[Spellyans] -ita

[A. J. Trim]

Yes.

Either make the choice between <i> and <y> simple and consistent or say that either may be used optionally anywhere, or discard one and just use the other.
Please don't leave us with the current unpredictable mishmash.

By the way, what is Cornish for "mishmash"? ... deray, perhaps ... or dere, or derai?


Regards,

Andrew J. Trim




From: nicholas williams 
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 3:06 PM
To: Standard Cornish discussion list 
Subject: [Spellyans] -ita


KK is incoherent in its spelling of words in -ita/-yta < Latin -itat(em). 
It writes <trynyta> 'trinity', <cheryta> 'charity', <dynyta> 'dignity' with <-yta> but
<kontroversita> 'controversy', <antikwita> 'antiquity' and <awtorita> 'authority' with <-ita>.


The SWF (as exemplified in Dan's dictionary) renders the ending as <-ita> everywhere.
I wonder whether this is wise. The vowel in -yta is invariably short. I should prefer to write 
trynyta, cheryta, dynyta, controversyta, antyqwyta, auctoryta, etc.


Otherwise we might have the following:


akwyt a! 'pay him!'
kwyt a! 'leave him!'
antikwita 'antiquity'
dibita 'pitiless'


all with [It@] but written differently. This isn't very helpful for learners—many of whom (understandably)
found the distribution of y and i baffling in KK. 


And it is not just learners who were befuddled by <i ~ y> in KK. The editor of the KK New Testament in his introduction describes his team of translators as 'experienced Cornish linguists'. They wrote in KK and yet they, 'experienced' as they were, could frequently not decide whether to write <i> or <y>.
In An Testament Nowydh we find <Symeon> Luke 2.25 but <Simeon> Acts 13:1; <Sylvanus> 2 Cor. 1:19 but <Silvanus> 1 Peter 5:12; <Sidon> Matt 11:21 but <Sydon> Mark 3:8.


Should we not be looking for a simple and coherent distribution of these two graphs <i> and <y>?


Nicholas












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