Learn Late Cornish Bit by Bit 93 (Reporting Speech)

A Bit About Reporting Speech

If you want to say what somebody said you use e’medh[1], e.g.:

“Tho che wheg,” e’medh hei.      “You are nice,” she said.

“Nag ew hedna da genam,” e’medh ev.          

                                                       “I don’t like that,” he said.

(In old fashioned English we might say quoth he, quoth she, etc.)

There are examples in Jowan Chei A Hor’ and in the Bible, e.g.:

“Pana whel ellesta gwil?” e’medh an tiek       

                                                     “What work can you do?” said the farmer

“Pub whel oll,” e’medh Jowan  “All types of work,” said John

E’medh el an Arludh dhedhi, “Ke tre hag obeya dhe’th vestres.”[2] 

                An angel of the Lord said to her, “Go home and obey thy mistress.”

And here’s a nonsense rhyme:

E’medh gwiwer rous dhe gwiwer loos, Said a red squirrel to a grey squirrel,

“Me a venja moas e’n coos.”                  “I would like to go into the wood.”

’Medh an gwiwer loos dh’y gothman rous,    

                                                                  Said the grey squirrel to his red friend,

“Wren nei whilas know rag boos?”       “Shall we look for nuts for food?”

An dhew a labmas dres an branchys   The two leapt through the branches

Saw nag era knofen veth,                       But there weren’t any nuts,

Rag nag era gwedhen gompes              For there wasn’t a correct tree

Ha cabm o an seson e’wedh.                  And the season was wrong as well.

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[1]  Middle Cornish y medh or yn medh. In Late Cornish it was often reduced to medh

[2]  Jenesys 16:9