Rhosllanerchrugog Welsh

Rhosllanerchrugog Welsh
Cymraeg Rhos (Welsh)
RegionRhosllanerchrugog
Native speakers
~10,000 (~40% of Rhosllanerchrugog)
Early forms
Latin Script (Welsh orthography)
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone

Rhosllanerchrugog Welsh, also known simply as Rhos Welsh (Welsh: Cymraeg Rhos), is a dialect of the Welsh language spoken in Rhosllanerchrugog in Wrexham.[1] It has been stated to be spoken by 40% of the residents of Rhosllanerchrugog.[2] Census records suggest figures are lower although still above the national average;[3] the 2001 Census showed that 31.5% of the community area was Welsh speaking, declining to 24% at the 2011 census.[3] The dialect is notable for its relatively low level of intelligability with other Welsh dialects.[4] Some recordings of the dialect exist in Amgueddfa Cymru.[5]

Features

The dialect's features are partly a result of immigration to Rhos early in its growth as a mining village: unlike in other villages in the region, most of the immigrants came from Welsh-speaking upland agricultural areas in West Wales, giving the village a distinct linguistic identity.[6] Some features are, however, shared with other northern dialects, such as Powyseg and Gwyndodeg; the final [v] and [ð] is lost in words such as araf ('slow'), here pronounced ['ara], and the word ffordd ('road') being pronounced as [fɔr].[7]

The dialect also displays numerous distinctive consonants and examples of metathesis. Examples are amcan ('aim, notion'), rendered in Rhos as ['ankam], or ['borðə] for standard ['boðrɔ], boddro ('to bother').[8]

Vowels also differ widely from modern standard Welsh: one of its key features is the diphthongisation of vowels [e] and [o], as seen in the vowel of the name Rhos, locally [r̥əus].[9] Another typical feature is the contraction of verbal phrases, so that for example Yr oedd gennyf ('I had') is rendered as ['ogai] and Mae'n rhaid i mi ('I have to') as ['haimi].[10]

The Rhos dialect is also known for a unique vocabulary. The main example is a word that has become synonymous with the village: the demonstrative adjective nene (pronounced approximately [neːneː]), meaning 'that', or more specifically 'that over there'.[11] While the related forms ene ('that') and dene ('there is') are found in other parts of North-East Wales, nene is specific to Rhos.[11][12] Another typical feature shared with other north-eastern forms of Welsh is use of the dialectal dôl ('ago, back, in return') in place of Standard Welsh ôl.[13] These features are to an extent becoming lost in younger speakers under the influence of Welsh medium education, with younger speakers in Welsh schools showing a particular bias against dialectal nene in favour of standard hwnna or hynny.[14]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.peoplescollection.wales/content/welsh-dialect-rhosllannerchrugog
  2. ↑ Lewis, Thomas (2023-02-27). "The Welsh-language enclave where Cymraeg thrives despite its proximity to border". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  3. 1 2 Wrexham Local Development Plan, Topic paper 11 : Welsh Language, Feb 2016, pp. 7-8
  4. ↑ Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalization, 1998, pg. 156
  5. ↑ "The Welsh dialect of Rhosllannerchrugog". Museum Wales. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  6. ↑ Dodd, A.H. Welsh and English in East Denbighshire: a Historical Retrospect, Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1940, p.52
  7. ↑ Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalization, 1998, p.369
  8. ↑ Jones, 1998, pp.370-1
  9. ↑ Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalization, 1998, p.372
  10. ↑ Jones, 1998, pg. 375
  11. 1 2 Jones, 1998, pg. 375
  12. ↑ Lewis, Thomas (2023-10-29). "From 'nye' to 'aye'- we explore the unique words that differ from place to place". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  13. ↑ Jones, 1998, p.199
  14. ↑ Jones, 1998, p.196
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