydd y gwas ddim yn iach; Mae'r Baban yn y crud yn crio, A'r gath wedi scrapo Johnny bach Sospan fach yn berwi ar y tân Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr A'r gath wedi scrapo Johnny bach. Dai bach yn sowldiwr, Dai bach yn sowldiwr, Dai bach yn sowldiwr, A chwt i grys e' mas.	English: My sweet Mary Ann's hurt her finger, And David the servant's feeling weak; And the baby's crying now in its cradle, The cat's scratching Johnny on the cheek Little saucepan is boiling on the fire, Big saucepan boils over on the floor, The cat's scratching Johnny on the cheek. David the soldier, David the soldier, David the soldier, His shirttail's hanging out.
Mae bys Mari Ann wedi gwella, A Dafydd y gwas yn ei fedd; Mae'r baban yn y crud wedi tyfu, A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd. Sospan fach yn berwi ar y tân Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd. Dai bach yn sowldiwr, Dai bach yn sowldiwr, Dai bach yn sowldiwr, A chwt i grys e' mas.	My sweet Mary Ann's feeling better, And David the servant's in his grave; And the baby's sleeping now in his cradle, The cat has decided to behave. Little saucepan is boiling on the fire, Big saucepan boils over on the floor, The cat has decided to behave. David the soldier, David the soldier, David the soldier, His shirttail's hanging out.