October 7, 2008 | writing
Have been frantically trying to write all weekend (note “trying” in that sentence, though I have come up with 5500 words since Friday morning). My quest yesterday was to make up a fictional Welsh town.
With the help of a Welsh translator, I’ve come up with Hedegogllygoden, which looks suitably full of l’s and g’s, but is, I fear, so silly that any Welsh-speaking person will merely snort in derision.
Any Welsh speakers out there who can help me??
Ruth says:
It looks to me like the middle bit is what sends it over the believable edge? But I was only there for a year so what do I know
You could do something with and ‘Aber’ at the beginning as there seem to be a load of those in Wales (wikipedia has a list that you could maybe snaffle ideas from to twist into something new?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aber_and_Inver_as_place-name_elements
Sally Lawton says:
I grew up in Wales and spoke it fluently for 13 years. I think it’s sounds great.
But I’ve not spoken Welsh for another 13 years…
Liz says:
I live in Wales and the middle bit is what looks right to me! I’d have been tempted to make the “d” a “dd” though. Which is pronounced “th”
Liz says:
Aber — means “mouth of” as in river, by the way. Wales is a very wet place which is why there are so many of them…
Julie says:
Thank you!
Hmm. The thing is, Hedegogllygoden means “flying mice”, which is both too appropriate and too stupid for a book about bat conservationists. Will explore “Aber-” + mouse formations…