Personal Descriptions 17 (birth marriage and death)

Now that we know how to express dates we need to know what life events are important enough to have dates: hatches <genesigethow>, matches <demedhyansow> and despatches <encledhyansow>!

genesigeth (SWFM genesygeth)	birth
genys	born
a veu genys	was born
bejidh[1] (SWFM besidh)	baptism
bejidhyes (SWFM besidhyes)	baptised, christened
cristonyes	christened
demedhyans	marriage, wedding
maryach	marriage
demedhys	married
a veu demedhys	was married
maryes	married
torva demedhyans (f)	divorce
didhemedhyans	divorce
didhemedhys	divorced
a veu didhemedhys	was divorced
gwedhow	widowed
mernans	death
marow	dead
a dhecessyas	died, deceased
a verwas	died, passed away
encledhyans[2] (SWFM ynkleudhyans)	burial
encledhys	buried
a veu encledhys	was buried

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[1]  You can also use the English borrowing <baptysm>

[2]  RG has ancledhiaz

Personal Descriptions 16 (numbers for years)

In PD 15 we looked at the smaller numbers needed for days in the month. Now we need large numbers for years.

cans (SWFM kans)	100
nownjek cans	1900
mil (f)	a thousand
diw mil	two thousand
mil ha naw cans	another way of saying 1900

Here is one example of a way to deal with dates. Inscription on a silver hurling ball given to William Gwavas in 1705 (original by Thomas Boson baptised 1635, died 1719) – here given in SWFLt spelling:

An pel arhans ma a veu res	This silver ball was given
gen meur hurlejy, crev ha broas,	by many hurlers, strong and big,
dhe Wella Gwavas, an den jentil	to William Gwavas, the gentleman
an kensa jorna a Mis Hedra an kentel	the first day of October the occasion
en plüw Paul en Kernow teg,	in the parish of Paul in beautiful Cornwall,
en bloodh Crist an Arlòdh wheg	in the year of Christ our sweet lord
mil seyth cans ha hanter deg.	1 thousand 7 hundred and half of 10

Other examples using the same pattern:

Me a veu genys en mil naw cans dowgens ha pemp.	I was born in 1945.
Bejidh Tubmas Boson a veu en mil whegh cans ha pemdhek warn ügens.	Thomas Boson’s baptism was in 1635.
Bewnans Meriasek a veu scrifys en mil pemp cans ha pajar	The Life of Meriasek was written in 1504.
An chei coth a veu derevys en mil eth cans.	The old house was built in 1800.
An vledhen ma ew diw mil[1] ha peswardhek.	This year is 2014.

         

You can, of course, also do what we do in English:

Wella Bodinar a screfas lether en seytek cans trei ügens ha whetek.	William Bodinar wrote a letter in 1776.
Jowan Keigwin a verwas en seytek cans ha deg.	John Keigwin died in 1710.

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[1] Although <mil> is feminine it resists mutation after <diw>

Tabm a Gernow 21 (blue sky)

Glas o an mor de Yow, ha glas o an an ebòrn ewedh. E'n termyn na ma'n ger "glas" o menya "blou". Jorna teg o hei. Nag o hei yeyn. Thera howl ha nag era gwens.

Glas o an mor de Gwener, ha glas o an an ebòrn ewedh. Saw nag o an jedh da, tabm veth. E'n termyn na ma'n ger "glas" o styrrya "loos". 

Nag era howl. Thera gwens crev ha yeyn e'n mettin, ha thera glaw e'n dohajedh. Tho an ebòrn comolek.

Nag o hei teg, bes ma clowys genam melwhes o cana wheg a ûgh dhebm e'n ebòrn. Meur le wheg ew an scollyon towlys dhe ves reb an vorr. Coynt!

Personal Descriptions 15 (birth month)

In PD 3 we started to talk about age. In PD 5 we learnt how to say how old we are. Now we learn to say when or where we were born. It was a one off event in the past, so we use the past passive (the non-specific preterite <a veu> of boas to be/being with adjective/ past participle <genys> born). The same form is used for all persons.

