2025 Day 73

2025 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Terdhek

De Gwener, pajardegves mis Meurth

Friday, 14th March

Why learn Cornish with the children? continued: 

Let’s have a look at the nouns in the two nursery rhymes: 

steren, davas, jowal, gwlân, an mor, an tir, an mester, an meppik, an cloudys, y wreg, trei sagh 

There is no indefinite article in Cornish, so 

steren = a star, davas = a sheep, jowal = a jewel 

gwlân = wool is a collective noun, not countable, so not a wool 

The definite article is “an”, before the noun, whether the noun is singular or plural 

an mor = the sea 

an tir = the land  

an mester = the master 

an meppik = the little boy 

an cloudys = the clouds (SWFMm an kloudys) 

Possessive adjectives, unlike most other adjectives, go before the noun. 

y wreg = his wife 

Some of the possessive adjectives cause mutation of the noun,  

e.g. y his causes a soft mutation (lenition), so 

gwreg a wife > y wreg his wife 

gwreg (feminine) mutates after the definite article > an wreg the wife 

Numbers from one to four are different for male and female nouns: 

e.g. trei (m) (SWFMm tri) , teyr (f) 

trei sagh = three bags  

trei jowal = three jewels 

trei mester = three masters  

trei meppik = three little boys  

trei cloud = three clouds (SWFMm tri kloud) 

But 

teyr steren = three stars 

teyr davas, = three sheep 

teyr gwreg = three wives 

There is no verb to have, instead (like the other Celtic languages), there is something at us, to us or with us. 

There are three bags. Ma trei sagh. 

I have three bags. Ma trei sagh dhebm. There are three bags to me. 

The question asks  

“Have you any wool?” Eus dhis gwlân,? Is there to thee wool? 

The preposition dhe to is made personal by incorporating a pronoun: 

> dhis to thee, dhebm to me (SWFMm dhymm) 

Ma is used for a positive statement. Ma. There is wool. 

Eus? is a question: Eus gwlân? Is there (any) wool? 

Nag eus is a negative statement. Nag eus gwlân,. There is no wool. 

 

Twinkle, twinkle little star 

Spladn chy, steren vian spladn, 
War an mor ha'n tir en dadn. (on the sea and land underneath) 
Dres an cloudys, otta chy, (beyond the clouds, there you are) 
Pecar’a jowal 'terlentry. (like a jewel sparkling) 
Spladn chy, steren vian spladn, 
War an mor ha'n tir en dadn. 

 

Baa, baa, black sheep

Bryv, bryv, davas dû. Eus dhis gwlân?  

(B.b. sheep black. Is there to you wool?) 

Ea sara, ea sara, trei sagh leun. 

(Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bag full.) 

Onan rag an mester, onan dh’y wreg, 

(One for the master, one to his wife,) 

Hag onan dhe vos degys hons, dhe’n meppik wheg. 

(And one to be carried yonder, to the little boy dear.)