Now for
physical attributes. Translations between Cornish and English are not word for
word.
To say “I have …,” you use the
equivalent of “There is to me …,"
i.e. Ma dhebm …
Pe liw ew agas blew? What
colour is your hair?
The word
for hair is blew. The word for head is pedn. The
adjective comes after the noun. Instead of saying I have coloured hair it
may be simpler to say I am a coloured head.
Ma dhebm blew dû.
I
have black hair.
Pedn dû o
vy.
I am a
brunette.
(lit.
I’m a blackhead)
Ma dhebm blew gwydn. I have white hair.
Pedn gwydn o vy.
I have white hair.
(lit. I’m
a whitehead)
Ma dhebm blew melyn.
I have yellow/fair/blonde hair.
Pedn melyn o vy.
I’m a blonde.
(lit. I’m
a yellowhead)
Ma dhebm blew rous (or rüdh). I have red hair.
(rous is more ginger)
Pedn rous (or rüdh) o vy.
I’m a redhead.
The word
for eyes is lagajow (lagasow in Middle
Cornish).
There are two
ways of describing your eyes; either using <Ma dhebm … > or using <ew> the third person “is/are”.
Pe liw ew agas lagajow? What
colour are your eyes?
Blou ew o lagajow.
My eyes are blue.
Ma dhebm lagajow blou.
I have blue eyes.
Here are some
more possible hair colours and eye colours (some more natural than others).
arhans silver
gell light
brown
gorm dark
brown
gwadnliwek pale (weak coloured)
gwer green
gwerwyn light green
loos grey
owryek golden
[1] often used for
describing the sea or natural vegetation, found in Cornish place names
[2] Gendall also
has donak for brown
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