Sunday 31 July 2016

Tabm a Gernow 59 (the Man Engine)

Jorna tòbm o de. Me eth dhe’n dre. Rag fra wrüga vy moas? Drefen boas an Jynn Den ena. Thera rûth veur, bush broas a düs, en Truru; pemdhek mil, car dre hevel. E veu calish dhe weles an skerrimouj cowrek wor’ talleth. Oll an düs a veu herdhys warbarth. Den, ûhel  y lev, a wrüg laul adro dhe Gernow ha agan Stat Ertach an Norves.  Nessa, me a welas môg ha me a glowas càna. 

An “Den” a savas e’mann, deg meter y ûhelder, gen gweres dhort an bobel o cana ha garma. 

HAKA BALWEYTH

(Cornish Mining Chant)
Cober! Arhans! Sten! Sten! Sten!
En pub carrek? En pub men!
Cober! Arhans! Sten! Sten! Sten!
An gwella sten? En Kernow!

War an diwedh an düs eth ker. Gwag o an plas ha possybyl o dhe weles an skerrimouj cowrek der vaner da.
   

More Bits of Late Cornish 26 (giving directions 3)

Giving Directions 3
We have seen that we cannot give directions without using prepositions. So here is a list of useful ones, some that you have had before and some new (plus some related adverbs). Where the preposition contains <dhe> (to) you can usually make the related adverb by removing <dhe>:

adhelergh[1] dhe or
adrev dhe
behind, at the back of
a dall dhe
opposite
a dreus dhe
across
a ûgh[2] dhe        
above, over
a ves dhe
outside
a wartha[3] dhe or
awarra dhe
on top of
a woles dhe
below, beneath
abarth awoles (adverb)
down below
abarth[4] dyhow dhe
on the right side of
en ’bar dyhow (adverb)
on the right
abarth cledh dhe
on the left side of
en ’bar cledh (adverb)        
on the left
adherag or
derag        
in front of, before
adreus dhe
across
ajei dhe
inside, within
dadn or
en dadn
under
dhe
to
dhe dhorn (adverb)
close at hand, nearby
dhyworth or
dhort
away from
dres
beyond, over
hont dhe[5]
just past, just after (more than)
ogas dhe
near to, close to
en ogas (adverb)
nearby
ort    
at
po nebes[6]
almost, nearly, just before
reb   
by, beside, next to
en hons compes (adverb)
straight on
war
on
war nans (adverb)
downhill
wor tû ha(g)
towards
war vena (adverb)
uphill
warlergh[7] 
after, behind
                                     
          Here are some examples:


Gwrewgh kemeres an vorr wor tû ha’n eglos teg.
Take the road towards the cathedral.
Ma’n sodhva bost adrev/adheler  dhe’n leverva.
The post office is behind the library.
Kewgh dhe’n tokynva ajei dhe’n chei gwary.  
Go to the ticket office inside the theatre.
Gwrewgh treylya adall dhe’n bank.
Turn opposite the bank.
Gwrewgh moas adreus dhe’n pons coth.
Go across the old bridge.
                            
                  



[1]  The <gh> is silent, so may be written <adheler >.
[2]  The <g> is silent.
[3]  In Late Cornish the <th> is silent.
[4]  Silent <th>.
[5]  Can be used for time as well as place
[6]  Placed after the noun – can also be used for time
[7]  Silent <gh>. Also splits when used with a pronoun, so <war y lergh> after it

Thursday 28 July 2016

Tabm a Gernow 58 (old nest)

Ottoma neyth edhen bian. Nag eus odhom dhe'n edhyn a neythow lebmyn. An edhnigow bian a wrüg moas mes mes an oyow,  cawas plev ha denithy. An neyth ma a wrüg cotha dhort bagas camellia. Pehen ew an edhen? Na ora vy. Edhen bian heb dout. Martesen pednpaly (bluetit), tynk (finch) po golvan sparrow) ew. Re vian ew an neyth rag mola dhû (blackird).
An edhen a wrüg gwia an neyth gen gwelsednow ha delkyow sehys, gen reun margh dû ha gwydn, gen kewny glas, plev gwydn ha gwloan llama melen.


