Indo-European, Celtic, Insular, Brythonic. Language
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O-TYPE VOWELS in CORNISH Dr Ken George
GEORGE 2013 2ovowels O-TYPE VOWELS IN CORNISH by Dr Ken George Cornish Language Board 1 A B S T R A C T Evidence from traditional Cornish texts and from place-names is used to trace the development of the two o-type vowels, /o/ and / ɔ/. Recent denials by Williams of the existence of two long o-type vowels are refuted. Further evidence shows a difference between /o/ and / ɔ/ when short, and by inference, when of mid-length. The significance of this for the spelling of the revived language is briefly discussed. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 /ɔ/ and /o/ In George (1984), I showed that there were two o-type vowels in Middle Cornish (MidC), which will be denoted /o/ and / ɔ/. /o/, from Old Cornish (OldC) /ui/ and /ɔ/ from OldC / ɔ/ were separate phonemes. Support for their separateness, when followed by [s], [z], [ θ] and [ ð] appears in three different historical orthographies, in rhymes and in place-names. (The evidence in other phonetic environments, particularly when followed by nasal and liquid consonants, is weaker, and is reviewed below). My discovery has gained wide acceptance, but has been persistently attacked by Nicholas Williams. In Williams (2006), he devoted a whole chapter (31 pages) to the case of the long stressed vowels, concluding: “Middle Cornish never contained two separate long vowels /o ː/ and / ɔː/. 2. The distinction … between troes ‘foot’ and tros ‘noise’ is unjustified.” In this paper, the evidence for the two o-type vowels is reviewed in detail, and the reasons for Williams’ erroneous conclusion are examined. -
A Brief History of the Cornish Language, Its Revival and Its Current Status Siarl Ferdinand University of Wales Trinity Saint David
e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies Volume 2 Cultural Survival Article 6 12-2-2013 A Brief History of the Cornish Language, its Revival and its Current Status Siarl Ferdinand University of Wales Trinity Saint David Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi Part of the Celtic Studies Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Folklore Commons, History Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Linguistics Commons, and the Theatre History Commons Recommended Citation Ferdinand, Siarl (2013) "A Brief History of the Cornish Language, its Revival and its Current Status," e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies: Vol. 2 , Article 6. Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol2/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact open- [email protected]. A Brief History of the Cornish Language, its Revival and its Current Status Siarl Ferdinand, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Abstract Despite being dormant during the nineteenth century, the Cornish language has been recently recognised by the British Government as a living regional language after a long period of revival. The first part of this paper discusses the history of traditional Cornish and the reasons for its decline and dismissal. The second part offers an overview of the revival movement since its beginnings in 1904 and analyses the current situation of the language in all possible domains. -
A Proposed Standard Written Form of Cornish
A PROPOSED STANDARD WRITTEN FORM OF CORNISH This document is a draft which is submitted as part of the Cornish Language Partnership Process This document is Revision 16 14 November 2007 and is as of this date being made available to the Cornish Language Partnership’s Cornish Language Commission for scrutiny and discussion Comments may be made to the editors via the “Kernowak” discussion list. Subscription details can be found at kernowak.com A PROPOSED STANDARD WRITTEN FORM OF CORNISH © 2007 The Authors / An Auctours. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the authors. Pùb gwyr gwethys. Ny yll radn veth a’n publicyans-ma naneyl bos copies, senjys aberth in system daskefyans na treuscorrys in furv veth oll na dre vayn veth oll, poken electronek, mechanyk, drè fotocopians, drè recordyth bò fordh veth aral, heb cawas kybmyas dherag dorn dheworth an auctours. Typesetting and design by Michael Everson, Evertype, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Set in Baskerville. Olsettyans ha desynyeth gen Michael Everson, Evertype, Westport, Co. Mayo, Wordhen. Olsettys in Baskerville. ii Revision 16, 14 November 2007 A PROPOSED STANDARD WRITTEN FORM OF CORNISH CONTENTS 0. Preamble. vii 0.1. Introduction . vii 0.2. Guiding principles. vii 0.3. Compromise. ix 0.4. Paradigms . x 0.5. Aims and aspirations . xi 0.6. Signatories . xiii 1. Pronunciation and spelling . 1 1.1. Word stress . 1 1.2. Vowel length . 2 1.3. -
Cornish Language Group Beginners Program
