Welsh Journals

COMPETITIONS ADJUDICATION ON JANUARY COMPETITIONS No. 1. Short Critical Examination of Home Rule for Wales," by Mr. E. T. John, M.P. Two competitors entered the lists for the prize of one guinea. Both efforts show knowledge of the subject, critical acumen, and are not badly written. Of the two the best is the work of Mr. Garbett Edwards, and the guinea is awarded to him. The work of Mr. J. Jones is also worthy of commendation, although more diffuse and less to the point than that of Mr. Edwards. No. 2. Translation from English to Welsh. Thirty County School boys and girls attempted the rather knotty English prose extract set for translation in our first number. The Welsh of the scripts was, on the whole, of a fairly high standard. Some of the competitors clung religiously to the structural peculiarities of the English original, while others, less timid, construed its meaning not wisely but too well. One was less surprised to find such dictionary words as mewn-welediad (insight,) annofadwy (un- tameable,) cyfoesol (life-long) than forms like dysglaer. dyoddef etc. in these days of revised orthography. There has been a tendency of late in Welsh writers to deprecate the use of periphrastic expressions like yr wyf wedi bod, y mae yn ysgrifennu, with the result that the learner partiality for the terser synthetic forms tempts him to prefer flawlessness to felicity. The same criticism applies to the super-abundant use of verb-nouns for the more old-fashioned abstract nouns, and of the equative termination — ed for the periphrastic form, and to the general hoisting of recently revised terms and expressions. All these tendencies were manifest in a fair percentage of the papers. The competitors have been grouped in three classes, the following finding a place in the first Richard Jones, Dolgelley County School, Phyllis Olwen Jones, (of Rhymney.) Hengoed County School, M. H. Iwan, Municipal Secondary School, Cardiff, and G. Hywel Jones, Denbigh County School. The Dolgelley boy showed a commendable knowledge of idiomatic Welsh, and had he been less free with the original he would have taken the whole prize. As it is, it is impossible to do justice to the four competitors except by dividing the prize of half-a- guinea amongst them. Of the remaining competitors Ifor Morris, Llanberis County School, E. Rice Hughes, Llangefni County School, Annie Roberts, do., W. I. Bowen, Llanelly County School, I. F. Griffith, Rhyl County School, and Elizabeth A. Owen, Ysgol Ganloradd yr Abermaw, sent in good work. THE Editor will offer prizes monthly for the best work done by readers of the Welsh Outlook in competition. For this number- (1) A prize of one guinea will be given to the person who sends in the best Welsh Folk Song not yet printed. (2) A prize of half-a -guinea will be awarded for the best black and white sketch of any Welsh Celebrity. The competitors to be under 18 years old on St. David's Day this year. Competitors must observe the following con- ditions 1. The first competition is open the second is limited to boys and girls under 18, who must mention their age and state that they have received no outside help. 2. All envelopes should be addressed Competition (or 2) The Welsh Outlook, CARDIFF. and must reach the Editor by March 31st. 3. The name and address of the competitor must be written on the MSS itself. 4. The Editor reserves the right of printing in The Welsh Outlook any matter sent in. 5. Unsuccessful MSS. cannot be returned, unless a stamped envelope is enclosed. 6. The Editor's decision is final in all cases.