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>