The Archive of Dyfed Dialects: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

The rich linguistic heritage of West Wales will be celebrated at a special open day hosted by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) at the Roderic Bowen Library and Archives on its Lampeter campus, on 29 April at 2pm.

This open day offers a rare chance to engage with an important cultural archive and explore the past, present, and future of Welsh dialects in West Wales.

The event, titled “The Archive of Dyfed Dialects: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” will feature a talk by Dr Christine Jones, former Dean of Education and Humanities at UWTSD. Dr Jones will reflect on her involvement in the groundbreaking Dyfed Dialects Survey (1983–88), originally conducted by the University of Wales, Lampeter - now part of UWTSD.

This is the only Welsh language dialect archive focusing solely on the dialects of the three counties of Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire in West Wales. There are recordings from a substantial number of parishes within the above three counties, and for that alone, it is an incredibly rich source of material for researchers. The academic study of dialects is essential for understanding the complex relationship between language and culture. The resulting archive, comprising more than 2,000 audio tapes, provides a unique record of regional speech patterns during a period of increasing standardisation in the Welsh language. Beyond linguistics, the recordings offer valuable insights into the social history and lived experiences of communities across Dyfed.

At the time the recordings were undertaken (1983-4 and 1986-88), semantic variation between generations and localities was particularly significant, due to developments in education and increased mobility patterns. The archive captures this gradual movement to linguistic standardisation, and evidences the decline in specialised agricultural and maritime Welsh language terms often unique to the area.

Publications on some of these dialects have been limited to date, due in part to limited accessible linguistic data. This archive therefore fills an important gap in our knowledge base. It provides academics, particularly those specialising in dialectology, socio-linguistics or aspects of the humanities, with the scope to undertake in-depth comparative studies, thereby providing important insights into how the Welsh language and culture of West Wales has evolved over time. 

Dr Christine Jones said: 

“Browsing through an oral archive like the Dyfed Dialects Archive you come across so much historical information that you won’t find in any book about the area, because the memories of the speakers are so personal and unique. Oral history resources such as this archive are a means of bringing our linguistic, cultural, and historical background to life, and it is important to preserve them, so that future generations can enjoy and appreciate them.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to selected extracts from the archive, which have been carefully digitised by the National Library of Wales, bringing these voices to life for a new generation.

The talk will be delivered in Welsh, with simultaneous translation available. Guests requiring headphones are kindly asked to indicate this when booking.

Siân Collins, UWTSD’s Head of Special Collections and Archives said: 

“These interviews represent an extraordinary cultural record, preserving voices, dialects and ways of life that have since disappeared. They are invaluable not only to researchers, but to anyone interested in the lived experience of past Welsh communities. Through seemingly trivial details - the small rivalries of children living either side of a river, stories of running through fields playing games on long ago summer evenings - the recordings capture a shared cultural memory that would otherwise have been lost. The work of Christine and her colleagues has safeguarded a vital part of our intangible heritage, creating a legacy that deserves to be shared and celebrated.”

To reserve a place, please contact: specialcollections@uwtsd.ac.uk

Further Information

Lowri Thomas

Principal Communications and PR Officer     
Corporate Communications and PR     
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk     
Phone: 07449 998476