I've been looking into Welsh lately (learning the grammar and whatnot, but not seriously learning how to speak it). One of the first things I came across was the word 'yn'. I was never able to find an actual translation of the word, and it appears at first glance to be simply a word to mark of the verb phrase.

So, my question is, what is the literal meaning of 'yn'? If there is no literal meaning, what is its grammatical function?

(Note: I can handle linguistic terminology, if you choose to use it)

I'm English but my ancestors are Welsh, and I think learning Welsh is a pretty cool idea Only that BBC's "The Big Welsh Challenge" doesn't really enter grammar and sentence structure as much as basic phrases. Can someone help?
P.S. I live in France...

For a native English speaker who also knows French, German, Latin, and has knowledge of many other languages, how hard is Welsh to learn? Is the grammar regular? Is pronunciation easy and spelling phonetic?

Is the Welsh so very difficult to learn? How different is the language from Irish Gaelic? How is the syntax and grammar different, if it is so?

Are there programs to learn Welsh in uni? Where in Canada or America can a person learn English. If I have to go to Wales, where is the best place to learn Welsh?
I've read Pat Ford's translation. I enjoyed it very much.

However, I'm wondering how has the comparing of it been for any of you scholars or "fans" of Welsh or Arthurian lore?

Cumbric is a loose term used to describe the Brythonic language of Northern England, North Wales, and Much of Scotland. It survives today in the form of modern Welsh, although little remains of the language in England, other than bits of vocabulary and grammar which are preserved in place-names.
I do not claim to be writing down the exact language of Northern England, here I am using Middle Welsh and Old Welsh as a basis upon which to build an idea of what Cumbric sounded like before it became Welsh, and the later forms of language spoken across The Northern United Kingdom. The reason for using the older form of the language is because this form would have probably been largely understood across much of Northern Britain, later Cumbric probably was too diffrenciated to be so. Thus people who might use this work are a good way to understanding both modern Cumbric and Modern Welsh, and likewise speakers of Modern Welsh will find the language of their ancestry not too much of a challenge.

Thankyou, I'll give 5 * rating for translation

I have already mastered rolling around on the floor chanting and making up words but God never responds. I am obviously not doing it right and need to learn to speak proper tongue. I cannot find a tongue grammar primer and dictionary? I tried Amazon but had no joy.

I happen be Welsh and have a Welsh dictionary. Can I use that?

I am keen to learn a foreign language (preferably more in future) and as I am a fast learner and not too dull, I think I'll be able to study it no matter how complex it is in terms of grammar/script/etc.

So why not learn something that will be useful?

Mandarin is one of the most spoken languages in the world but will it be needed in future? I'm planning on studying medical science, by the way. I was wondering about Spanish since there are a lot of countries that use it. What about French, Italian and Portuguese? Are they widespread?

I'm acquainted with English (duh!), Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu and some regional languages, too.

So what do you think? Which language(s) would be most useful?

By the way, I won't be having much problem learning any kind of language... except something spoken by a small number like Zulu, Welsh or something like that, for which the books and classes aren't easily available.

I'm doing a presentation about the Welsh language and society, and wanted to know a few reasons why people spoke Welsh. Also, I would like to know if there is a more "prestigious" dialect/accent in Welsh, for example, RP English is in England.
oops i meant speak, not spoke! bad grammar on my part, sorry!

From the part of Wales i'm from [South] we tend to talk quite common and we admitedly have very bad grammar! If you are from Wales, do you personally try to cover up your accent a little or try to use posher vocabulary or are you proud or unaffected by the way you speak?