Q)ijouA. aO?. GLOSSARY CORNISH DIALECT, &c. THE AKCIEKT LANGUAGE, AND THE DIALECT OF CORNWALL, WITH AN EXLAKGED GLOSSARY OF CORNISH PROVINCIAL WORDS. ALSO AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING A LIST OF WRITERS ON CORNISH DIALECT, AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT DOLLY PENTREATH, THE LAST KNOWN PERSON WHO SPOKE THE ANCIENT CORNISH AS HER MOTHER TONGUE. BY FRED. W. P. JAGO, M.B. Lond. TEURO : NETHERTON & WORTH, LEMON STREET, 1882. DEDICATION. Loving his native County, its words, and its ways, the writer, with great respect, dedicates this little book to CONTENTS. 1. Frontispiece—Portrait of Dolly Pentreatli, and sketch of her Cottage at Mousehole. 2. The Decline of the Ancient Cornish Language - - 1 3. The Eemains of the Ancient Cornish Language • 17 4. The Preface to WiUiams's Cornish Dictionary - - 29 5. Specimens of the Ancient Cornish Language - - 34 6. The Provincial Dialect of Cornwall .... 45 7. Specimens of the Cornish Provincial Dialect - - 65 8. Words in the Cornish Dialect compared with those found in the writings of Chaucer 73 9. Common English words in the Cornish Dialect, with Tables of them 94 10. On the Glossary of Cornish Provincial "W ords - - 101 11. The Glossary of Cornish Provincial Words - - 102 12. Addenda to Glossary 317 13. Curious Spelling of the Names of Drugs, li'c. - - 325 14. Explanation of the Eeferences in the Glossary - - 827 15. Appendix—DoWy Pentreath . - - - 330 16. Names of Writers on Cornish Dialect, &c. - - 842 PREFACE. Long-descended from Cornishmen, the writer, like others of his countrymen, has a clannish fondness for Cornish words and phrases. From May 1879 to October 1880, the compiler of this book wrote lists of Cornish Provincial Words, which, through the courtesy of the Editor of the " Cornishman," (published at Penzance), were then allowed to appear in that paper. These letters appeared to interest a good many per- sons, and lists of provincial words were often asked for, but compliance was impossible without printing, and so, a glossary in the form here given was then decided on. But there were questions which required to be an- swered. How should a glossary of Cornish provincial words be arranged 1 Since there is so much difference between the eastern and the western dialect, should there be a glossary for East, and another for West Cornwall 1 This seemed a plausible method, but another difficulty arose. What was to be done with that very large class of words common to the whole of Cornwall] Such words could not be included in an eastern and a western glossary without a very useless repetition. To do this would be calling the same words, eastern dialect in one glossary, and western dialect in the other. A Then again, words, if one may use the expression, are constantly travelling about, and dropping here and there as the people move, and so, to keep an eastern and a western glossary correct according to their titles, would be an impossible, or endless task. Again, it may be asked, where is the boundary be- tween the east and the west dialect 1 In reality there is no actual limit, although, as stated in the following pages, there is a shadowy boundary, a sort of neutral ground. In fact, the Cornish dialect changes by interrupted, or irregular degrees, all the way from one end of the county to the other. Eeflecting on these difficulties, the writer concluded that one glossary for the whole county would be simpler, and practically the better. The other plan to be correct would require, 1st— glossary for West Cornwall, 2nd—A glossary for East Cornwall, and 3rd—A separate glossary of words common to all Cornwall. In reality three glossaries for one county ! Nevertheless, the English Dialect Society, in 1880, issued a glossary for East, and another for West Cornwall, but none for those words common to the whole county. That for West Cornwall is by Miss M. A. Courtney, who has evidently worked hard in compiling a valuable glossary to which the present writer is much indebted. The glossary for East Cornwall is not so extensive as the former, but very good. It was compiled by Mr. Thos. Q. Couch, to whom the writer owes many thanks. Good as these glossaries are, their division into Eastern and Western, is, the writer thinks, confusing, and the cause of a needless, but under such a plan, an unavoidable repetition of words in each division. In writing on the provincial words, so many of which are ancient Cornish, a notice of the decline, and of the remains of that language is required, and as standard Cornish Histories are rather scarce and expensive, a sketch, as nearly as possible in the authentic words of Cornish historians, is given. The writer has collected a number