Tuesday 26 July 2016

Tabm a Gernow 57 (Newquay jellyfish)

Nanjew nebes seythen thera morvil broas war (on) an treth en Tywarnheyl. En seythen ma thera bestas behatna dres gans an gwens ha'n todnow dhe'n tre'vor. An mor tid a wrüg moas mes ha gara an bestas war y lergh. Morgowles ens. Na ell anjei neyja, nag üjens bes moas gen an dowr. Otta üdn vorgowlesen loor en Tewyn Plüstry. Thera rûth veur war an treth segh (en pelder) saw nag era lies person e'n dowr gans an morgowles. Nag ens drog saw war (cautious) ew an düs.


Ma morgowl o cressya en üskis e'n mor dres awel hedh. Ma lies mil, martesen lies milvil en mor en hav. Thens boos meurgerys morgrobanes. Martesen nei a wra gweles üdn morgrobam o neyja e'n mor e'wedh en termyn a dheu.

Monday 25 July 2016

More Bits of Late Cornish 25 (place names 8)

Place Names 8
Here are some more of Cornwall’s highs and lows:
Bodmin Moor
(Goen Bren C12)        
hill downs
Brownqueen
(Brangwoyn C14)       
downland hill
Chybucca
(Goenbuck 1714)       
buck’s downs
Condolden Beacon
(Gondolvaen 1298)    
hole stone downs
Goenrounsan              
ass’s downs
Goon Gumpas
level downs
Goonbell
far downs
Goonhavern
(Goenhavar 1290)      
downs of summer fallow
Goonhilly Downs[1]
(Goenhely 1300)
hunting downs
Goonhingey
(Goynhensy 1342)
downs with an old/ruined house
Gooninis
(Goenenys 1404)       
isolated downs
Goonlaze nr St Agnes
(Goonlas ca1720)
green downs
Goonown
(Gooneowne 1612)
? downs of fear
Goonreeve
(Gonruth 1613)  
red downs
Goonvean
little downs
Goonvrea 
hill downs
Hallew
marshes
Illogan
(Egloshallow 1700)
marshes church
Penhallow nr Perranzabuloe        
end/top of marshes
Pontshallow
marshes bridge
Kenegie
(Kenegy 1259)
reed-beds
Kenneggy
reed-beds
Pennytinney
(Penventenyou 1349)
spring-heads
Penventinue
(Penfentenyou 1284) 
spring-heads
Venton Ariance 
silver well
Ventongimps
(Fentongempes 1296)
spring in a level place
Penventon nr Carn Brea     
spring-head
Polventon
(Penfenten 1435)       
spring-head



[1]  This is yet another example of the modern English bit of the name simply repeating what the Cornish says. In other place names the English has replaced the Cornish component.

Tuesday 19 July 2016

Tabm a Gernow 56 (Thunder Moon in Capricorn)

Ma loor leun haneth. "Loor taran" henwys ew hei e'n mis ma. Loor taran e'n arwòdh an Zodiak an Gaver.



More Bits of Late Cornish 24 (landscape features 7)

Landscape Features 7
We have noted some man-made parts of the landscape. Now let’s have a look at what is growing wild. Some of the trees and bushes that grow in Cornish hedges, particularly elder and thorn, feature very frequently in place names (some of the plurals used are collective nouns and the spelling used is “traditional”):
gwernen (f)
coll. gwern
alder
annon (f)
pl. annenwidh
ash
besowen (f)
coll. besow
birch
derowen
pl. derow
oak[1]
elowen (f)
coll. elow  
elm
ewinen (f)
coll. ewin  
yew
eyrinen (f)
coll. eyrin 
sloe
eythinen (f)
coll. eythin
furze, gorse
fawen (f)
coll. faw
beech
gwinwelen (f)
coll. gwinwel     
maple
idhyowen (f)
coll. idhyow       
ivy
kelydnen (f)
coll. kelyn
holly
(traditional Cornish Christmas tree!)
collen (f)
coll. coll
hazel
lelygen (f)
coll. helyk
willow
pinen (f)
coll. pin
pine
saben (f)
coll. sab    
fir, any conifer
scawen (f)
coll. scaw
elder
spernen dhû
coll. spern dû    
blackthorn, sloe tree
spernen wydn (f)
coll. spern gwydn      
hawthorn




[1]  Gendall gives dar