Cornish Language Group Beginners Program Dyskans Onan (Lesson One): Introduction About this program This program is in the version of the Cornish language called ‘Kernewek Kemmyn’ or ‘Common Cornish’. This version of Cornish is based on the language used in the period centering around 1500 CE, the ‘golden period’ of Cornish literature. The modern spelling is phonemic, where the pronunciation of each word is accurately reproduced in the spelling. The argument goes that that once the system is grasped, reading Cornish is quite straightforward. Yer right! This program reflects the work of Wella Brown’s: ‘Skeul an Yeth: Steus dhien a'n yeth Kernewek’ (Lyver Onan) translated as: ‘Language Ladder: A complete course in the Cornish language’ (Book 1). It’s available as a free download at: http://www.kesva.org/sites/default/files/documents/Skeul%20an%20Yeth%201.pdfson 1 The Cornish Dictionary used is Ken George’s: ‘Gerlyver Kernewek Kemmyn – An Gerlyver Kres’ (1993) and the later version: ‘An Gerlyver Meur: Cornish-English, English-Cornish Dictionary’ (2009) Different versions of Cornish ‘Kernewek Kemmyn’ (Common Cornish or KK) is a variety of the revived Cornish language. It was developed, mainly by Ken George, from what was called ‘Unified Cornish’ in 1986. It takes its inspiration from medieval sources, particularly Cornish passion plays. It uses phonemic rules relating spelling to pronunciation. The ‘Standard Written Form’ (Furv Skrifys Savonek or FSS, but often referred to as SWF) was introduced in 2008. FSS is the standard spelling system for use in public life (such as welcome signs) and also in schools. However, there are currently more books and other written material available in KK, but these two versions are very similar anyway e.g. -
DECONSTRUCTING KERNOWEK KEMYN: a CRITICAL REVIEW of AGAN YETH 4 Bernard Deacon
DECONSTRUCTING KERNOWEK KEMYN: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF AGAN YETH 4 Bernard Deacon In 2003 the UK government belatedly and somewhat reluctantly included Cornish among the languages it was statutorily bound to protect under the terms of the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. As a result the Cornish language entered a new world. Throughout the twentieth century it had been the jealously guarded preserve of the tiny group of voluntary amateurs attracted to the Cornish Revivalist movement. But now its status has become that of a public language, the heritage of the Cornish people and the birthright of all those who live and will live in Cornwall. This is a momentous step. But the potential benefits are threatened by the failure of the twentieth century Cornish Revival to produce an agreed system for spelling Cornish. Instead, a deep and apparently irreconcilable divide exists between proponents of different spelling systems for the revived language. As a result, many observers sympathetic to the language have called for the involvement of outside experts to establish a standard written form of Cornish for use in schooling and in signage. The demand for outside involvement stems from a major frustration confronting anyone attempting to evaluate and assess the current debate on the way Cornish should be spelt. For all contributors to the debate share the same shortcoming. They are all pleading a special case for one or other of the existing spelling systems. The three papers in Agan Yeth: Cornish Language Studies 4, by Pol Hodge, Ken George and Julyan Holmes, are no exception. -
1 Introduction
Introduction 1.1. Cornish and the Celtic Languages Cornish is a Brythonic language that is most closely related to Breton in the first instance; both languages apparently developed from a south-western dialect of Brythonic.1 It is then nearly as closely related to Welsh and the extinct Cumbrian language that apparently endured until the medieval period in parts of southern Scotland and northern England.2 More distantly, these Brythonic languages are related to the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages, comprising Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx, as well as to the extinct ancient Continental Celtic languages.3 Of the six Celtic languages that survived until the modern period, Cornish was the first of two to become extinct, around the end of the eighteenth century.4 It has been revived by enthusiasts, with limited but marked success, as a community language and even, in a very few families, as a first language of the home.5 In the absence of audio recordings such as those that exist for Manx, the debate over the sequence of sound changes in the phonological development of the language has profound repercussions for the authenticity of such a revival. With notable exceptions, academic attitudes towards this phase in the history of the language have been perhaps understandably wary, which has only undermined efforts in both academic and revivalist circles to improve understanding of the historical phonology of the language. 1 LHEB, pp. 11-12. 2 LHEB, pp. 9-10, 218-9. 3 The change /kw/ > /p/ separating Brythonic from Goidelic was perhaps a relatively trivial distinction within Continental Celtic. -
Gerlyver Kernewek (FSS) Cornish Dictionary (SWF)
