[Spellyans] The recent englyn

[A. J. Trim]

The recent englyn is a curious piece of writing.

I find it difficult to accept the usual interpretation:- i.e. that you should use the Cornish language else you'll lose "national" identity - however true that might be.

This was apparently written in Middle Cornish times, and already it claims to have been an old saying that had always been true. I don't believe that the people then would have been saying this about any loss of their language. Who else would they have known about who had lost their language and had suffered in some way? - certainly not enough to make this a generalised rule that was worth committing to memory by way of a rhyming saying.

So, does anyone know what it really meant? 


Regards,

Andrew J. Trim
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