#gerva

[catgriosaich]

Cornish vocabulary - useful phrases

Mar pleg. Please.

Meur ras. Thank you.

Wolkom os ta. You’re welcome. (s)

Wolkom owgh hwi. You’re welcome. (pl)

Drog yw genev. I’m sorry.

Gav dhymm. Excuse me.

Pyth o henna? What was that?

Ny allav vy dha gonvedhes. I can’t understand you. (s)

Ny allav vy agas konvedhes. I can’t understand you. (pl)

Ny gewsav vy Sowsnek. I don’t speak English.

Harow! Help!

Bydh war! Watch out!

Na borth ahwer. Don’t worry.

[catgriosaich]

Animals in Cornish (part one: at home)

Ki (kei) - Dog (m)

Kath (-es) - Cat (f)

Konin (-es) - Rabbit (m)

Hamster (-s) - Hamster (m)

Owrbysk (owrbuskes) - Goldfish (m)

Logos - Mice (collv.)

Rath (-es) - Rat (f)

Margh (mergh) - Horse (m)

Bugh (-es) - Cow (f)

Davas (deves) - Sheep (f)

Gaver (gyvres, gever) - Goat (f)

Hogh (-es) - Pig (m)

Yar (yer) - Chicken (f)

In Cornish and its sister languages, Welsh and Breton, some words don’t have a singular as their base form, they have a “collective” instead. The closest English equivalent is uncountable words for substances, like “water” or “grass”, but in Brythonic languages they can also be used for animals that come in groups, like mice or bees.

Like plurals, collectives are genderless, but they take the singular form of the verb.  A singular can be formed from a collective by adding -en. The resulting word will be feminine. For example: “logos” - mice, “logosen” = mouse.

[catgriosaich]

More interesting Cornish vocabulary:

Klappkodh - Mobile phone

-> Klapp = chatter; kodh = fall (as in kodh glaw, rainfall, or kodh ergh, snowfall)

Pellwolok - Television

-> Pell = far, distant; golok = look, sight

Aval kerensa - Tomato

-> Aval = apple; kerensa = love. Presumably in reference to the supposed aphrodisiac properties.

Pompyon hweg - Melon

-> Pompyon = pumpkin; hweg = sweet

[catgriosaich]

Basic Cornish Vocabulary: Greetings

Hello:

Yew! / Hou! Hi!

Dydh da! Hello! (”Good day!”)

Myttin da! Good morning!

Dohajedh da! Good afternoon!

Gorthugher da! Good evening!

Dynnargh dhis! Welcome! (s)

->Dynnargh dhywgh! Welcome! (pl)

How are you?:

Fatel os ta? How are you? (s)

->Fatel owgh hwi? How are you? (pl)

Fatla genes? How’s it going? (s)

->Fatla genowgh hwi? How’s it going? (pl)

Yn poynt da, meur ras. Really well/good, thank you.

Pur dha. Very well/good.

Pur dhrog. Very bad.

Splann. Splendid.

Euthyk. Awful.

Da lowr. Okay / All right.

Ha ty? And you? (s)

Ha hwi? And you? (pl)

Goodbye:

Nos da! Good night!

Duw genes! Goodbye! (”God with you!”) (s)

->Duw genowgh hwi! Goodbye! (”God with you!”) (pl)

Dha weles! See you! (s)

->Agas gweles! See you! (pl)

Lowena dhis: “Happiness to you”; hello or goodbye (s)

->Lowena dhywgh: “Happiness to you”, hello or goodbye (pl)

[catgriosaich]

SaySomethingInCornish lesson one vocab:

My a vynn - I want...

My a yll - I can...

Res yw dhymm - I need...

Da yw genev vy - I like...

Gweles - To see

Gul - To do

Kewsel - To speak

Konvedhes - To understand

Kavos - To have/find/get

Dybri - To eat

Neppyth - Something

Lemmyn - Now

Diwettha - Later

[catgriosaich]

Assorted Cornish vocab I find interesting:

Morvleydh = shark

-> mor = sea; bleydh = wolf; morvleydh = “sea-wolf”

Tykki Duw = butterfly

-> tykki = pretty thing (from "teg”, pretty); Duw = God; tykki Duw = “God’s pretty thing”

Askel groghen = bat

-> askel = wing; kroghen = skin/hide; askel groghen = “leather-wing”

Pluven blomm = pencil

-> pluven = pen, quill, feather (cognate with English "plume"); plomm = lead (cognate with English "plumbing"), pluven blomm = “lead pen” (but the unfamiliar could be forgiven for translating it as “lead feather”)

Skavel gronek = mushroom

-> skavel = stool; kronek = toad; skavel gronek = “toadstool”. (Not sure if this is a calque from English, but I can’t find any other word for mushroom anywhere, so if it is, it’s very well established)

[catgriosaich]

Animals in Cornish (part three: sea and sky)

Pysk (puskes) - Fish (m)

Reun (-es, -yon) - Seal (m)

Morvil (-es) - Whale (m)

Morvleydh (-es) - Shark (”sea-wolf”) (m)

Morgowles - Jellyfish (collv.)

Morgroban (-es) - Turtle (m)

Kanker (kankres) - Crab (m)

Edhen (ydhyn, edhnow) - Bird (f)

Kowan (-now) - Owl (f)

Golan (-es) - Gull (f)

Kolom (kelemmi) - Dove, pigeon (f)

Bran (brini) - Crow (f)

Er (-es, -yon) - Eagle (m)

Palores (-ow) - Chough (a symbol of Cornwall) (f)

Bargos (-es) - Buzzard (m)

Askel groghen (eskelli groghen) - Bat (”leather-wing”) (f)

[catgriosaich]

Animals in Cornish (part two: in the woods)

Gwiwer (-es, -ow) - Squirrel (m)

Sort (-es) - Hedgehog (m)

Brogh (-es) - Badger (m)

Lowarn (lewern) - Fox (m)

Bleydh (-es) - Wolf (m)

Ors (-es) - Bear (m)

Karow (kerewi) - Deer (m)

Dowrgi (dowrgeun) - Otter (m)

Kwilkyn (-yow) - Frog (m)

Pryv (preves) - Insect, worm (m)

Hwesker - Insects (collv.)

Kelyon - Flies (collv.)

Gwenen - Bees (collv.)

Moryon - Ants (collv.)

Kevnis - Spiders (collv.)

Melhwes - Snails or slugs (collv.)

Tykki Duw (tykkiow, tykkies) - Butterfly (lit ”God’s pretty thing”) (m)

This set contains a lot of collectives (nouns whose base forms refer to more than one). The singular (technically “singulative”) is formed by adding -en. For example: “hweskeren” = insect; “moryonen” = ant, “kevnisen” = spider.