[Spellyans] borrowing ~ purism

Craig Weatherhill craig at agantavas.org
Fri Jul 29 17:09:30 BST 2011


I'm afraid I didn't see Nicholas's apology until just now and, of  
course, I accept it.  However, I need to remind all here that this  
list is publicly viewable.

Perhaps I'm a little sensitive - the whole language scene has been  
about unpleasantness over the last 25 years and sometimes you just  
feel like backing out and living a live of peace, while letting  
everyone else argue it out.  Cyberspace has been a tad fiery lately,  
too, with me coming under heavy attack from the usual suspects for the  
sin of trying to protect our heritage and prevent any further damage  
to it.

Perhaps then I will not leave the list, but am likely to be inactive  
on it for quite a time.  I'll get used to the mellotron instead, now  
that I have it at last.

Craig



On 29 Gor 2011, at 16:47, Ray Chubb wrote:

> I hope that Craig accepts Nicholas's apology.
>
> With regard to the list below, I have used many of these words for  
> years and it never once occurred to me that I was speaking English  
> when I did so.
>
>
> On 29 Gor 2011, at 15:57, nicholas williams wrote:
>
>> Some people dislike excessive use of borrowings and they have a  
>> point. Nobody likes an excessive use of anything.
>> Tregear is our longest text and our only significant MC text in  
>> prose and he uses a very large number of borrowed words.
>> I am always struck, however, by how universal borrowings are in all  
>> the MC texts, not just in Tregear.
>> It may be that Tregear used an English word because he couldn't  
>> think of the correct Cornish word at the time.
>> In the other texts it is likely that borrowings were used because  
>> they weren't felt to be borrowings. When the authors of
>> PA and BM wrote <payment>, <pemont> they almost certainly weren't  
>> aware that they were using an English borrowing.
>> They thought the word was a Cornish word just like the others. It  
>> is for this reason that I am unhappy about purism.
>> The MC authors and scribes were educated men and they spoke Cornish  
>> every day. They knew the language far better
>> than we, and they almost certainly knew English and Latin as well.  
>> Leave aside Tregear for a moment. If the other writers use
>> a word in Cornish, we can be sure that such an item form part of  
>> their native lexicon. Who then are we to condemn it?
>> That is why I will use pêmont in preference to the invented talas.
>>
>> Here are some verbs in Origo Mundi (I spell them in KS):
>>
>> amendya 'to emend'
>> amowntya 'to amount, count'
>> aspia 'to spy'
>> avauncya 'to advance, promote'
>> blâmya 'to blame, condemn'
>> cachya 'to catch'
>> châcya 'to chase, pursue'
>> comfortya 'to comfort'
>> comondya 'to command'
>> compressa 'to oppress'
>> conqwerrya 'to conquer'
>> cria 'to cry'
>> delyvra 'to deliver'
>> desirya 'to desire'
>> encressya 'to increase'
>> exilya 'to exile, banish'
>> formya 'to create, fashion'
>> governya 'to govern'
>> grauntya 'to grant'
>> grêvya 'to grieve, afflict'
>> growndya 'to found, base'
>> gwandra 'to wander'
>> gwarnya 'to warn'
>> hackya 'to hack'
>> jùnya 'to join'
>> knoukya 'to knock, hit'
>> lêdya 'to lead'
>> lettya 'to hinder, prevent'
>> lordya 'to lord it, swagger'
>> mentêna 'to maintain, uphold'
>> merkya 'to mark, notice'
>> myshevya 'to damage, do mischief to'
