[Spellyans] 'payment'

[Eddie Climo]

On 2011 Gor 29, at 09:11, nicholas williams wrote:
> …The glossary for 'payment' gives talas m. talasow only. This word is an invention and appears for the first time in Cornish Dictionary Supplement 2 by Morris and Snell (1984).

The compilers of the SWF Glossary may have been seduced into error by this entry in NJAW's 2006 UCR Dictionary, where we find:
> payment n. tâl, -ow; talas, -ow; pêmont, -ns.

They may further have been led astray by NW's (presumed but, as usual, unmarked) neologisms in that same work, based on *tal and *talas:
> attal, attalas. repayment
> kespos talasow. balance of payments
> ragtal, ragarfeth. advance payment, prepayment
> talas sensy. retainer (payment to barrister)
> talas farwel. severance payment
> talas dylowr. underpayment

Since Nance did not, as Nicholas rightly says, include 'talas' in any of his his dictionaries—and I've checked the '34, '38, '52 and '55 volumes—I'm at a loss to know where he might have gotten this 'invented' word 'talas' from. Evidently, it was not the fault of the usual 'undue influence' by Nance. What was his source, one wonders?

> I can undesrtand that the compilers might prefer the native-sounding invention *talas to the attested borrowing payment, but to have cited the invention, while ignoring the genuine word, is hardly scholarly. George's Gerlyver Kres is the source. Under 'payment' he gives *talas and payment is not mentioned.
Well, shucks! GKK was his source, after all! :— just like those wretched compilers of the SWF Glossary, Nicholas was 'unduly inflenced' by George. Re Jory ha Hen Nyck!

Dar, vy vyth! Del leveryr yn Kembrek (hag yn KUA kefrys, del hevel):
> ‘tŷndhu’ yn mêdh an vrân dhe’n wylan!


Eddie Climo
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