AKADEMI KERNEWEK Gerlyver Kernewek (FSS) Cornish Dictionary (SWF) Versyon PDF Diwyethek Bilingual PDF Version 23 mis Gortheren 2019 23 July 2019 © 2019 Cornwall Council, Truro, Cornwall, UK http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/cornishlanguage Introduction The Akademi Kernewek Cornish Dictionary is a dictionary of modern day Cornish as used today. This dictionary uses the Standard Written Form (SWF) for Cornish which has been agreed to provide public bodies and the educational system with a universally acceptable, inclusive, and neutral orthography. The Akademi Kernewek Cornish Dictionary is published as an online dictionary but this PDF Version is provided as a supplementary study aid and reference. Upcoming online and printed editions This PDF marks the state of the Standard Written Form (SWF) dictionary database as of 23 July 2019. This includes the changes agreed as part of the 2014 Review to the previous version of the dictionary dated 1 May 2012. An online dictionary, using this version, is available at https://cornishdictionary.org.uk. Feedback, corrections and the additional of new items are the responsibility of the Akademi Kernewek and should be sent to the Cornish Language Office ([email protected]) to be referred on to the Akademi. M (‘Middle’) and L (‘Late’) tags Today’s Cornish speakers use several different forms of the language. This applies to the spoken varieties as well as to orthographic systems. Basically, two positions can be identified, one at each end of the continuum that includes all kinds of spoken Cornish: Revived Middle Cornish (RMC) and Revived Late Cornish (RLC). In order to make things a bit clearer to learners, two tags have been chosen to mark words that are perceived as either exclusively Revived Middle Cornish (marked M) or Revived Late Cornish (marked L). -
Orthographies and Ideologies in Revived Cornish
Orthographies and ideologies in revived Cornish Merryn Sophie Davies-Deacon MA by research University of York Language and Linguistic Science September 2016 Abstract While orthography development involves detailed linguistic work, it is particularly subject to non-linguistic influences, including beliefs relating to group identity, as well as political context and the level of available state support. This thesis investigates the development of orthographies for Cornish, a minority language spoken in the UK. Cornish is a revived language: while it is now used by several hundred people, it underwent language death in the early modern era, with the result that no one orthography ever came to take precedence naturally. During the revival, a number of orthographies have been created, following different principles. This thesis begins by giving an account of the development of these different orthographies, focusing on the context in which this took place and how contextual factors affected their implementation and reception. Following this, the situation of Cornish is compared to that of Breton, its closest linguistic neighbour and a minority language which has experienced revitalisation, and the creation of multiple orthographies, over the same period. Factors affecting both languages are identified, reinforcing the importance of certain contextual influences. After this, materials related to both languages, including language policy, examinations, and learning resources, are investigated in order to determine the extent to which they acknowledge the multiplicity of orthographies in Cornish and Breton. The results of this investigation indicate that while a certain orthography appears to have been established as a standard in the case of Breton, this cannot be said for Cornish, despite significant amounts of language planning work in this domain in recent years. -
Scandinavian Loanwords in English in The
Studia Celtica Posnaniensia Vol 3 (1), 2018 doi: 10.2478/scp-2018-0001 WHAT HAPPENED TO PRIMITIVE CORNISH /I/ WHEN LONG IN CLOSED SYLLABLES? KEN GEORGE Cornish Language Board ABSTRACT Of the four unrounded front vowels in Primitive Cornish, /i/, /ɛ/ and /a/ remained stable when long in closed syllables, but /ɪ/ had a tendency to fall together with /ɛ/. Jackson (1953) and Williams (1995) dated this change to the twelfth century, but the present research indicates that in most words, the change took place substantially later. An analysis of spellings and of rhymes show that not all words changed at the same time. Most stressed monosyllables in historical /-ɪz/ were pronounced [-ɪːz] in Middle Cornish and [-ɛːz] in Late Cornish. Those with historical /-ɪð/ and /-ɪθ/ were dimorphic in Middle Cornish (i.e. they were spelled with both <y~i> and <e>), showing the sound-change in progress during that time. The process of change from [ɪː] to [ɛː] was one of lexical diffusion. The implications for the revived language are briefly examined. Keywords: Cornish, front vowels, lexical diffusion. 1. Introduction Jackson (1953) showed that there were four unrounded front vowels in Primitive Cornish and Breton. Examples are given in Table 1: Table 1. Unrounded front vowels Cornish English Welsh Breton //i// mis month mis mis //ɪ// bys world byd bed © Copyright by The Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University 6 K. George //ɛ// pes how many ped ped //a// mas good mad mad They will here be labelled //i//, //ɪ//, //ε// and //a//1 , but //a// plays no real part in the discussion. -