of words as spoken in Cornwall at this very time, and he has compared them Avith similar ones used by Chaucer 500 years ago. The resemblance is an interesting peculiarity of the Cornish dialect ; and for illustration, quotations from Chaucer are given for each word used provincially. A great many apparently barbarous, unmeaning, and uncouth words are evidently derived from the ancient Cornish language. By making compariso7is between such words, and those formerly used by the old Cornish people, the writer has tried to make such obscure terms more clearly understood. No doubt there are many faults in spite of every care in compiling this glossary of about 3700 words. Many words have been purposely omitted because they seemed too common in other districts outside Corn- wall, and probably, many which should have been excluded, are left in the glossary. However this may be, and to whatever extent this book may be considered by the critic as meagre, and im- it is that perfect ; yet hoped such a volume as this may be of some use, or interest to those who desire to possess a memento of the Cornish dialect as spoken about, or a little before the beginning of this century, and still in use to a very great extent, but becoming more and more disused as time goes on. Some words quoted from Carevv, &c., are of course of an older date, but the writer could not very well omit them, as many are still in use. In conclusion it may by said, that even now the Cornish people are speaking a large number of Celtic, or Ancient Cornish words, without being very much aware of it. The Cornish dialect may be called the shadow, or penumbra of the ancient language ; the link between the old and the new tongue ; between Celtic and English. FEED. W. P. JAGO. 21, Lockyer Street, Plymouth, A.D. 1882. %\\t Mckni ICitnguitge mxb the Jprcbindal dialect of Cornwall. THE DECLINE OF THE AXCIENT COEXISH LANGUAGE. "OEFORE saying anything about the provincial dialect of the Cornish people, it may be of use to give a sketch of the decline of the old Cornish language, and also notice M'hat has been attempted in the preservation of its remains. It appears necessary to do this, because, as the old language decayed the English took its place, and a long time was occupied in the process. Indeed, this transitional period may be called an interregnum, during which the provincial dialect of Cornwall became gradually formed. In thus reviewing the decline of the old Cornish language, we are passing on to the dialect which took its place. Like its predecessor the Ancient Cornish, it is in its turn doomed, and rapidly changing into ordinary English. Many reliable authorities have given a great deal of information about the old Celtic language of Cornwall, — among whom are such writers as Carew, Lhuj^d, Prvce, Borlase, Polwhele, Hals, Tonkin, Sec, and scattered ac- counts may be found in various publications. The particulars, as given in the History of Cornwall compiled by Hitchins, and edited by Samuel Drew, in 1824, are very simple and clear, and Drew's account may be quoted with advantage. He says : " The language which was once spoken in this county by our British ancestors, awakens our solicitude from motives of local attachment, and becomes particularly in- teresting from the singular circumstance of its being now no more. At present we behold its mighty shadow in the pages of our history, and even this is gradually disap- pearing. The only scattered remnants which have survived its oral existence, may be found in those pi'ovincial phrases, and local names, for which Cornwall is so peculiarly re- markable. "Tlie Cornish tongue is generally admitted to be a dialect of that language, which, till the Saxons came in, was common to all the Avestern parts of Britain, and more anciently to Ireland and Gaul. " When the Komans came and subdued this country, the changes which they introduced, affected the language as well as the manners of the inhabitants. It does not however appear, that the Romans had any fixed design to British its extirpate the language ; yet gradual decline followed as a necessary consequence of their solicitude to diffuse and establish their own. Hence in those parts where they had more fully established their power, the language of the people suffered )nost from the general ; innovation ; so that its purity seemed to retire from the Eoman presence, and to seek an asylum in those moun- tainous or retired regions to which the invaders could not without much difficulty have access. "In these western territories, the original language of the natives had less to fear than that of most others, if we make an exception in favour of Wales; and perhaps from this Roman invasion it suffered least.