>> obeya 'to obey'
>> offendya 'to offend'
>> onora 'to honour'
>> ordena 'to ordain, decree'
>> plainya 'to plane'
>> plêsya 'to please'
>> posnya 'to poison'
>> pùnyshya 'to punish'
>> pyt 'pit'
>> recêva 'to receive'
>> remuvya 'to remove'
>> repreva 'to reprove'
>> rewardya 'to reward'
>> sacryfia 'to sacrifice'
>> scappya 'to escape'
>> servya 'to serve'
>> sêsya 'to seize'
>> settya 'to set, place'
>> shâpya 'to shape'
>> shyndya 'to damage, shend'
>> sostena 'to sustain, feed'
>> sparya 'to spare'
>> strechya 'to stretch, delay'
>> talkya 'to talk'
>> tastya 'to taste'
>> temptya 'to tempt'
>> tormentya 'to torment, torture'
>> trestya 'to trust'
>> venemya 'to poison'
>> wolcùmma 'to welcome'.
>>
>> Here are some borrowed nouns in Origo Mundi:
>>
>> acord 'accord, agreement'
>> adla 'outlaw'
>> amendys 'amends'
>> aray 'array'
>> baner 'banner, flag'
>> blojon 'bludgeon'
>> botler 'butler'
>> branch, branchys 'branch'
>> brest 'breast'
>> carpentor, carpentoryon 'carpenter'
>> castel 'castle'
>> chambour 'bedroom, chamber'
>> chartour 'charter'
>> chatel 'chattels'
>> cheryta 'charity'
>> chyften 'chieftain'
>> company 'company'
>> consler 'councellor'
>> conternôt 'counternote'
>> copel 'couple'
>> courser 'courser'
>> coward 'coward'
>> cowardy 'cowardice'
>> creft 'craft'
>> cymbal, cymbalys 'cymbal'
>> cyta 'city'
>> draght 'draught'
>> dynyta 'dignity'
>> dyscant 'descant'
>> dysês 'disease, unease'
>> emperour 'emperor'
>> erber 'herb garden'
>> ertach 'heritage'
>> fardel 'burden'
>> fâss 'face'
>> fesont 'pheasant'
>> flour, flourys 'flower'
>> flynt 'flint'
>> frût 'fruit'
>> garlont, garlontow 'garland'
>> governour 'governor'
>> harlot 'scoundrel'
>> harp, harpys 'harp'
>> hôra 'whore'
>> jentylys 'kindness, gentillesse'
>> jist 'joist'
>> joy 'joy'
>> kynda 'kind, sort'
>> latha, lathys 'lath'
>> mallart 'mallard'
>> maner 'manner'
>> mason, masons 'mason'
>> menstrel 'minstrel'
>> mercy 'mercy'
>> merkyl 'miracle'
>> messejer 'messenger'
>> myshyf 'mischief, harm'
>> mytour 'mitre'
>> nùmber 'number'
>> offens 'offence, attack'
>> olyf 'olive'
>> onour 'honour'
>> organ 'organ'
>> ost 'host'
>> ostel 'hostel'
>> oyl 'oil'
>> pain 'pain'
>> palfray 'palfry'
>> paradîs 'paradise'
>> passyon 'passion'
>> person 'person'
>> pervers 'overthrow, reverse'
>> peryl 'peril'
>> porpùs 'porpoise'
>> pyta 'pity'
>> record 'record'
>> reouta 'royalty, splendour'
>> rom, rômys 'room'
>> sacryfîs 'sacrifice'
>> serpont 'serpent, snake'
>> servont 'servant'
>> servys 'service'
>> sheft 'shaft'
>> sovran 'sovereign'
>> smyllyng 'smell, smelling'
>> sôdon 'sultan'
>> sowmen 'salmon'
>> sqwier, sqwieryon 'squire'
>> strem, strêmys 'stream'
>> swàn 'swan'
>> tabour 'tabour, tambourine'
>> templa 'temple'
>> tôkyn, tôknys 'token, sign'
>> torment 'torment'
>> tron 'throne'
>> trynyta 'trinity'
>> tùmbyr 'timber'
>> venjons 'vengeance'
>> voys 'voice'
>> yet 'gate'.
>>
>> Is there anybody who would proscribe any of the above? And that's  
>> just Origo Mundi.
>>
>> Nicholas
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
> Ray Chubb
>
> Portreth
> Kernow
>
>
>   Agan Tavas web site:  www.agantavas.com
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Spellyans at kernowek.net
> http://kernowek.net/mailman/listinfo/spellyans_kernowek.net

--
Craig Weatherhill





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