Assibilation and Palatalisation in Cornish
Assibilation and Palatalisation in Cornish 5.1. Old Cornish Assibilation The assibilation of dental stops in Cornish is undoubtedly one of the most characteristic features of the phonology of the language that distinguishes it from Breton and Welsh. Both voiced and unvoiced stops underwent assibilation in certain positions at the end of the Old Cornish period; this process had been completed by the time of the earliest Middle Cornish. The beginnings of the sound change can be seen in the longest manuscript of Old Cornish glosses, Vocabularium Cornicum, which is considered to be a document of the early twelfth century.1 In absolute final position, words like PrimC. *abrant "eyebrow" (W. amrant B. abrant), *nant "valley" (W. nant "stream" OB. nant ModB. ant "furrow"), *alt "shore, cliff" (W. (g)allt "hillside, high place" OB. alt ModB. aod) and *solt "shilling" < L. solidus (W. swllt OB. solt ModB. saout "cattle") became respectively OC. abrans, nans, als and sols.2 The consonant groups –nt, *–lt were written with assibilation –ns, –ls in fifteen words.3 In only two words is the earlier, conservative spelling found: skient "wisdom" < L. scientia (MlC. skyans LC. skeeanz B. skiant) and its derivative diskient "unwise" (B. diskiant); in addition, there are the probably unintegrated loanwords firmament "firmament" (L. firmamentum), sand "dish, meal" (AS. sand) and the unexplained 1 BL Cott. MS. Vesp. A. xiv [Voc. Corn.]. Dating is discussed by Jackson, LHEB, chap. ii, pp. 60-61. 2 abrans Voc. Corn 38, nans 722, als 736, sols 917. 3 Also gols Voc. Corn. 32 (W. gwallt), dans 45 (WB. -
Language Death and Revival in the British Isles: Two Case Studies
Language Death and Revival in the British Isles: Two Case Studies Tesis doctoral presentada por Christopher Langmuir Thomson en el Departamento de Lengua Inglesa de la Universidad de Sevilla 2015 1 Table of Contents 0.0 Introduction 5 0.1 Summary, objectives, methods 14 Chapter 1: Language Death 23 1. 0. Introduction 23 1. 1. Language death as a constant in history 23 1. 2. The world’s languages in jeopardy 27 1. 3. Typologies of language death 30 1. 4. Structural consequences of language death 33 1. 5. The Celtic languagesin jeopardy 37 1. 5. 1. Scottish Gaelic 38 Chapter 2: Language Revitalization 42 2. 1. Terminology 44 2 .2. Language vitality 45 2. 3. Domains of Use 51 2. 4. Two Celtic case studies 55 2. 4. 1. The Gaeltacht in The Republic of Ireland 55 2. 4. 2. Scottish Gaelic in a Lewis Community 62 Chapter 3: The Demise of The Cornish Language 68 3. 0. Introduction 68 3. 1. Early History 69 3. 2. The Expansion of Wessex 72 3. 3. Competing Chronologies of Retreat 76 3. 4. The Middle Cornish Period 78 3. 4. 1. Middle Cornish Literature 80 3. 5. The Tudor Period 83 3. 6. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 87 2 Chapter 4: The Revival of The Cornish Language 4. 0. Introduction 92 4. 1. Henry Jenner and the Cornish Revival 92 4. 2. Problems of language revival in Cornwall. 97 4. 2. 1. Old Cornwall Societies and Gorseth Kernow 98 4. 2. 2. Tyr ha Tavas 101 4. 2. 3. Morton Nance and Unified Cornish 102 4. -
Cornish Lexicography in the Twentieth Century: Standardisation and Divergence
Bullelin suisse dc llnguistigllc appliquee, 69/1,1999,45-57 Publié dans Bulletin VALS-ASLA (Association suisse de linguistique appliquée) 69/1, 45-57, 1999 qui doit être utilisée pour toute référence à ce travail Cornish Lexicography in the Twentieth Century: Standardisation and Divergence. JonMILLS Abstract In this century the Cornish language has been revived so that today Cornish is spoken by many Cornish people as a second language, Moreover a few people currently living in Cornwall have been raised as bilingual from birth. Texts from the Middle Cornish (1200 to 1575 AD) and Modem Cornish (1575 to 1800 AD) periods form the basis upon which Cornish has been revived in the twentieth century. Dictionaries have made an important contribution to the pedagogical basis of this revival and several lexicographers have introduced standardised spelling systems for Cornish. The WILUAMS' (1865) dictionary and LEWIS' (1923) grammar form the basis of later twentieth century pedagogical dictionaries. Both Williams and Lewis are Welsh and have been led astray by analogy with the Welsh language on a number of issues. As a result, some subsequent dictionaries are not faithful to native Cornish practices. Analogy with Welsh and Breton has also led some revivalists to adopt Middle rather than Modem Cornish as the basis for standardising Cornish spelling and grammar, Furthermore Welsh and Breton have been used as sources for borrowing new words into twentieth century Cornish. Other writers, notably lENNER (1904) and GENDALL (1997), have shown a preference for Modern Cornish as a pedagogical basis for the revival of Cornish. lenner chose to take up the language where it had left off and disapproved of the inclusion of Welsh and BretoD borrowings for which no authority exists in Cornish (lENNER 1904: xv).