[Spellyans] Final -yn and -in in the Akademi dictionary

Wed Apr 7 17:18:41 BST 2021

The following are the attestations of some instances of final unstressed -yn and -en in the traditional texts:

benen, benyn ‘woman’
benen OCV, OM 164, 256, 296, 316, 2108, 2837, PC 768, 1283, 1743, 2810, 2925, 3219, RD 191, 420, 1350, 1396, 1446, 1682, 1688, 1697, 2396, BM 847, 1550, 1559, BK 2817, Borde.
benyn PA 35a, 198c, TH 2a, 14, 22a, CW 394, 450, 584, 614, 854, 895, 2440.

bowyn ‘beef’
bouin AB: 33a, 241a
bowyn BM 3224.

elyn ‘elbow’
elin ‘elbow, angle’ OCV 
elyn PC 2310.

eythyn ‘furze
ithen ACB F f 2; Park-an-Nithen field name CPNE: 92; Park an Ithan field name CPNE: 92
eithin AB: 33c, 56a, 63a, 113c.

genen, genyn ‘with us’
genen PA43a, 192b, OM 553, 566, 568, 889, 897, 907, 1179, OM 2378, PC 193, RD 1489, 1794, 2154, 2158, 2345, BM 593, 1084, 1089, 1234, 1349, 2007, 2740, 2936, 2968, 3004, 3242, 3877, 4517, 4523, 4551; gynen PC; genan TH 30, 40, 55a, 59a, BK 1363, CW 1336, 2472
genyn TH 8, CW 1473, 2375.

goven, govyn ‘to ask’
goven BM 2085; goofen Scawen; a woventa PA 80a; govena ‘ask it’ CW 1194
govyn CF 16, PA 100c, 124d, OM 693, 698,1212, PC 591, 1260, 1264, RD 1262, BM 2361, TH 24a, 36, 38, 43, 57 x3, BK 564, 2468, 2527.

kegen, kegyn ‘kitchen’
gegen BM 3928, CW 2012, AB: 242 x2
gegyn BM 3721.

Laten, Latyn ‘Latin’
laten BM 81; Latten BF: 29 x2
latyn TH 57a. 

martesen, martesyn ‘perhaps’
martesen PC 2541, 2870, 3291; metessen BF: 29, 31; martezen AB: 235a
martesyn TH 4, 25a, SA 62a, BK 1175.

Metheven, Methevyn ‘June’
mis metheven BM 4303; Miz ephan AB: 74bc
Efin AB: 33a.

melen ‘yellow; yolk’
mellen ACB: F f 4v; melen AB: 243c
mellyn ACB F f 4v x 5; melyn OM 1964, BM 3227, AB: 136b, 175a, 243c.

melen, melyn ‘mill’
Vellenewson toponym CPNE: 160; Vellanoweth toponym CPNE: 160; Mellanoweth toponym CPNE: 160
melin OCV; an Velyn BK 1197; belin AB: 92c; Nancemellin toponym CPNE: 160

mytten, myttyn ‘morning;
metten LAM: 268, AB: 33a, 251a, 252a, BF: 51, 52; ACB: F f, F f verso; du guener vetten BM 4420
myttyn PA 243a, OM 2074, 2279, 2307, 2424, PC 2680, TH 44a, BK 827, 2744; mettyn ACB F f; mettin BF: 52 x3; mittin a brees ‘tomorrow early’ CS9.

termen, termyn‘time’
termen  BM 447, 513, 592, 1223, 1921, 2024, 2032, 2179, 2736, 2837, 4496, AB: 251a, 252a, 253a x2, BF: 15, 25 x2, 52, TWG: 26, 34, LAM: 244 (Bodinar)
termyn PA 48c, 66d, 75c, OM 351, 686, 813, 1231, 1360, 1362, 1441, 1748, 2076, 2345, PC 703, 790, 819, 1040, 1053, 1539, 1654, 1690, 1940, 1963, 2200, 2311, 2420, RD 352, 706, 748, 1053, 1111,1157, 1312, 1349, 1852, BM 141, 532, 1741, TH 2a, 5, 7, 19a, 33, 40a, 49a, BK 321, 826, 865, 2037, 3240, CW 88, 592, 1671, 1893, 1914, 2116, 2209, Keigwin x 2; termin TGW: 24.