Me a veu genys en mis Whevrel.	I was born in February.
Wella Gwavas a veu genys en Pensans.	William Gwavas was born in Penzance.

Here are the months of the year:

mis Genver	January
mis Whevrel	February
mis Meurth	March
mis Ebrel	April
mis Me	May
mis Efen	June
mis Goreffen	July
mis Est	August
mis Gwedngala	September
mis Hedra	October
mis Dû	November
mis Kevardhû	December

You may be asked about your birthday or anniversary 

<pedn bloodh (m)>:

Pana dhedh ew dha bedn bloodh?	What date is your birthday? (familiar)
Pana dhedh ew agas pedn bloodh?	What date is your birthday? (formal)
Pana vis ew dha bedn bloodh?	What date is your birthday? (familiar)
Pana vis ew agas pedn bloodh?	What month is your birthday? (formal)

       

You would answer:

O fedn bloodh ew (en)…	My birthday is (in) …
An pedn bloodh vy ew (en)	My birthday is (in)…

You need to use ordinal rather than cardinal numbers with dates, to follow <an> the:

1st  1a	kensa	21st 21ens	kensa warn ügens
2nd  2a	second/nessa	22nd 22ens	nessa warn ügens
3rd  3a	tryja	23rd 23ens	tryja warn ügens
4th  4a	pajwara	24th 24ens	pajwara warn ügens
5th  5es	pempes	25th 25ens	pempes warn ügens
6th  6es	wheffes	26th 26ens	wheffes warn ügens
7th  7es	seythves	27th 27ens	seythves warn ügens
8th  8es	ethves	28th 28ens	ethves warn ügens
9th  9es	nawhes	29th 29ens	nawhes warn ügens
10th 10ves	degves	30th 30ens	degves warn ügens
11th 11ves	üdnegves	31st 31ens	üdnegves warn ügens
12th 12ves	dewdhegves
13th 13ves	terdhegves
14th 14ves	peswardhegves
15th 15ves	pemdhegves
16th 16ves	whetegves
17th 17ves	seytegves
18th 18ves	etekves
19th 19ves	nownjegves
20th 20ves	ügensves

O fedn bloodh ew an wheffes warn ügens mis Whevrel.	My birthday is 26th February.
Pedn bloodh o noyth ew an tryja warn ügens mis Genver.	My niece’s birthday is 23rd January.
Dedh Nadelik[1] ew an pempes warn ügens mis Kevardhû.	Christmas Day is 25th December.
Gool Peran ew an pempes mis Meurth.	St Piran’s Day is 5th March.
Cala’ Me ew an kensa mis Me.	May Day is 1st May.

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[1] Gendall uses Nadelak for Christmas and nadelik or natolaidh for birthday.

Tabm a Gernow 20 (mines and quarries)

“Pandr’ew bal?” tüs a wovednas. An gorreb a veu, “Toll e’n dor ew - gen Kernow awoles an toll.” Ma lies bal coth en Kernow, lies toll ha kivorr en dadn dor. An purpos o dhe dedna mes stof sten, stof cober ha stof aral. Nei ell godhvos an balyow gerys dreth aga jinjiow. Jinjy a gontaynyas ynjyn plumpya rag liftya dowr mes an bal.

Ma mongleudhyow ha mengleudhyow maga ta. Hebm’ew mengleudh en Densher. Nag ewa teg, ort o bres.

Pandr’ew an deffrans tredh mongleudh ha mengleudh? Ma lies mengleudh en Kernow. Thew mongleudhyow rag palas stof ha thew mengleudhyow rag trehy men. Ma mengleudh e’n vorr ma.

Nag ew an meungleudh ma ûsyes rag cawas men lebmyn. Thewa overdevys gen prysk. Ûsyes ew ev rag gwitha daffar abmeth. 

Nei ell gweles an mengleudh dhort an pellder, dhort menedh awarha Bolingey. Ma gwelyow oll adro ha treven a dall.