More Bits of Late Cornish 18 (males and females 1)

Males and Females 1

In previous posts we have seen that some feminine nouns can be made by adding the feminine ending –es to the equivalent masculine noun. In many cases, especially animals, you just have to learn the irregular males and females and also their, often unpredictable, plurals. One way we know these plurals is from place names (see next post).

gorow (adjective)	masculine, male	benow (adjective)	feminine, female
gour pl. gwer	husband	benyn pl. benenes	woman
gourgath pl. gourgathas	tom-cat	cath  pl. cathas (SWFM kath pl. kathes)	cat
kei  pl. keun	dog	gast  pl. gesty	female dog, bitch
horr            pl. horras (SWFM hordh pl. hordhes)	ram	davas        pl. deves	ewe, sheep
bogh                    pl. bohes	he-goat, billy goat, buck	gavar pl. gever	she-goat, nanny goat
tarow pl. terewy	bull	bûgh pl. bûhas	cow
margh[1] pl. mergh	horse, stallion	casek [2] pl. casegy (SWFM kasek pl. kasegi)	mare
lowarn pl. lewern	fox	lowarnes pl. lowarnesow	vixen
badh pl. badhas	boar	banow pl. banowas	sow
		gwis[3] pl. gwisy	old sow
hedh pl. hedhas carow pl. kerwys	deer stag	ewik pl. ewigas	hind
yorgh pl. yergh	roe buck,	yorhes pl. yorhejow (SWFM pl. yorhesow)	roe doe
cosyorgh pl. cosyergh	wild buck or wood buck	cosyorhes pl. cosyorhejow (SWFM kosyorhes pl. kosyorhesow)	female woodbuck
kydyorgh[4] pl. kydyergh
cülyek pl. cülyogas (SWFM kulyek pl. kulyogyon)	cock, cockerel	yar pl. yer	hen
mollart pl. mollars	drake	hos pl. heyjy	duck

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[1]  however, nader margh is nothing to do with horses - it is a dragonfly: and nader margh bian is a damsel fly

[2]  and  casek coos is not a mare that lives in the woods - it is a woodpecker!

[3]  rhyme with English geese

[4]  the first part of the name is derived from the Old Cornish cuit wood