Yn y traethawd hwn, trafodir prosiect doethurol a chanddo ddau brif nod, sef: (1) cynhyrchu cyfres o adnoddau dysgu Cymraeg ar-lein yn arbennig ar gyfer Canolfan Iaith a Threftadaeth Cymru Nant Gwrtheyrn; a (2) ymchwilio i ac ysgrifennu traethawd ymchwil mewn maes cysylltiedig. Penderfynais gyfuno’r ddwy elfen, a defnyddio theori ac ymchwil fel sail ar gyfer y dasg greadigol. Fy ngobaith oedd dangos ymagwedd egwyddorol tuag at ddatblygu adnoddau e-ddysgu newydd, ac ysbrydoli eraill i wneud yr un fath yn y dyfodol, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni galwad diweddar Mac Giolla Chríost et al. (2012, t. 182) i ymarferwyr ym maes Cymraeg i Oedolion rannu ‘ymarfer da’. Mae allbynnau’r Ddoethuriaeth hon yn gwneud dau brif gyfraniad at y maes. Y cyntaf o’r rhain yw’r gyfres o adnoddau e-ddysgu unigryw o’r enw “e-nant” a fydd yn dechrau cael traweffaith yn syth ar ddysgwyr sy’n mynychu cyrsiau lefel Mynediad yn Nant Gwrtheyrn o nawr ymlaen. Ar ben hynny, mae’r traethawd hwn yn dangos yn glir sut y gellir seilio datblygiad deunyddiau dysgu newydd ar egwyddorion ymchwil. Bydd hwn yn adnodd defnyddiol iawn i awduron deunyddiau’r dyfodol, oherwydd ei fod yn darparu enghreifftiau clir o’r byd go iawn o sut mae rhoi cysyniadau theoretig ar waith yn ymarferol. Drwy ymgymryd ag ymchwil cyfrwng Cymraeg, yr wyf hefyd yn gwneud trydydd cyfraniad, sef hwyluso trafodaeth o bynciau tebyg drwy’r Gymraeg yn y dyfodol, a chyfrannu at godi statws y Gymraeg fel iaith academaidd – un o amcanion strategol Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru (2010). Casglwyd rhestr o dermau perthnasol i feysydd Caffael Ail Iaith a Dysgu Iaith drwy Gymorth Cyfrifiadur, y bydd ymchwilwyr y dyfodol yn gallu cyfeirio ati’n hawdd, a bathwyd sawl term newydd, er mwyn galluogi trafodaeth o gysyniadau nad ydynt erioed wedi’u trafod yn y Gymraeg o’r blaen. This thesis discusses a doctoral project with two main aims: (1) to produce a series of online Welsh learning resources especially for the Nant Gwrtheyrn Welsh Language and Heritage Centre; and (2) to research and write a research thesis in a related field. I decided to combine the two elements, and to use theory and research as a base for the creative task. My hope was to demonstrate a principled approach towards developing new e-learning resources, and to inspire others to do likewise in the future, especially in light of Mac Giolla Chríost et al.'s (2012, t. 182) recent call for Welsh for Adults practitioners to share ‘good practice’. The outputs of this Doctorate make two main contributions to the field. The first of these is the series of unique e-learning resources called “e-nant” which will immediately begin to have an impact on learners who attend Entry-level courses at Nant Gwrtheyrn from now on. In addition, this thesis clearly shows how the development of new learning materials can be based on research principles. This will be a very useful resource for future materials writers, since it provides clear real-world examples of how to put theoretical concepts into practice. By undertaking Welsh-medium research, I also make a third contribution, namely to facilitate discussion of similar subjects through Welsh in the future, and to contribute towards raising the status of Welsh as an academic language – one of the Welsh Assembly Government’s (2010) strategic aims. A list of relevant terms was compiled for the fields of Second Language Acquisition and Computer-Assisted Language Learning, which future researchers will be able to refer to easily, and several new terms were coined, in order to enable discussion of concepts which have never before been discussed in the Welsh language.

This thesis explores the role played by Welsh-language newspapers in y Wladfa (the Welsh settlement in Argentine Patagonia) from its inception in 1865 until 1933. The newspapers are analysed to assess in which manner they contributed to creating and maintaining a particular kind of Welsh identity whose preservation was the founding principle of the Patagonian settlement, and how that particular sense of Welshness evolved through time. The various publications produced by the Welsh in Patagonia will also be used to identify whether there were any challenges from within the Welsh community to the values, culture and identity that the newspapers promoted. Of special interest is analysing the interaction of the Welsh settlers with the Argentine Central Government and its representatives in the Chubut Territory. The reactions of Welsh-Patagonian newspapers to the complexities of the socio-political and cultural changes that Argentina underwent towards the end of the nineteenth century until the 1930s will be identified in order to understand how the Welsh experience in Patagonia fits in with the designs of the Government to effectively incorporate the Patagonian region into the fold of the Republic, and how the nationalistic policies of the Argentine Government impacted on the Welsh community and its press. This thesis also looks at how the Welsh-Patagonian newspapers interacted with an international network of Welsh-language publications from a distant corner of Patagonia. This research thesis intends to be a contribution to the studies of the ethnic press, studies of the experiences of the Welsh overseas, and studies in the field of immigration and ethnic communities in Argentina –more specifically in the context of the Patagonian region.

