Re: Ancient History.

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>]

On Mon, 6 Jul 1998, Andrew Smith wrote:

> >
> The best that I have found is Language and History in Early Britain by
> Kenneth Jackson, University Press: Edinburgh (1953).  I used it to
> reconstruct the Brithenig soundchanges.  I gives few words though
> unfortunately.

Mil greidd for the pointer.  A few words is better than the none I've got
so far!

> 
> > >> Ach - LLYWELYN please - Llewellyn is a horrid anglicism.  As for the

Actually, this is interesting.  I've never seen it spelled Llywelyn her in
Merkia.  What makes the Horrid Anglicism so horrid?  Is it because of the
medial ll?  Are there no Welsh words with medial ll?

> > >> etymolgy, I must plead ignorance.  The first element must surely be the
> > >> same as in Llywarch.  And besides Llywelyn we also have Llywel as a
> > >> masculine name & Llywela as a feminine.  I have seen it suggested that
> > >> Llyw- is from Llew "lion".
> > >
> > >Perhaps lindos for lyn?
> > 
> > Hadn't thought of that.  But then what about that awkward -e- between Llyw-
> > and lyn?

I now wonder if the "e" really belongs to the lyn bit.  I couldn't find
anything close to elyn in my word list, either; so both roads are dead
ends here.

> > 
> My apologies for misspelling the highly honourable name that the Welsh
> must have spent several centuries divising so that they could exasperate
> the English with it!  I'll do some research and see if that brings out any
> details.

Just be thankful that we have no Llywelyns on the list! ;-)

> 
> - andrew.
> 
> Andrew Smith                                  <hobbit@earthlight.co.nz>
> 
Padraic.