Wednesday 24 May 2017

Taking a new look at Cornish grammar 39 (Interrogative Adjectives)

Interrogative Adjectives

The combination of pe/py which/what and ehen kind as pehen can also be used with a noun to ask what something or someone is like. Instead of asking Pehen ew an den? What is the man like?” you could ask Pehen den ew ev? What kind of man is he?”
Here are examples from old texts:
pahan pleyt yma pilat yn le may ma ha pan semlant vs ganso? 
in what shape is Pilate where he is and what does he look like?
(RD 2058-60)
Pehan tectar!  What beauty! (BK 1711)

Here are some more examples:
Pehên ew an venyn ma?
What is this woman like?
Pehên benyn ew hobma?
What kind of woman is this one?
Pehên benyn o hei?
What kind of woman was she?
Pehên kei ew hedna?
What kind of dog is that one?
Pehên kei ew ev?
What kind of dog is he?

   There is no reason why speakers of Middle Cornish should not use pehen, though they seem to choose not to. It is possible to use py and eghen separately. However, the combination of py which/what and ehen kind combined with a of also gave rise to another contraction pana meaning what kind of. Pana can be used with a noun in the same way as pehen. Instead of asking Pehen den ew ev? What kind of man is he?” you could ask Pana dhen ew ev? However, notice that a meaning of causes a soft mutation (lenition), even when it is not standing alone.
(Affects b>v, c>g, d>dh, k>g, m>v, p>b, t>d)

Here are some examples of comparisons:


Pehên benyn ew hobma?
SWFM Py eghen benyn yw homma?
What kind of woman is this one?

Pana venyn ew hobma?
SWFM Pana venyn yw homma?
Pehên benyn o hei?
SWFM Py eghen benyn o hi?
What kind of woman was she?
Pana venyn o hei?
SWFM Pana venyn o hi?
Pehên kei ew hedna?
SWFM Py eghen ki yw henna?
What kind of dog is that one?
Pana gei ew hedna?
SWFM Pana gi yw henna?
Pehên kei ew ev?
SWFM Py eghen ki yw ev?
What kind of dog is it?
Pana gei ew ev?
SWFM Pana gi yw ev?
Pehên tesen ew?
SWFM Py eghen tesen yw?
What kind of cake is it?
Pana desen ew?
SWFM Pana desen yw?

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