This thesis identifies and discusses historical and literary sources describing four species in the process of reintroduction: lynx (Lynx lynx), large whale (esp. Eubalena glacialis), beaver (Castor fiber) and crane (Grus grus). The scope includes medieval and early modern texts in English, Latin, and Welsh written in Britain before the species went extinct. The aims for each species are: (i) to reconstruct the medieval cultural memory; (ii) to contribute a cohesive extinction narrative; and (iii) to catalogue and provide an eco-sensitive reading of the main historical and literary references. Each chapter focuses on a different species: 1. The chapter on lynxes examines some new early references to the lynx and argues that the species became extinct in south Britain c.900 AD. Some hard-to-reconcile seventeenth century Scottish accounts are also explored. 2. The chapter on whales attributes the beginning of whale hunting to the ninth century in Britain, corresponding with the fish event horizon; but suggests a professional whaling industry only existed from the late medieval period. 3. The chapter on beavers identifies extinction dates based on the increasingly confused literary references to the beaver after c.1300 in south Britain and after c.1600 in Scotland, and the increase in fur importation. 4. The chapter on cranes emphasises the mixed perception of the crane throughout the medieval and early modern period. Cranes were simultaneously depicted as courtly falconers’ birds, greedy gluttons, and vigilant soldiers. More generally, the thesis considers the levels of reliability between eyewitness accounts and animal metaphors. It examines the process of ‘redelimitation’ which is triggered by population decline, whereby nomenclature and concepts attached to one species become transferred to another. Finally, it emphasises geographical determinism: species generally become extinct in south Britain centuries before Scotland.

The statutory education sector and health and social sectors are obliged to provide Welsh language services, either by teaching through Welsh-medium or Welsh as a second language or by providing an ‘Active Offer’ of Welsh language services. This thesis identifies that bilingual capacity in the workforce is vital to fulfilling these policies and that training the current workforce to increase their fluency and confidence to use Welsh is necessary to increase capacity. This thesis used questionnaire data obtained from participants on the sylfaen | foundation course of the Welsh National Sabbatical Scheme to investigate the course as a language capacity building and strengthening model, both to determine its effectiveness and best practices in increasing fluency and confidence to use Welsh by its participating English-medium primary school teachers; and its generalisability and applicability to the health and social sectors. A Sabbatical Scheme Model was proposed to senior officials in the social and health sectors in the Cardiff region and semi-structured interviews were undertaken of current Welsh language training and the perception of Welsh in the sectors. Based on these interviews, new questions were raised in terms of how the sectors are focusing on increasing fluency and confidence in using the Welsh language in work, with focus turning to either language capacity strengthening or language capacity building as opposed to a combination of the two. As a result, this thesis sets out conclusions regarding language capacity building versus language capacity strengthening, and how both are necessary in creating a strong bilingual workforce that can both actively offer and deliver Welsh language services.

Little research has been devoted to studying the interconnections between the ambiguous border identities along the so-called ‘Celtic fringe’ in the UK. It is important to explore whether, in the new context of the devolved Welsh and Scottish states, people resident in the border areas of Wales and Scotland will increasingly come to identify with the Welsh or Scottish “nation” and with its official “nationality”. Using the sociological approach advocated by Robert K. Yin, this thesis draws on ethnographical research to explore the precise nature of the relationship between contemporary national identity, nationalism, borderlands and football fandom. It examines supporters in three border towns: Oswestry (Shropshire), Hay-on-Wye (Powys), and Berwick-upon-Tweed (Northumberland). Focus groups were conducted with match-going supporters of Welsh league champions The New Saints of Oswestry Town, Scottish League Two side Berwick Rangers and Hay St. Mary’s Football Club, who compete in both the Herefordshire and Mid Wales leagues. Examining football fans’ expressions of identity, this study discusses national sentiment and explores identity – local, regional and national – in the England-Wales and England-Scotland border regions from a theoretical and comparative perspective. A detailed and grounded study of national identity and nationalism amongst fans in the borderlands of Wales and Scotland will appeal to academics and students of sports history and with interests in ethnography, the sociology of sport, football fandom, debatable borderlands and contemporary national identities.