Learn Late Cornish Bit by Bit 85 (Extended Family)

A Bit About the Extended Family

We have so far seen the vocabulary for the immediate family:

tas or sira                                       father

dama (an dhama) or mabm          mother

mab                                                son

mergh (an vergh)                          daughter

broder                                            brother

whor                                               sister

Now we can add some extras: 

teylû                                               family

meyny                                            household

gour (plural gwer)                          husband

gourty                                            “man of the house”

gwreg (an wreg)                            wife

tas wydn[1]                                    grandfather

sira wydn                                       grandfather

dama wydn                                   grandmother

mabm wydn                                  granny

mabm güv                                     great granny

flogh wydn                                    grandchild

mab wydn                                     grandson

mergh wydn (an vergh wydn)     granddaughter

ownter                                            uncle

modrep (an vodrep)                     aunt

noy                                                 nephew

noyth                                             niece

kenderow[2]                                  cousin (m)

keniterow[3] (an geniterow)         cousin (f)

Hebma ew skeujen[4] an tas wydn.

                                                        This is a photo of the grandfather.

Ma deg kenderow dhebm.[5]        I have ten cousins.

O noyth a dheuth dhe Gernow rag hy  de’golyow.

                                                         My niece came to Cornwall for her holidays.

Dha vodrep a wra doas dhe’n chei vy.

                                                            Your aunt will come to my house.

Thera mab bian dhe’n wreg Jowan.

                                                            John’s wife had a little son.

---

[1]  gwydn in the sense, perhaps, of fair rather than white, since it applies to the younger generation as well as the old!

[2]  pronunciation stress on the first syllable: [KENderow] plural becomes kenDERwi

[3]  pronunciation stress on the second syllable: [kenITerow] plural becomes keniTERwi

[4]  A neologism derived from skeuj  meaning shadow or shade

[5]  Remember you use a singular noun after a number, however large