(Roedd hyn yn mynd i fod yn y cylchlythyr heddi, ond aeth yn rhy hir!)
Tipyn bach o newyddion trist i ddechrau, ac mae’n flin ‘da fi ei ddatgan ar ddechrau tymor y Nadolig, ond wedi cyfnod hir o baratoi’r cylchlythyr hwn mewn un ffurf neu’r llall (ugain mlynedd o leia!), dw i wedi penderfynnu dod â’r Pethe i’w pen.
Nid rhan o’m gwaith taliedig fel tiwtor bu hyn erioed, ond yn ymateb i gais gan ddysgwr mewn dosbarth yn festri Capel Bethania, oedd yn honni bod Cymry Cymraeg “byth yn mynd allan i gymdeithasu”, ac hynny mewn wythnos pan nad oeddwn i na Philippa gartre gyda’n gilydd unrhyw noson ma’s o’r saith! Sylweddoli felly, bod rhwydweithiau uniaith Gymraeg braidd yn anghyrhaeddadwy i bobl ail-iaith, yn enwedig i newydd ddyfodiaid fel y bonheddwr yna.
Erbyn hyn, mae pethau (a’r Pethe) wedi newid crin dipyn, wrth gwrs. Mae cymdeithasau diwylliannol, a grwpiau sgwrsio ar gyfer dysgwyr, yn llawer mwy tebyg i gadw mewn cyswllt â’u haelodau trwy ebost, neu rhai o’r myrdd o opsiynau eraill mae’r rhyngrwyd yn eu cynnig; cymaint ohonyn nhw, a bod yn onest, fel ei fod yn dod yn waith caled i rywun fel fi cadw trac ohonyn nhw i gyd! Ac mae teclynnau fel GoogleTranslate wedi dod cymaint yn well, fel bod dim byd tu hwnt i unrhyw un sy wir eisiau gwybod beth sy’n ymlaen yn y Fro Gymraeg.
Gyda hynny i gyd o newidiadau, felly, dw i ddim yn teimlo ei fod e mor bwysig i fi wneud y gwaith yma ar gyfer ardal eitha eang: bydda i’n canolbwyntio ar gefnogi fy myfyrwyr fy hunan — ac mae digon ohonyn nhw ar hyn o bryd, diolch byth — a gadael i’r Mentrau Iaith, a staff marchnata y darparwyr cyrsiau #DysguCymraeg, i gefnogi’r gwirfoddolwyr ar lawr gwlad sy’n trefnu cymaint o’r pethau gwych dw i wedi ceisio tynnu sylw atyn nhw yma.
Diolch yn fawr i bawb sy wedi darllen y Pethe ‘ma dros y blynydde, ac enwedig i’r rhai sy’n hala ebyst ata i gyda manylion y digwyddiadau yn eu hardaloedd lleol eu hunain — gormod ohonoch i’ch enwi, ond dych chi’n gwybod pwy yr ydych chi! Diolch o’r galon hefyd i’r rhai sy’n rhoi gwybod i fi pan maen nhw wedi mynd i ryw ddigwyddiad ar ôl gweld pwt o hysbys yma. Hwnna yw’r peth oedd yn fy nghadw i fynd yn fwy na dim, pan oedd pethau (a’r Pethe) yn teimlo fel baich, yn enwedig yn ystod y Cyfnod Clo, pan oedd y digwyddiadau ar-lein cymaint yn bwysicach ar ran cadw mewn cyswllt â’n gilydd.
Bydd un rhifyn arall yr wythnos nesaf, a bydda i’n parhau i roi ambell i beth ar y blog (dysgu.com), yn enwedig rhaglenni blynyddol y cymdeithasau diwilliannol lleol. Bydd y blog yn cael ei ail-wampio dros wyliau’r Dolig, gobeithio.
Unwaith eto, diolch yn fawr iawn am yr holl fewnbwn ac adborth caredig dros y blynyddoedd, gan obeithio y cewch chi i gyd Nadolig Llawen iawn a Blwyddyn Newydd Fendigedig.
Cofion cynnes,
Nic
(This was going to be in today’s newsletter, but it got too long!)
A bit of sad news to begin with, and I’m sorry to announce it at the start of the Christmas season, but after a long period of preparing this newsletter in one form or another (twenty years at least!), I’ve decided to bring the Pethe to a close.
This has never been part of my paid work as a tutor, but in response to a request from a student in a class in the vestry of Capel Bethania, who claimed that Welsh speakers “never go out to socialise”, and that in a week when Philippa and I were not at home together any night out of seven! I realised then, that Welsh language networks can be a bit inaccessible for learners, especially for newcomers like that gentleman.
By now, things (and the Pethe) have changed quite a bit, of course. Cultural societies, and chat groups for learners, are much more likely to keep in touch with their members by email, or some of the myriad other options the internet offers; so many of them, to be honest, that it becomes hard work for someone like me to keep track of them all! And tools like GoogleTranslate have gotten so much better, that nothing is beyond anyone who really wants to know what’s going on in the Welsh Speaking Heartlands™.
With all those changes, therefore, I don’t feel that it is so important for me to do this work for a fairly wide area: I will focus on supporting my own students — and there are plenty of them at the moment, thank God — and will let the Mentrau Iaith, and the marketing staff of the #LearnWelsh course providers, to support the volunteers on the ground who organize so many of the fantastics events I have tried to draw attention to here.
A big thank you to everyone who has read the newsletter over the years, and especially to those who email me with details of the events in their own local areas — too many of you to name, but you know who you are! A heartfelt thank you also to those who let me know when they have gone to an event after seeing a piece of information here. This is the thing that kept me going more than anything, when things (and the Pethe) felt like a burden, especially during Lockdown, when the online events were so much more important in terms of keeping in touch with each other.
There will be one more issue next week, and I will continue to put a few things on the blog (dysgu.com), especially the annual programs of the local cultural associations. The blog will be revamped over the Christmas holidays, hopefully.
Once again, thank you very much for all the kind input and feedback over the years, hoping you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Warm regards,
Nic