MEU Cymru

MEU Cymru (an abbreviation of Micro Electronics Unit, Cymru, also known as the Welsh Microelectronics Education Unit) is a Welsh educational software brand established in 1986 by the Welsh Joint Education Committee (Cyd-bwyllgor Addysg Cymru) with support from the British government and Welsh local education authorities. Its stated aim was to promote and sustain the effective use of information technology in education in Wales, in both Welsh and English. The unit was led by Director Meurig Williams, who liked to joke that 'MEU' came from his own name, 'Meu-rig'. From the outset MEU Cymru produced a wide range of software and support materials for schools, and later Celtic fonts and digital resources. It also organised courses and conferences to promote new developments in the use of information technology in schools. In 1995 Meurig Williams announced that the world's first Welsh-language computer had been produced by MEU Cymru together with Acorn Computers, then the main supplier of computers to schools in the United Kingdom. Today the MEU Cymru website is maintained by Meurig Williams, who continues to sell third-party software such as Cysgliad, Cysill and Celtic fonts, though the operation no longer has any connection with the WJEC. Its best-known current offering is Cysgliad, a Windows and Macintosh package combining Cysgeir (a dictionary suite of eight Welsh dictionaries) and Cysill 3 (the latest version of the Welsh spelling and grammar checker). The Windows version is sold at £40 plus £3 registered shipping, while the Macintosh version of Cysill can be downloaded from the e-gymraeg website. Cysgeir includes dictionaries such as CysGair, the Welsh schools terminology dictionary Termiadur Ysgol, and glossaries for archaeology, work and care, the Welsh environment, health promotion, young people's mental health, finance, and nursing and midwifery. It offers a toolbar for Microsoft Word and Star/OpenOffice, can cut and paste Welsh and English words into documents, and recognises mutations and verb forms — for example identifying 'gath' as a mutated form of 'cath' and 'ysgrifennodd' as a form of 'ysgrifennu'. Cysill 3 finds Welsh spelling and grammar errors and suggests correct forms, explains the relevant grammatical rule in Welsh or English, allows customisation of preferences, personal dictionaries, style and spelling/grammar rules, and includes a thesaurus of over 3,000 abbreviations. It also provides a toolbar for Microsoft Word and Star/OpenOffice and can be invoked by keyboard shortcut in other applications, with a comprehensive in-program Help file. MEU Cymru is a small, specialist Welsh-language technology brand rather than a mass-market software house. Its identity is tied to the promotion of the Welsh language in computing and education, and its catalogue has included the Dictionary of Computing Terms (Geiriadur Termau Cyfrifiadureg, ISBN 10: 1870055519, ISBN 13: 9781870055512).

MEU Cymru was established in 1986 by the Welsh Joint Education Committee (Cyd-bwyllgor Addysg Cymru) with support from the British government and Welsh local education authorities. Its name is an abbreviation of Micro Electronics Unit, Cymru, and it was also known in Welsh as 'Uned Addysg Ficroelectronig Cymru'. Its stated aim was 'to promote and sustain the effective use of information technology in education in Wales, in Welsh and English'. The unit was directed by Meurig Williams, who used to joke that MEU came from the word 'Meu-rig'. From the beginning MEU Cymru produced a wide range of software and support materials for schools, and later Celtic fonts and digital resources. The body was also responsible for organising courses and conferences to promote new developments in the use of information technology in schools. In 1995 Meurig Williams announced that the world's first Welsh-language computer had just been produced by MEU Cymru and Acorn Computers, the main supplier of computers to schools in Britain at the time. Meurig Williams continues to maintain the website under the name 'MEU Cymru' and to sell third-party software (Cysgliad, Cysill, Celtic fonts and so on), but there is no longer any connection with the WJEC. The current flagship product, Cysgliad, is a computer package containing Cysgeir (a combination of eight Welsh dictionaries) and Cysill 3 (the latest version of the Welsh spelling checker). The Windows version is priced at £40 plus £3 registered shipping, and the Macintosh version of Cysill can be downloaded from the e-gymraeg website. Cysgeir includes dictionaries such as CysGair, Termiadur Ysgol (the Welsh schools terminology dictionary), and glossaries for archaeology, work and care, the Welsh environment, health promotion, young people's mental health, finance, and nursing and midwifery. It includes a toolbar for Microsoft Word and Star/OpenOffice, can cut and paste Welsh and English words into documents, and recognises mutations and verb forms. Cysill 3 finds Welsh spelling and grammar errors and offers suggestions for correct forms; when it encounters a grammatical error, it provides an explanation (in Welsh or English as chosen) of the relevant grammatical rule. Users can adjust preferences, edit their personal dictionary, and change style and spelling/grammar rules. Cysill 3 also includes a thesaurus with over 3,000 abbreviations. It includes a toolbar for Microsoft Word and Star/OpenOffice and can be used via keyboard shortcut in other applications, with a comprehensive Help file within the program. MEU Cymru's catalogue has also included the Dictionary of Computing Terms (Geiriadur Termau Cyfrifiadureg, ISBN 10: 1870055519, ISBN 13: 9781870055512).

• 1995

  Meurig Williams announced that the world's first Welsh-language computer had been produced by MEU Cymru and Acorn Computers.

• 1986

  MEU Cymru established by the Welsh Joint Education Committee with support from the British government and Welsh local education authorities.

Specialist Welsh-language educational and proofing software for schools and Welsh speakers.

• Cysgliad

  Computer package combining Cysgeir and Cysill 3; Windows version £40 plus £3 registered shipping; Mac version of Cysill downloadable from e-gymraeg.

• Cysill 3

  Latest version of the Welsh spelling and grammar checker, with suggestions, grammar explanations in Welsh or English, customisable preferences, personal dictionary, style and rule editing, and a thesaurus of over 3,000 abbreviations.

• Cysgeir

  Dictionary suite combining eight Welsh dictionaries including CysGair, Termiadur Ysgol, and glossaries for archaeology, work and care, Welsh environment, health promotion, young people's mental health, finance, and nursing and midwifery; recognises mutations and verb forms.

• Geiriadur Termau Cyfrifiadureg

  Dictionary of Computing Terms, ISBN 10: 1870055519, ISBN 13: 9781870055512.

1. 1Cysgliad = Cysill + Cysgeir = Cymraeg cywir ar y cyfrifiadurmeucymru.co.uk
2. 2MEU Cymruwikidata.org
3. 3MEU Cymrucy.wikipedia.org