Cornish - Kernowek

Standard Written Form Cornish vocabulary, numerals and quotations for comparison with other languages


Looking at a map of Cornwall, or better still, visiting the county, should convince you that most of the place names are not English. Names like Polperro, Rosemellen and Chynance appear to be meaningless, though they actually mean "Peter's pool", "mill ford" and "valley house". Other names such as Penryn, Carneglaze and Morva have equivalent names in Wales (Penrhyn, Carnglas and Morfa). This is because until the language of the Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century, Old English, reached as far west as the River Severn, the Britons of Wales and the Britons of Cornwall were speaking dialects of the same Celtic language, Old Brittonic. Once the Saxons had penetrated so far west that two groups became separated by the Severn Estuary, Cornish and Welsh started developing into separate languages.

The Cornish on this page is the Standard Written Form, except for the Bible quotations, which are in Standard Cornish. But "Standard Cornish" is not actually the standard - The Standard Written Form is.

1. broder    brother        1. *    yes        1. Pygemmys yw hemma?    How much is that?
2. hwor    sister        2. *    no        2.   
3. mab    son        3. mar pleg    please        3. Konvedhes    To understand
4. myrgh    daughter        4. meurastajy    thank you        4. Yth esov vy ow konvedhes    I understand
5. tas    father                  5. Nyns esov vy ow konvedhes    I don’t understand
6. mamm    mother        1. dy Sul    Sunday        6. Yth esov vy ow kodhvos    I know
          2. dy Lun    Monday        7. Nyns esov vy ow kodhvos    I don’t know
1. gwenton    spring        3. dy Meurth    Tuesday          
2. hav    summer        4. dy Merher    Wednesday        1. yth ov vy / yth esov vy    I am
3. kynnyav    autumn        5. dy Yow    Thursday        2. yth os ta / yth esos ta    you are
4. gwav    winter        6. dy Gwener    Friday          
          7. dy Sadorn    Saturday        3. yw ev / yma ev    he is
1. margh    horse                  yw hi / yma hi    she is
2. ki    dog        1. tre    town          
3. kath    cat        2. tre    village        1. yth on ni / yth eson ni    we are
4. bugh    cow        3. stret    street        2. yth owgh hwi / yth esowgh hwi    you are
5. tarow    bull        4. plen    square          
6. hogh    pig        5. pons    bridge        3. yth yns i / ymons i    they are
7. davas    sheep        6. chi    house          
8. bleydh    wolf        7. lowarth    garden          
9. logosen    mouse        8. eglos    church          
10. edhen    bird        9. skol    school        1. unn    one (msc. & fem.)
11. goodh    goose        10. gorsav    station        2. dew, diw    two (msc., fem.)
12. pysk    fish                  3. tri, teyr    three (msc., fem.)
                    4. peswar, peder    four (msc., fem.)
1. bara    bread        1. du    black        5. pymp    five
2. aval    apple        2. gwynn    white        6. hwegh    six
3. knowen    nut        3. glas    blue        7. seyth    seven
4. holan    salt        4. gwyrdh    green        8. eth    eight
5. puber    pepper        5. melyn    yellow        9. naw    nine
6. mel    honey        6. rudh    red        10. deg    ten
7. leth    milk                  11. unnek    eleven
8. amanyn    butter        1. gweles    to see        12. dewdhek    twelve
9. keus    cheese        2. klewes    to hear        13. tredhek    thirty
10. dowr    water        3. dybri    to eat        20. ugens    twenty
11. gwin    wine        4. eva    to drink        30. deg warn ugens    thirty
12. korev    beer        5. kana    to sing        100. kans    a hundred
                      
1. menydh    mountain        1. hanow    name        1. leuv    hand
2. mor    sea        2. skrifa    to write        2. troos    foot
3. lynn    lake        3. lyver    book        3. kolon    heart
4. avon    river        4. kewsel    to speak        4. goos    blood
5. koth    old        5. dydh    day        5. penn    head
6. nowyth    new        6. nos    night        6. lagas    eye
7. gorhel    ship        7. seythen    week        7. skovarn    ear
8. tren    train        8. mis    month        8. dans    tooth
9. kyttrin    bus        9. bledhen    year        9. gols    hair
10. porth    harbour        10. ha, hag    and        10. koska    to sleep
                      
