[Spellyans] drog

[Craig Weatherhill]

I can find no place-name evidence that shows hen anywhere other than  
preceding its noun.  Hengastel (Giant's Castle, Scilly) is one example  
where hen is not part of a recognised compound (hendre, henforth,  
henlan, henlys, hensy/henjy).

Welsh has hen in final position but only as a epithet, it seems (Eudaf  
Hen - Eudaf the Old).

Craig


On 18 Gen 2010, at 09:29, j.mills at email.com wrote:

>
> Yes, drog precedes its noun. Hen (old) is another example of an  
> adjective that premodifies its noun. Hen is not very well attested  
> in the literature and we have to look to place names to see hen used  
> attributively.
> Ol an gwella
> Jon
> _____________________________________
> Dr. Jon Mills,
> School of European Culture and Languages,
> University of Kent
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nicholas Williams <njawilliams at gmail.com>
> To: Standard Cornish discussion list <spellyans at kernowek.net>
> Cc: Stewart Elizabeth (CE) <elstewart at cornwall.gov.uk>
> Sent: Sat, Jan 16, 2010 6:10 pm
> Subject: [Spellyans] drog
>
> On the Maga website there is a photograph of a car mechanic who is  
> saying: A vyn'ta kavos an nowodhow da po an nowodhow drog?
>
> I can find no example anywhere in traditional Cornish of drog as an  
> attributive adjective following its noun. Drog (drok) when used  
> attributively, as far as I can see, always precedes its noun, e.g.  
> drog bewnans 'evil life', drog vomennow 'evil blows', drog prederow  
> 'evil thoughts', drog-venyn 'evil woman', drok pryson 'evil prison',  
> drog-chawns 'evil chance, misfortune', etc. In fact Tregear uses the  
> expression drog pobill, drog pobyll, throg pobill no fewer than 17  
> times. *Pobill drog/pobill throg is unattested.
>
> If one wants to say 'Do you want the good news or the bad news?' it  
> is, I think, more idiomatic to say:
>
> A vynta cafos an nowodhow da bo an drog nowodhow?
>
> This differing syntax with 'good' and 'bad' is found elsewhere in  
> the Celtic languages, e.g. Irish duine maith 'good person' but  
> drochdhuine 'evil person'. In Welsh drwg 'bad' can follow its noun,  
> but this does not appear to be true for Cornish.
>
> Moreover in Cornish even when the English borrowing bad replaces  
> drog-, it usually precedes its noun, e.g. pur bad dean 'a very evil  
> man' CW 1444 or bad-ober 'evil deed, crime', which occurs four times  
> in JCH.
>
> What do other people think?
>
> Nicholas
>
>
>
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--
Craig Weatherhill