UKHillwalking Article
UKHillwalking recently
published an article on the National Park’s decision to prioritise the name of
Yr Wyddfa and Eryri in preference to those of Snowdon and Snowdonia. The article was written by Dan Bailey who asked
the National Park and me for our opinion.
The original article and a link to it on the UKHillwalking website appear
below.
Should We All Be Saying Yr Wyddfa?
Last week's news
widely reported the announcement by the Snowdonia National Park
Authority (Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) that the Welsh names
Eryri (Snowdonia) and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) will now be favoured in all National
Park material in both Welsh and English. This sparked an interesting - and
largely intelligent - discussion in the forums.
However, we were left with unanswered questions. We've put these to the
National Park, and an expert in Welsh hill names.
 |
| Yr Wyddfa from Yr Aran on a cold winter's day |
SNPA: We understand that many will
be unfamiliar with the Welsh names, therefore in order to give people time to
familiarise themselves with the Welsh names and adjust to the new policy the
move towards using the Welsh names only will be a continuous one. In certain
contexts, e.g. public engagement and education, we will include the English
names in brackets for the time being. In time, as people become more familiar
with the Welsh names this practice will be phased out.
The Park Authority's name is set in law, therefore it will
continue to be referred to as the Snowdonia National Park Authority.
UKHillwalking: How does the park propose to
educate English-only speakers so that confusion can be avoided?
SNPA: The support we have received
since the announcement has been overwhelmingly positive by both Welsh speakers
and non-Welsh speakers. Along with the support there is a clear eagerness to
learn how to pronounce the names. Over the coming weeks we will be looking at
ways in which we can help people gain confidence in the pronunciations.
We have a well established Eryri Ambassador scheme with just under
800 qualified ambassadors. Many of these ambassadors are businesses owners or
managers in the area's tourism/recreation sector. As part of the Ambassador
qualifying training there is an entire module dedicated to the Welsh language –
therefore our ambassadors are ready and well equipped to encourage and help
visitors to adapt to the new policy.
The Welsh language is one of Eryri's (Snowdonia) special
qualities. Through our work in raising awareness of this special quality we
will be educating people about place names (including Eryri and Yr Wyddfa) and
their role in our cultural heritage. By gaining an appreciation for our place
names and an understanding of their connection with the landscape, wildlife and
history, we hope that people will embrace and use them to enrich their visitor
experience.
UKHillwalking: Did the decision of the Park
Authority take into account the historic roots of the name Snowdon? And does
the park see a distinction between contemporary re-naming into English of
existing Welsh placenames, and a name such a Snowdon that has been around in
some form for many centuries?
SNPA: Yes, the decision took into
account the fact that Snowdon is a historic name, dating back at least 800 years.
Such historic place names are recognised as being an important part of the
cultural heritage of the area, distinct from more recent coinages, which often
rename places and features with existing Welsh names. To this end, Yr Wyddfa is
unique in Eryri, as the only summit with two historic names, one in Welsh and
one in English.
Over recent years, the National Park Authority has prioritised the
names Yr Wyddfa and Eryri in English language text, following the Welsh names
with (Snowdon) and (Snowdonia). This change has been widely accepted and
popular English language publications and broadcasts such as the Guardian,
Telegraph, Times and BBC Countryfile have adopted the form.
The Authority's decision took these factors into consideration,
and ultimately, members felt that using the Welsh names in both Welsh and
English would be a worthy celebration of our exceptional cultural heritage and
of the Welsh language and place names as some of the area's most precious
special qualities.
Pronunciation
for non-Welsh speakers:
Yr Wyddfa urr-with-vah
Eryri err-uh-ree
(roll those r's)
.jpg)
Yr Wyddfa from Crib y Ddysgl
View from a
Welsh hill name expert:
.jpg)
To give the discussion some extra depth, we asked Welsh hill
aficionado Myrddyn Phillips for his take. Myrddyn is joint author - with Aled
Williams - of our guide to Welsh (Cymraeg) for hill-goers:
UKHillwalking: As you understand it, what are the
historical origins of the names Snowdon/Snowdonia and Yr Wyddfa and Eryri?
Myrddyn: The excellent Dictionary of
the Place-Names of Wales by Hywel Wyn Owen and Richard Morgan documents the
name of Snawdune recorded in 1095, with the elements being Old English snāw
(snow) and dūn (hill). Whilst the origins of the name Yr Wyddfa can be traced
back to the name Weddua vaur recorded in 1284, with the elements composing gwyddfa
(tumulus, grave) and mawr (big). The use of each name will of course precede
each recorded instance.
Again the Dictionary of the Place-Names of Wales gives documental
records for the use of the name Ereri in 1191 and Snoudonia…terram Snaudoniae
in 1284.
UKHillwalking: Given the long usage of both
forms, do you think it's 'fair' (for want of a better word) to favour just the
Welsh versions in all the National Park's English language material?
Myrddyn: Simply put, yes. I don't
think 'fair' comes in to the debate, logic should though. This relates to a
Welsh hill and where it is situated. If Welsh names exist for both, which they
do, then use them.
UKHillwalking: Do you think the Park's decision
is realistic: what are the chances of English-only speakers adopting or
understanding the Welsh, and how might one go about educating people to do so?
Myrddyn: As a Welsh person who can only
speak English I often enjoy countering such a question and trying to put myself
in the proverbial shoes of let's say, a person who can only speak Welsh who is
confronted by an English name. In this instance I suspect they would try their
utmost and use an appropriate name in an appropriate context. Reverse logic
dictates that a person who speaks English, but not Welsh, such as myself, do
likewise. In such a circumstance as this I would suggest that the names Yr
Wyddfa and Eryri are the most appropriate ones to use.
Possibly the best educational tool in this circumstance is to do
what the National Park plan on doing, and that is just use the Welsh names Yr
Wyddfa and Eryri; I'm sure people will get used to it in time. On a personal
note, when I first discovered the hills I mainly used the English name of
Snowdon and Snowdonia; I now do my utmost to use Welsh names where they exist,
including that of Yr Wyddfa and Eryri.
UKHillwalking: Aside from the historical
bilingual name of Snowdon itself, what do you think about the tendency more
recently to rename into English places with perfectly good existing Welsh
names?
Myrddyn: In general any language and
its used should be respected, and this applies equally to English as it does to
Welsh. However, respecting a language should also be characterised by its
use, and unfortunately there are instances where long standing Welsh names have
been supplanted by newly created English names. The use of the Welsh language
is historical, cultural and contemporary, it is a living embodiment of the
country of Cymru and transferring Welsh names into English should be considered
regressive and countered at every instance. This applies equally to a house
name as it does to the iconic status of Yr Wyddfa.
.jpg) |
| The summit of Yr Wyddfa |
Myrddyn: Cadair Idris is similar as
it has a summit named Pen y Gadair which some people also consider can be
applied to the singular hill, with Cadair Idris applicable to the massif. In
this instance I've always considered Cadair Idris to be the name of the hill
and the massif to also be the hills of Cadair Idris. Similarly for Yr Wyddfa;
the tumulus/grave is the summit area, but I've always considered this also
applicable to the singular hill, whilst the topographical area taking in the
accompanying hills is the Yr Wyddfa massif.
For the original article published on the UKHillwalking website
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