Yer Withvar? Not a hope.

To English-speaking folk the highest mountain in Wales has been known as Snowdon since at least 1095. Now, however, there's a proposal before the National Park authority to call it only by its Welsh name, Yr Wyddfa. 

Enthusiasts for the change point to Uluru, the famous huge red rock in Australia that used to be known to most people as Ayers Rock. It had been named thus in honour of Sir Henry Ayers, who was Chief Secretary of South Australia when the rock was 'discovered' in 1873. As Aborigines rightly point out, though, they had discovered it many centuries beforehand. Today it's officially known by both names, though Uluru is gaining popularity, particularly among Australians. 

 

However, Uluru has one important advantage over Yr Wyddfa – it's easily pronounceable by English speakers.  

I have a great deal of sympathy for Welsh folk who are proud of their heritage and their success in keeping alive their mother tongue. It isn't their fault that so much of their treasured language is hard for English speakers to decipher. The Scots, Irish and Cornish all have the same problem. The Welsh, however, have the great advantage that their language is taught in school. Thankfully for me, my mum was schooled in North Wales during the Second World War and learned a lot of Welsh pronunciation to pass on to her family. I'm therefore able to have a fair attempt at Yr Wyddfa, along with this one...

 

Having spoken to a few residents of Dolgellau, I know how they despair at English-speaking folk calling it Dol-geloo. Not so long ago, though, the anglicised version of their town's name was in common use, and then everyone got it sort-of right.

 

For Yr Wyddfa, though, perhaps the best one can hope for is that its probable mispronunciation – Yer Widefar – won't cause to much offence to the natives. At least it's better than Dol-geloo.  If it does offend, then I hope that they follow the Australian example and continue to accept both names, Yr Wyddfa and Snowdon.