Kernewek
Cornish
Indo-European (Celtic, Brythonic)
Cornish (Kernewek) is a revived Brythonic Celtic language native to Cornwall in southwestern Britain, sister to Welsh and Breton. The original native-speaker tradition died out in the late 18th century with Dolly Pentreath of Mousehole (d. 1777), often cited as the last monoglot speaker, though traces lingered into the 19th century. Modern revived Cornish dates from Henry Jenner's 1904 Handbook of the Cornish Language, building on medieval mystery plays (Beunans Meriasek, Beunans Ke) and the Tregear homilies. Three competing orthographies (Unified, Kemmyn/Common, Modern/Standard Written Form) were unified by the SWF in 2008. ~600 fluent users today via the Cornish Language Partnership (Maga) and Mebyon Kernow movement; UK government recognition under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (2002) and full revived-language status from UNESCO in 2010.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Cornish
Water
dowr
/dɔuɾ/
Fire
tan
/tan/
Sun
howl
/haʊl/
Moon
loor
/loːɾ/
Star
sterenn
/ˈstɛrɛn/
Mother
mamm
/mam/
Father
tas
/taːs/
I
my
/mɪ/
You
ty
/tɪ/
Name
hanow
/ˈhanɔw/
Eye
lagas
/ˈlaɡas/
Hand
leuv
/lœv/
Heart
kolon
/ˈkolon/
Love
kerensa
/kɛˈɾɛnsa/
Tree
gwedhen
/ˈɡwɛðən/
House
chi
/tʃiː/
Dog
ki
/kiː/
Cat
kath
/kaːθ/
Eat
dybri
/ˈdɨbɾi/
Drink
eva
/ˈɛva/
One
onen
/ˈɔnən/
Two
dew
/dɛʊ/
Hello
dydh da
/dɪð daː/
Thank you
meur ras
/mœːɾ ɾaːs/
Good
da
/daː/
Cuckoo
koukou
/ˈkukuː/
Computer
jynn-amontya
/dʒɪn əˈmɔntja/
Dopamine
Dopamin
/dɔˈpamɪn/
Sources
- Jenner, Henry (1904) A Handbook of the Cornish Language. London: David Nutt
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Celtic, Brythonic) languages
| Meaning | Cornish | Breton | Welsh | Romagnol | Emilian | Greek | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | dowr /dɔuɾ/ | dour /duːɾ/ | dŵr /duːr/ | acua /ˈakwa/ | âcua /ˈakwa/ | νερό /neˈɾo/ | acqua /ˈakkwa/ |
| Fire | tan /tan/ | tan /tɑ̃ːn/ | tân /tɑːn/ | fugh /ˈfuɡ/ | fôg /ˈfoɡ/ | φωτιά /foˈtʲa/ | fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ |
| Sun | howl /haʊl/ | heol /heːɔl/ | haul /haɨl/ | sòl /ˈsɔl/ | sôl /ˈsoːl/ | ήλιος /ˈiʎos/ | sole /ˈsoːle/ |
| Moon | loor /loːɾ/ | loar /lwaːɾ/ | lleuad /ɬɛɨ̯ad/ | lónna /ˈlonːa/ | lónna /ˈlonːa/ | φεγγάρι /feˈŋɡaɾi/ | luna /ˈluːna/ |
| Star | sterenn /ˈstɛrɛn/ | steredenn /steˈreːdɛn/ | seren /ˈsɛrɛn/ | stèla /ˈstɛla/ | strèla /ˈstrɛla/ | αστέρι /aˈsteri/ | stella /ˈstɛlla/ |
| Mother | mamm /mam/ | mamm /mɑ̃m/ | mam /mam/ | mêdar /ˈmeːdaɾ/ | mèder /ˈmɛdɛɾ/ | μητέρα /miˈteɾa/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ |
