A Bit More About Plurals
We have already seen a variety of methods of forming plurals. Don’t
forget you can often avoid using plurals by putting a number in front of the
noun! Unfortunately it is easier to spot a plural than it is to remember which
words use which method. Here is a reminder of some plurals, plus a few extras
useful ones (obviously not an exhaustive list):
addition of –ow or –yow[1]:
bes (m) > besow
world(s)
dama (f) > damyow
mother(s)
for’ (f) >
for’ow
road(s), way(s)
gwel (m) >
gwelyow
field(s)
oy (m) > oyow
egg(s)
pedn (m) > pednow
head(s)
pel (f) > pelyow
ball(s)
tas (m) > tasow
father(s)
addition of –s, -es or –ies:
benyn (f) > benenes
woman(women)
bes (m) > besies
finger(s)
bugh (f) > buhes
cow(s)
chambour (m) >
chambours
bedroom(s)
hordh, hor’ (m) >
hordhes, hor’es ram(s)
cath (f) > cathes
cat(s)
conin (m) > conines
rabbit(s)
cota (m) >
cotys
coat(s)
cothman (m) >
cothmans
friend(s)
pesk (m) > puskes
fish(es)
addition of a vowel –a or –y (i in SWFM)
coweth (m) >
cowetha
friend(s)
gast (f) > gesty
bitch(es)
tarow (m) > terewy
bull(s)
mantel (f) >
mentylly
cloak(s), overcoat(s)
mowes, mos (f) >
mowysy, mosy girl(s), maid(s)
porhel (m) > porhelly
pig(s)
addition of –yon (These are usually male
people, and mutation occurs after an)
gevel (m) > gevellyon
twin(s)
gwerther (m) >
gwerthoryon
salesman(salesmen)
caner (m) > canoryon
singer(s)
Kernoweger (m) > Kernowegoryon Cornish speaker(s)
mab (m) > mebyon
son(s)
souder (m) >
soudoryon
soldier(s)
tyek (m) > tiogyon
farmer(s)
changes of internal vowels (you will already have spotted some –
highlighted in green - in the examples above)
broder (m) > breder
brother(s)
dans (m) > dens
tooth (teeth)
davas (f) > deves
ewe(s), sheep
gavar (f) > gever
goat(s)
lowarn (m) lewern
fox(es)
on (m) > eyn
lamb(s)
troos (m) > treys
foot(feet)
An open vowel at the end of a noun may be dropped or altered before
adding a plural ending, e.g.:
dama (f) > damyow
mother(s)
sira (m) > sirys
father(s)
Some consonants and consonant clusters are modified before adding a
plural ending, e.g.:
flogh (m) > flehes
child(ren)
golok (f) > gologow
sight(s), view(s)
hogh (m) > hohes
pig(s), hog(s)
hogh (m) > mogh
pig(s), hog(s)
lagas (m) > lagajow
eye(s)
logh (f) > lohow
inlet(s)
mergh (f) > merhes
daughter(s)
olifans (m) > olifanjes
elephant(s)
pellwolok (f) > pellwologow
television(s)
pluvek (f) > pluvogow
pillow(s)
seythen (f) > seythednow
week(s)
stevel (m) > stevellow
room(s)
tesen (f) > tesednow
cake(s)
tigen (f) > tigednow
wallet(s)
Some body parts go in pairs, e.g.:
lagas (m) > dewlagas, dowlagas
eye(s)
Some plurals are just plain irregular!
chei (m) > treven
house(s), building(s)
den (m) > tus
man(men)
kei (m) > keun
dog(s)
maw (m) > mebyon
boy(s)
tra (f) > taclow
thing(s)
whor (f) >
wheredh
sister(s)
Here are a few place names which incorporate plurals:
Mawla (Mola
960)
pigs’ place
Tremough (Tremogh 1366-1590)
pigs’ farm
Ventonveth (Vyntonvergh 1370)
horses’ spring
Kilmarth (Kylmergh 1329)
horses’ ridge
Millewarne (Maenlewern 1289)
foxes’ stone
Ha me o moas en goon las As I went on a green plain (sea)
Me a glowas tros an buskes münys I heard the sound of
little fishes
Mes me a drouvias üdn pesk broas, naw y lostyow;
But I found one great fish, with nine tails;
Oll an bobel en Porthia ha Marhas
Yow
All the people in St Ives and Marazion
Nevra na wor dh’y
gensenjy. Could (not) never get hold of
it.
[3] an
vergh : Unusually, mergh mutates after an –
perhaps because riders thought of their horses as people!
[4] Using leuv for hand is
very archaic usage, rare even in Middle Cornish. The usual singular hand is dorn,
even though the plural is dowla or diwla
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