We have seen how to talk about things we
like doing, things we know how to do and things we do on a regular basis. Now
let’s look at how we talk about actions we are doing in the here and now:
Da
ew genam gwary golf.
Me
a or gwary golf.
Thera
vy o longya dhe gwary golf.
|
I like playing golf.
I can (I know how to) play golf.
I usually play golf.
|
The last sentence uses the “locative”
form of the verb <boas> to be, which gives us the continuous present
tense for actions.
<Thera vy > I am (Middle Cornish <Yth esov vy>)
is used with a verbal particle and the verbal noun of a secondary verb.
The “continuous particle” used is the
equivalent of adding <ing> to the end of an English verb to
make the present participle.
In SWFM and older RMC the continuous
particle is <ow> (<owth> before a vowel). In older RLC it was
<a>, pronounced like English indefinite
article. In Late Cornish we are now using <o> (with same pronunciation). In rapid
speech it may be dropped completely. Its significance is that it causes the
initial letter of some following verbs to harden in pronunciation (hard
mutation or provection). In the following examples you can see how Late Cornish
lends itself to more fluent speech.
Someone asks you “What are you doing?”
Pandr’ero
whei o cül? (formal)
Pandr’esta
o cül? (familiar)
You might answer:
Thera
vy o qwary golf.
|
I am playing golf.
|
Thera
vy eva cor.
(RMC Yth
esov vy owth eva corev.)
|
I am drinking beer.
|
Thera
vy o tebry tesen.
(RMC
Yth esov vy ow tybry tesen.)
|
I am eating cake.
|
Thera
vy eva ola.
(RMC Yth
esov vy owth ola.)
|
I am crying.
|
Thera
vy o prijyon oyow.
|
I am boiling eggs.
|
Thera
vy o cortos.
|
I am waiting.
|
In SWF main form the mutations to
remember are:
<b> to <p>, <d> to <t>, <g> to <k>.
Using traditional graphs we have:
<b> to <p>, <d> to <t>, <g> (followed
by e, i or y) to <k>,<g> (followed by o, u or a consonant other than w) to <c>, <gw> to <qw>.
