Going to Wales in September and am staying in Llandudno. Can anyone tell me how to pronounce it? Thanks!

Just like it looks -- sound it out.

the double l is kinda/sorta pronounced like<BR><BR>th<BR><BR>but not exactly.<BR><BR>hard to explain...<BR><BR>beth

I had a professor with a Welsh wife who came from a town spelled Llanelly. He pronounced it "chlan-ECH-lee" with the double l's pronounced like a guttural German "ch". Don't know if that's accurate but if you don't find someone who knows more of the language, that might be a start. <BR>Also there's a website I use to translate Spanish words when I don't have my dictionary with me and the words have a little symbol you can click on to hear the word pronounced. I bet if you look on the web you could find a website that did the same for, is it Gaelic? whatever the Welsh language is called. Buena suerte!

I did a quick search using Google. I found a site that may or not be helpful.<BR>http://www.fonetiks.org/<BR>You can try that, or do another search using "Welsh dictionary with pronunciation" as search words. It pulled up quite a few hits.<BR>I did find a site that discussed the meaning of Welsh place names and said that "llan" means church or parish and is usually followed by the saint's name the church is named for. Hope you find what you're looking for.<BR>

In Welsh, double L's are pronounced sort of like a German CH crossed with clearing your throat crossed with TH. That may sound weird but it is actually very melodic.

Good question!

Wow-a quetion about Welsh{that's what it's called}.LL is a distinct letter in the Welsh alphabet try sticking your tongue into the space at the top of your mouth and so the air comes out of the side-that's broadly the sound,the same as the sound of the letter L in english but with the whole tongue as above not just the front.My God,does that make sense?<BR>Anyway there are approx 500,000 of us welsh speakers concentrated in the western parts of Wales.You probably won't hear much spoken in Llandudno thought,try Caernarfon,Porthmadog or Pwllheli whre the language remains in the majority{just}.<BR>It is one of the celtic languages, a brother to Manx and Cornish both now virtually extinct, and a cousin of Breton{northern France} Scots gaelic and Irish gaelic.Said to be oldest living language in europe.<BR>Mike

Here's a collection of links to Welsh sites that I found last summer before my trip. Enjoy!<BR><BR>I think the key tidbit is that W is pronounced like "OO" as in toot. Also, F is pronounced like V (but FF is F), DD is like English TH, and their LL is a unique, breathy sound.<BR><BR><BR>Audio clips from actual Welsh people!<BR><BR>http://www.data-wales.co.uk/accent.htm<BR><BR>http://www.red4.co.uk/welsh/Eng-Welsh/a.htm<BR><BR><BR>The fun, actually useful site:<BR><BR>http://www.kc3ltd.co.uk/~bicycle/sideways/language.html<BR><BR><BR>The complicated, academic one: <BR><BR> http://www.cs.brown.edu/fun/welsh/Lesson01.html<BR><BR><BR>Some practical lists -- take your pick:<BR><BR>http://britannia.com/celtic/wales/language.html<BR><BR>http://www.dalati.com/cornel/pronounce.html<BR><BR>http://icg.harvard.edu/~laa68/handouts/welshpron.htm<BR><BR><BR>For the advanced cross-cultural adventurer:<BR><BR>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/scrumv/hook/welsh-rugby-songs.shtml<BR>

I have always wished that the guidebooks would include in their usual list of translations and pronunciations of popular phrases the correct way to pronounce the sites of the country you will be visiting. It would have been nice in Ireland to know that "Howth" is pronounced like "both" and that "Dun Laoghaire" is pronounced something like "dun leeree". I would find that much more useful, especially in a country where a great many people speak English anyway. It would be nice not to mangle the pronunciation of their towns and attractions.

You guys are the greatest! I've made a copy of this whole thread and will check out all of the websites. Thanks again.

Here's a hint for how to speak in Wales. Take a big bag of marbles. Each time you need to say something, put about ten of them in your mouth. Then sound out the word. You will be close.<BR><BR>Sorry, couldn't resist -- but I think it gets me closer than anything else to pronouncing Welsh.

Some hilarious thoughts here. Unfortunately Welsh is oneof those languages where it's impossible to describe in words what it sounds like. Bit like spitting with air in your cheeks. The marbles is a great idea.<BR><BR>Basically, if you just say it how it's written, that's fine, they won't expect you to speak it with a welsh accent.

How English people say these names...<BR><BR>Llanelli is always Clhanethli<BR>Llandudno is either Clhandudno if your trying to sound Welsh or Lhandudno if not!<BR>

It's all in the tongue !!<BR><BR>Say the letter 'S' <BR>and notice that your tongue is positioned at the bottom, behind your teeth.<BR><BR>Now say the letter 'TH' as in 'Thief'<BR>and notice that your tounge has moved to the mid-point, and is positioned between your teeth.<BR><BR>Now for the letter 'LL'<BR>Place the tip of your tongue on the top of your mouth, behind your teeth, and breath out through your mouth as you would to say 'S'.<BR><BR>It is an unique hiss/screech noise that is very common in the Welsh language.<BR><BR>"LL"an - did - No ..... easy !<BR><BR>Good Luck !!

Oh, the also the -dud- part of Llandudno is pronounced more like -did- than -dud- (as in rhyme with stud)<BR><BR>"LL"an - did - No !!<BR>

It's pronounced<BR><BR>hclan-DID-no with the stress on the did (not dud as written).

Whew! Thanks everyone for your help. My Texas drawl is having a hard time wrapping around that one, but I'm practicing.

Welshgirl: That hclan is the best description I have seen. I sometimes have to TRY to explain pronunciations of places in Wales and my "pronounced sort of like a German CH crossed with clearing your throat crossed with TH." has now been replaced by your "HCL". Thanks!