I thought I would tell you a little more about the Cornish language
and particularly, Anglo-Cornish, which is what I have shown you on the bus slogans.
The words are derived from the Cornish and Celtic languages, which are in their turn similar to Breton and Welsh.
The actual Cornish language has been revived in the last number of years. It is taught in some schools and there are Further Education classes in the language. Various childrens' books have been written in Cornish too.
However, the Anglo Cornish is, like all dialects in our regions, a class of its own!
Although not Cornish, I grew up here, so I'm used to listening carefully and 'translating'. When I first went to a village primary school here, being the only non Cornish child, I soon picked up all manner of expressions (which were not received too well at home). For example "She's some good". "I'll do un dreckly".
Dreckly has much the same meaning as Manana, and is a word highly prized by workmen.
('Be round to do yur garden dreckly, maid')
Maid is a common term for a child or even a young woman, often added to 'Ansum'
('Proper ansum liddle maid, ent she?')
Backalong (previously), upcountry (anywhere out of Cornwall),
and the peculiar Flam (new) are much used words.
There are long lists of these slightly odd Anglo Cornish words, but you have to listen to them to realise how different they sound.
I believe that there are parts of Eastern America where a Cornish accent and dialect words can still be heard.
Above is the Bible in Cornish, and the first line of the Lord's prayer is;
Agun Tas ny usy i'n neu,
benegys re bodha hanow'
That is the real Cornish language.
A Welsh friend of mine came to stay in our cottage in Brittany, and had no problem talking in Welsh to our Breton neighbour, who of course spoke Breton to her.
England, like all countries, has so many regional dialects and differences. It would be odd if we all spoke perfect Queenlike English, though maybe a little easier to understand?
17 comments:
I love learning all the dialect words. The cornish-breton link fascinates me. Another lovely post, thank you x
I think it's wonderful that children are being taught Cornish, it's important to hold on to our histories xx
Thank you for the lesson! I've always been fascinated with English accents although what you are talking about is more language than accent, I think. We in America, have accents which can make some English sound strange. Not sure if I could pin point any particular dialects though. Fascinating!
I love all the Cornish words and sayings same with the Devon ones(which is where I/we lived for 47 years +) We have had many a happy holiday in Cornwall.
Yes so interesting ! My husbands side of the family are Cornish . Father in law was proper Cornish and Grandpa was even more proper Cornish ,he played rugby for Cornwall...and the other Grandpa was a sea captain of a two masted schooner....Great Grandpa also a sea captain and the other worked down in a tin mine ( and some of the children too and the girls were Bal-maidens smashing rocks in pretty bonnets )...the further back you go the more stories they tell and the more proper Cornish they get! A hard working lot and very proud of their heritage too .I love the Cornish sayings ,the superstitions and turn of phrase. :)
Very interesting indeed. Glad you were able to pick it up as a child.
I love Spot! I'm glad the book has pictures or else I would be completely lost! :-)
Excellent that local language/dialect is being kept alive in schools.
I love learning about languages and dialects!
I liked this post so much, Elizabeth...languages fascinate me, I would definitely enjoy your including some additional Anglo Cornish expressions in your future posts! xo
P.S. Daisy Debs' comment was also very interesting.
An interesting connection between the Breton, Welsh and Cornish languages - all Celtic based. Perhaps it's similar to the connections between French, Italian, and Spanish, all Latin languages. I find languages and their history endlessly fascinating. Thank you for this, Barbara.
This is fascinating! Being a southerner, I recognized 'drekly' and 'backalong'. :)
My grandmother on my dad's side was of Welsh descent, which means I am too! :-)
Lots of love to you, Barbara!
This is so interesting! So nice to visit with you today, sweet friend. :) I hope all is well with you!
That makes me looking forward to living in Wales and learning Welsh, at least trying, though. How funny that the Bretons and Welsh do understand each other, but I am not surprised. Actually I had the same experience with a colleague who spoke a special Dutch/Flamish dialect and the new colleague from a certain region in Poland could understand parts of it.
Really enjoyed your Cornish lesson! Wishing you a lovely week ahead...
Brenda xox
It sounds complicated lol!! It's always interesting that there are so many differences in one country. Enjoy your week!
What an interesting blend of languages there! I agree that there surely is probably a touch of Cornish here in the states, there are many different styles of talking, even here in the USA. My husband is always recognized for his Southern drawl, some ways of saying things that aren't said elsewhere in the country. I find languages very intriguing. Thank you for sharing this insight today :) Hope you and your husband are doing well!
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