lemmyn PA 12c, 51a, 60a, 61b, 69d, 78c, 92c, 125c, 182c, 191c, 194c, OM 656, 1306, 1310, 1323, 1341, 1349, 1396, 1654, PC 1243, 1369, 1377, 1382, 1413, 1445, 2280, 2307, 2418, 2705, 2718, 2772, 2825; 2845, 2852, 2877, 2886, 2945, 2960, 2983, 3018, 3196, 3204, 3207, 3213, RD 27, 86, 150, 179, 289, 361, 445, 453, 494, 501, 508, 756, 765, 777, 822, 874, 893, 951, 1091, 1129, 1156, 1202, 1207, 1221, 1272, 1295, 1297, 1345, 1418, 1476, 1513, 1534, 1571, 1741, 1749, 1770, 1793, 1834, 1901, 1920, 1941, 1992, 2021, 2247, 2295, 2300, 2351, 2433, 2620, 2639, BM 11, 138, 173, 212, 3990, TH 1a, SA 60, 60a, BK 18, 235, 477, 769, 783, 797, 880, 1150, 1223, 1818, 1870, 2787, 2985; lemyn PA 110d, 116b, 166b, 180d, OM 129, 263, 355, 465, 554, 593, 821, 883, 910, 941, 1017, 1073, 1119, 1240, 1361, 1366, 1442, 1463, 1524, 1565, 1638, 1654, 1721, 1773, 1785, 1791, 1883, 1920, 1993, 2001, 2024, 2027, 2029, 2185, 2343, 2768, 2525, 2540, 2590, 2599, 2684, 2716, 2793, PC 337, 385, 410, 787, 823, 856, 938, 952, 1038, 1038, 1082, 1259, 1722, 1735, 1778, 1850, 1883, 1912, 2082, 2151, 2582, RD 92, 730, 919, 1259, BM 530, 3214, 3811, 3962, CW 32, 115, 141, 217, 231, 337, 359, 367, 384, 423, 558, 810, 874, 1012, 1054, 1083, 1173, 1211, 1388, 1563, 1576, 1613, 1647, 1712, 1805, 1882, 2202, 2245, 2419, 2422, 2451; lebmyn CW 70, 80, 2091, 2240, 2486; lymmyn PC 1194.
lemmen PA 12b, 250d, PC 1913, BM 57, 703, 941, 1335, 1363, 1830, 2493, 2794, 2941, 3013, 3019, 3343, 3363, 3382, 4361, 4535, SA 62, BK 191, 521, 603; lemen CF 17, OM 2389, BM 277, 346, 554, 559, 571, 720, 737, 1084, 1089, 1092, 1264, 1321, 1346, 1456, 1558, 1638, 1689, 1752, 1819, 1834, 1860, 1967, 2102, 2126, 2185, 2209, 2248, 2354, 2386, 2561, 2595, 2624, 2703, 2807, 2835, 2997, 3016, 3040, 3177, 3203, 3277, 3320, 3398, 3419, 3426, 3522, 3572, 3627, 3645, 3681, 3692, 3808, 3835, 3923, 4017, 4076, 4155, 4158, 4238, 4242, 4273, 4504, 4510, 4525,4531; lebmen AB: 251a, 252a x2, 253a x2.
lemman PA 245d, PC 82, 307, 762, 919, 1304, 2144, RD 2451, BM 2297, 3542; leman PC 70, 691, 755, 955, 1093, 1296, BM 4119, 4143. 

Several things are immediately apparent from the above lists. In the first place it is clear that traditional scribes spelt the final syllable indifferently as either -yn or -en in all the above lexemes. The difference between termyn and termen, for example, was of no importance, since there was no difference in pronunciation. Secondly it seems that spellings with -in are very infrequent, if they occur at all. 
	The online dictionary of the Akademi, however, writes kegin ‘kitchen’, Latin ‘Latin’, melin ‘mill’ and myttin ‘morning.’ As can be seen from the above lists spellings of this kind in -in are without warrant. Moreover by making a written distinction between Latin, melin, myttin on the one hand and lemmyn ‘now’, melyn ‘yellow’, termyn ‘time’ on the other they are introducing into the orthography of the revived language a distinction without phonetic value. This arbitrary difference is as unnecessary as it is inauthentic.

Nicholas Williams
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