[Spellyans] keigwin's cornish

Craig Weatherhill craig at agantavas.org
Mon Dec 8 19:56:18 GMT 2008


Some interesting snippets from "The Isles of Scilly", written by  
Robert Heath 1750:

Numbers:
Wonen, deaw, tre, pidder, pimp, whey, zith, eath, naw, deag, ednack,  
dowthack, tarnack, puzwarthack, punthack, wheytack, zitack, itack,  
naunzack, eygganz, (40) deaw eigganz (100) cans, (1000) mille,  
(10,000) molla.

Durdhatha why - good morrow to you
Trenestatha - good night
Fatluganawhy - how do you?
Da durdalatha why - well, I thank you
Betha why la wanneck - be you merry
Benetugana - farewel (sic)
Whore - a sister
Whorra - a whore
Pedn - a head
Coggaz - a priest
Grigear - a partridge
Cazock - a mare
relauta - by my Troth
Warrasay - by my Faith
Molla tuenda laaz - ten thousand mischiefs attend thee
Mille Vengeance warna thy - a thousand vengeances take thee

Tedna -= draw
Mamm - mother
Escoppe - bishop
Klowo - hear
Dathisky - to teach
Kye - dog
Kentron - spur
Methow - drink
Schapth - boat
Ronchie - snorting

THE LORD'S PRAYER
Ny Taz ez yn neau,
Bonegas y w tha ha nauw,
Tha Gwlakath doaz.
Tha bonogath bogweez en more pocaragen neau,
Roe thenyen dyth ma gon dyth bara givians
Ny gan rabn Weery cara ny givians mens
O cabin ledia ny nara idn tentation
Buz dilver ny thart doeg.  Amen.

THE CREED
Me agreez en du, Taz ollgo logack y wrig en neu han no are Hayn Jesu  
Chrest y vabe; hag agan artyth any censenyys dur Speriz Sanz geiz  
thart an voz Mareea, sufferai dad, Poc Pilat, we goris dan vernans  
habethis ha thes Kidnias the y ffarn. y Svas arta yn trysa dith, ha  
Seth war dighow dornindue taz ollgo logack; thurt ena en ra, d vaz tha  
juga: yn beawhan varaw.  Me agreez yn Spriz Sanz.  Sanz Cathalic Egliz  
yn Communion yn Sans yn givyans an pegh. yn derivians yn corf han  
Bowinans. ragnavera Andella robo.


Robert Heath adds: "There are other Translations of the Lord's Prayer  
and Creed into Cornish; but these are from the Authority of Mr  
Keigwin, the last best Judge of this Language."

Strange spacings, punctuation, even the "d" on its own are exactly as  
printed in Heath's book.  I can only assume that the earlier word and  
phrase lists also came from Keigwin.

I have some other sources that many might not have seen.  There is a  
section on Cornish in my very fragile 1st edition of Mullyon by E,G.  
Harvey 1875 that I will send through later; and also in J. Harris  
Stone's unfortunately titled England's Riviera 1905.



--
Craig Weatherhill





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