Learn Late Cornish Bit by Bit 43 (Pronunciation 3)

A little bit about pronunciation 3

In Cornish SWF/L, as in English, there are some words which look the same but sound different. There are other words that rhyme with one alternative but not the other, e.g.:

bes[1] (long vowel)                       finger (pl. besies)

bes[2] (long vowel)                       world (pl. besow)

bes[3]                                           but

bys[4]                                           until, till

rag (long vowel)                           fore

derag[5] (long vowel)                   in front of

rag (short vowel)                          for

hag                                               and (before a vowel)

nag                                               not (before vowels in bos to be)

War dhorn, thew bes rag hir,      

On a hand a fore finger is long,

hag hir ew an ger “bes” (rag “finger”) ha’n ger “rag” (rag “fore”).

and the word “bes”(for “finger”) and the word “rag”(for “fore”) are long.           

Bes berr ew an geryow “bes”,  “bys”, “rag”, “hag” ha “nag”.

But the words “but”, “till”, “for”, “and” and “not” are short.

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[1] Gendall has bêz to show the long vowel. MC uses bys (with alternative pronunciation)

[2] Gendall has bêz to show the long vowel. MC uses bys (with alternative pronunciation)

[3] Gendall uses byz, showing that the vowel is schwa. MC uses mes (coincidentally like Fr “mais”, but probably a contracted version of marnas)

[4] Gendall uses biz

[5] MC uses a-rag