1. mis Genver    January        7. mis Gortheren    July        1. howl    sun
2. mis Hwevrer    February        8. mis Est    August        2. loor    moon
3. mis Meurth    March        9. mis Gwynngala    September        3. steren    star
4. mis Ebrel    April        10. mis Hedra    October        4. gwyns    wind
5. mis Me    May        11. mis Du    November        5. glaw    rain
6. mis Metheven    June        12. mis Kevardhu    December        6. ergh    snow
                    7. rew    ice
1. yeyn    cold        1. tomm    hot        8. tan    fire
2. byhan    small        2. bras    large        9. men    stone
3. tanow    thin        3. tew    thick        10. arhans    silver
4. trenk    sour        4. hweg    sweet          
                      
1. ganow    mouth        1. ri    to give        1. bodhar    deaf
2. tavas    tongue        2. prena    to buy        2. down    deep
3. ger    word        3. esedha    to sit        3. leun    full
4. tavas    language        4. redya    to read        4. yowynk    young
5. bleujen    flower        5. marhas    market        5. da    good
6. sebon    soap        6. daras    door        6. myghtern    king

* Often there is no single word for "yes" or "no" in Cornish. Instead, the verb of the question is repeated as a positive, or negative statement.

* * * * * * * *

Yth esa Duw kebmys ow cara an bës, may ros ev y Unvab, ma na wrella mos dhe goll den vëth a gressa ino, mès cafos an bênans heb dyweth.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3,16

* * * * * * * *

1 Na wrewgh brusy, ma na vewgh why brusys, 2 rag gans an vreus may whrewgh why brusy dredhy, why a vëdh brusys, ha gans an musur a wrewgh why musura ganso, y fëdh musurys dhywgh why.

1 Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. Matthew 7

* * * * * * * *

In pùptra ytho gwrewgh dh’agas hynsa poran kepar dell via dâ dhywgh why y dhe wul dhywgh.

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you. Matthew 7,12

* * * * * * * *

Te a wra cara dha gentrevak kepar ha te dha honen.

Love others as much as you love yourself. Matthew 22,39

* * * * * * * *

9. Agan Tas ny usy i’n nev, benegys re bo dha hanow. 10. Re dheffo dha wlascor. Re bo gwrës dha volùnjeth, i’n nor kepar hag i’n nev. 11. Ro dhyn ny hedhyw agan bara pùb dëdh oll. 12. Ha gav dhyn agan cabmweyth, kepar dell eson ny ow cava dhe’n re-na usy ow cabmwul wàr agan pydn ny. 13. Ha na wra agan gorra in temptacyon, saw delyrf ny dhyworth drog.

9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6

* * * * * * * *


Cornish is spoken in:

Pennsans - Penzance
Porth Ia - St. Ives
Hellys - Helston
Kammbronn - Camborne
Pennrynn - Penryn
Aberfala - Falmouth
Truru - Truro
Tewynblustri - Newquay
Sen Austel - St. Austell
Bosvena - Bodmin
Lyskerrys - Liskeard
Lannstevan - Launceston


Some Approximate Pronunciations

Cornish as in is pronounced as in UK English
ch chi ch church
dh konvedhes th that, then
ë ("Standard Cornish" only) vëth ai faith
gh myrgh ch Scots loch
gwl gwlaskor gl glass
gwr gwra gr grass
h-, -h- howl, byhan h house, behave
hw hwor wh Scots where
j bleujen dg edge
V-s-V
where V = a vowel		 tesen z frozen
-V-s
where V = a long vowel		 tas z maze
th leth th faith



My other websites:
Languages of the World
New Nutshell
Christianity in a Nutshell

My wife's websites:
Meaning of Life
Bits



I wanted to share with you why I think Christianity is such a great religion. A person who lives to 70 has a life of 613,200 hours. Christianity promises that the next life will be in ideal surroundings with friendly, happy people. There will be perfect health and no crime. Of course you’re free to reject it.

Isn’t it worth, though, spending at least part of one of your 613,200 hours just checking it out. Then if you reject it, at least you’ll have made an informed decision. Is it just possible that your world view could be wrong and Christianity might actually be true? Where would that leave you if you choose to turn down the offer of eternal life?


These are some of my wife's thoughts and ideas:


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