Dedh Pajar Ügens ha Dew

De Sadorn, tryja warn ügens mis Meurth

Saturday, 23^rd March

Thew hebma ow redyans rag Gool Mûsek Kernow 2019. Scrifys e’n seytegves cansbledhen gen Nicholas Boson (1624-1708), scrifys ew en Kernôwek Diwedhes ha’n scrifyans ew peth y honan. Ma’n devynow ma ow tisqwedhes dro Boson troblys rag leheans an tavas Kernôwek dadn wask dhort Sowsnek.

Whei ell redya moy adro dhodho en Sowsnek war

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Boson

Whei ell redya moy adro dh’y delyû ev en Kernôwek war

https://kw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teylu_Boson

Gun tavaz Carnoack eu mar pell gwadnhez uz na ellen skant quatiez tho e wellaz crefhe arta. Rag car dreeg an Sausen e thanen en pow idden ma an kensa, andelna ema stella teggi warnotha heb garra thotha telhar veeth buz dro tho an aulz ha an more. Ol eua va clappiez lebben oggastigh eu durt Pedn an Wollaz tho an Karrack Looez, ha tuah Poreeah ha Redruth, ha arta durt an Lizard tuah Helles ha Falmeth; ha an powna, an idna deu codna teer ez en hester adro tha iggans moldeer, ha buz quarter en po hanter an lester na. En telhar idden ma hag ol ma mouy Sousenack clappiez dre eza Curnooack, rag radden el bose keevez na el skant clappia na guthvaz Curnooack, buz skant denveeth buz ore guthvaz ha clappia Sousenack. Rag hedna, hevol dem, kallish eue tho gweel dotha gurtaz ha dose adro arta. Rag ugge an teez goth tho merwal akar, ny a wele an teez younk tho e clappia le ha le ha lacka ha lacka. Ha andelna eve a vedden lehe durt termen tho termen.

***

Rag me a hunnen ve gennez en collan an powma eu an Curnooack mouyha cowsez, ha whaeth ma ko them penag oma buz adro tho wheeath blodh coth, na olgama e clappia na skant e guthvaz. An where therama pedeere tho durt seeanz a Dama tefna an pobel-choy, ha an contravagian, tho clappia traveeth tho ve buz Sousenack.

***

Nenna mose alez tho scol, ha ugge hedda mose tho Frenk, nag ez ko them tho guthvaz meer en tavaz Curnooak, lebna tose tho gawas tra-gweele en Bez. Ha lebben theram toula tho gwellaz mar pel itna oggastigh vel leez an contravagian, ha ma them mar veer crenja racta. Buz na ellam ry thotha mouy tre guffia them, rag theu e skant ounack tho bose gwellez en leeaz gerriau, a dael bose gwrez aman durt an Latten, po an Sousenack. Ha na ore den veeth durt peniel reeg an kol ma kensa dose durt an Romans meskez gen a Brittez, po ugge hedna durt an Sausen, metessen an dew.

This is my reading for the Cornwall Music Festival 2019. Written in the 17^th century by Nicholas Boson (1624-1708), it is written in Late Cornish and the spelling is his own. These extracts show that Boson was worried about the decline of the Cornish language under pressure from English.

You can read more about him in English on

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Boson

You can read more about his family in Cornish on

https://kw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teylu_Boson

Our Cornish language is so far weakened that we can hardly expect to see it recover (get strong) again. For as the English sent it into this narrow land in the first place, so it is still bearing down on it without leaving it any place except for the coast (cliffs) and the sea. Almost all that is spoken now is from Lands End to St Michael’s Mount (the Grey Rock), and towards St Ives and Redruth, and again from the Lizard towards Helston and Falmouth; and this country, the narrowest two necks of land that are about twenty miles long,and only a quarter to a half of that wide. In this narrow place and all there is more English spoken than there is Cornish, for some can be found that can hardly speak or understand Cornish, but almost nobody (hardly anybody) that can’t understand and speak English. Therefore, it seems to me, it is hard to make it stop and come round again. For after the old people die away, we see the young people speak it less and less and worse and worse. And thus it will decline (lessen) from time to time.

***

For I myself was born in the heart of this country where Cornish is most spoken, and yet I remember when I was only about six years old I couldn’t speak it nor hardly understand it. The problem I think was a whim of Mother’s forbidding the servants, and the neighbours, to speak anything to me except English.

***

Then going away to school, and after that going to France, I don’t remember knowing much in the Cornish language, until I came to have business in the World. And now I plan to see almost as far into it as many of the neighbours, and I have as great a love for it. But I can’t give it more than I ought, for it is rather lacking as can be seen in many words that have to be made up from the Latin, or the English. And nobody knows  from whence this loss first came, through the Romans mixing with the Britons, or after that through the English, perhaps both.