| Summary: | This work is an extensive, but not exhaustive, study of the vagaries of colloquial and idiomatic Welsh. It includes proverbs, idioms, slang, set-phrases, dialect forms, varieties of pronunciation and, with many common words, colloquial varieties of meaning. In addition, the grammatical variations of colloquial and idiomatic Welsh are also addressed, together with a number of subjects that inform the spoken language, such as the use of personal and place names and the use of English in Welsh. The study is intended as part of a broad guide for those learning Welsh and is a broad-brush portrait of the colloquial language. The work contains many forms and phrases that are not included in many standard dictionaries or whose spoken form is often not adequately illustrated. Some of the forms included in the study cannot be found in the most authoritative study of the Welsh language to date, namely the University of Wales's, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (1950-, Cardiff: University of Wales Press). Each form has, where appropriate, been referenced to the relevant register of the language, such as the literary language, the official language and/or the spoken language. Within the spoken language, reference is made to the dialects of North and South Wales, and in particular the dialects of Arfon, Powys, Dyfed, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan. The relationship between the different registers of the language is fully explained. The work is extensively illustrated with examples to demonstrate contemporary usage. These quotations are fully translated and provide real examples of the spoken language from an extensive variety of sources. The earliest literary reference work dates from 1961, but the majority of examples are from the last decade or so. The writers quoted come from the length and breadth of Wales, and particular reference has been made to literature associated with popular culture. There is a extensive bibliography at the rear of the study, together with a comprehensive English-Welsh reference index.
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