| Father | tas /taːs/ | tad /taːd/ | tad /tɑːd/ | pêdar /ˈpeːdaɾ/ | pèder /ˈpɛdɛɾ/ | πατέρας /paˈteɾas/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ |
| I | my /mɪ/ | me /me/ | fi /viː/ | mè /mɛ/ | mè /mɛ/ | εγώ /eˈɣo/ | io /ˈio/ |
| You | ty /tɪ/ | te /te/ | ti /tiː/ | tè /tɛ/ | tè /tɛ/ | εσύ /eˈsi/ | tu /tu/ |
| Name | hanow /ˈhanɔw/ | anv /ˈãːno/ | enw /ˈɛnu/ | nòm /nɔm/ | nòm /nɔm/ | όνομα /ˈonoma/ | nome /ˈnome/ |
| Eye | lagas /ˈlaɡas/ | lagad /laɡat/ | llygad /ɬəɡad/ | ucc /ˈutʃ/ | ucc /ˈutʃ/ | μάτι /ˈmati/ | occhio /ˈɔkkjo/ |
| Hand | leuv /lœv/ | dorn /dɔɾn/ | llaw /ɬaʊ/ | mân /ˈmaːn/ | mân /ˈman/ | χέρι /ˈçeɾi/ | mano /ˈmaːno/ |
| Heart | kolon /ˈkolon/ | kalon /kalɔ̃n/ | calon /kalɔn/ | côr /ˈkoːɾ/ | côr /ˈkoːɾ/ | καρδιά /kaɾˈðʲa/ | cuore /ˈkwɔːre/ |
| Love | kerensa /kɛˈɾɛnsa/ | karantez /kaɾɑ̃ntes/ | cariad /karjad/ | amour /aˈmouɾ/ | amôr /aˈmoːɾ/ | αγάπη /aˈɣapi/ | amore /aˈmoːre/ |
| Tree | gwedhen /ˈɡwɛðən/ | gwezenn /ˈɡweːzɛn/ | coeden /kɔɨdɛn/ | arbal /ˈaɾbal/ | arbal /ˈaɾbal/ | δέντρο /ˈðendɾo/ | albero /ˈalbero/ |
| House | chi /tʃiː/ | ti /tiː/ | tŷ /tiː/ | ca /ˈka/ | cà /ˈka/ | σπίτι /ˈspiti/ | casa /ˈkaːsa/ |
| Dog | ki /kiː/ | ki /kiː/ | ci /kiː/ | can /ˈkan/ | can /ˈkan/ | σκύλος /ˈscilos/ | cane /ˈkaːne/ |
| Cat | kath /kaːθ/ | kazh /kaːs/ | cath /kɑːθ/ | gâta /ˈɡaːta/ | gât /ˈɡat/ | γάτα /ˈɣata/ | gatto /ˈɡatto/ |
| Eat | dybri /ˈdɨbɾi/ | debriñ /debɾĩː/ | bwyta /bʊɨta/ | mâgna /ˈmaɲa/ | magnèr /maˈɲɛɾ/ | τρώω /ˈtɾo.o/ | mangiare /manˈdʒaːre/ |
| Drink | eva /ˈɛva/ | evañ /eːvɑ̃/ | yfed /əvɛd/ | bér /ˈbeɾ/ | bevvre /ˈbevːɾe/ | πίνω /ˈpino/ | bere /ˈbeːre/ |
| One | onen /ˈɔnən/ | unan /yːnɑ̃n/ | un /ɨːn/ | ón /ˈon/ | un /ˈun/ | ένα /ˈena/ | uno /ˈuːno/ |
| Two | dew /dɛʊ/ | daou /dɔw/ | dau /daɨ/ | dû /duː/ | dû /duː/ | δύο /ˈðio/ | due /ˈdue/ |
| Hello | dydh da /dɪð daː/ | demat /deːmat/ | helô /hɛˈloː/ | ciô /ˈtʃoː/ | cciô /ˈtʃoː/ | γεια σου /ˈʝa su/ | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ |
| Thank you | meur ras /mœːɾ ɾaːs/ | trugarez /tɾyɡaɾes/ | diolch /diːɔlx/ | gras /ˈɡɾas/ | gràzie /ˈɡɾaːtsje/ | ευχαριστώ /efxaɾiˈsto/ | grazie /ˈɡrattsje/ |
| Good | da /daː/ | mat /maːt/ | da /dɑː/ | bón /ˈbon/ | bón /ˈbon/ | καλό /kaˈlo/ | buono /ˈbwɔːno/ |
| Cuckoo | koukou /ˈkukuː/ | koukoug /ˈkukuk/ | cog /koːɡ/ | còc /kɔk/ | còc /kɔk/ | κούκος /ˈkukos/ | cuculo /ˈkuːkulo/ |
| Computer | jynn-amontya /dʒɪn əˈmɔntja/ | urzhiataer /yrzjaˈtaɛːr/ | cyfrifiadur /kəvrɪvˈjaːdɨr/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | υπολογιστής /ipoloʝiˈstis/ | computer /komˈpju.ter/ |
| Dopamine | Dopamin /dɔˈpamɪn/ | dopamin /doˈpamin/ | dopamin /dɔˈpamɪn/ | — | — | ντοπαμίνη /dopaˈmini/ | dopamina /dopaˈmiːna/ |
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