Re: Humorous Brithenig translation project.

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

On Sun, 11 Oct 1998, Andrew Smith wrote:

> Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 17:33:19 +1300 (NZDT)
> From: Andrew Smith <hobbit@mail.earthlight.co.nz>
> To: Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>
> Cc: Sessiwn Kemres <cowan@locke.ccil.org>, hobbit@earthlight.co.nz,
>     raybrown@clara.co.uk, scaves@frontiernet.net,
>     John Schilke <schilkej@ohsu.edu>, Peter Skye <skye@poconos.com>,
>     valoczy@vcn.bc.ca, celticonlang@lists.colorado.edu
> Subject: Re: Humorous Brithenig translation project.
> 
> The Chomro have this saying:
> 	Eo nhif rhen di Ddew,
> 	Eo nhif rhen di'll Diawl;
> 	Sulfent eo dif llo Cherno
> 	Cann ys pharolan Comroig!
> (I don't fear God/I don't fear the Devil/I only fear the Kernowmen/when
> they speak Brithenig!)

Hey!!

> 
> While I liked the joke, and I'm intending on putting a version on the
> homepage, I would be remiss if I didn't point out a few things.

Feel free to alter what is wrong.

> 
> Some words and mutations were not King's Comroig: In Castreleon they say
> poder not pother and use the soft mutation more often than the aspirant.
> They also use the nasal mutation instead of preposing ne/n', if the nasal
> mutation can't be used then ne/n' just simply disappears.  Also Brithenig
> uses the verb calfar, to stop doing something, as a translation of
> "don't!"  There were other words and constructions that I suspect of being
> from a Kernu influence rather than Standard Brithenig.

Indeed.  Got it from St. Martin's, Kepstow Bridge.
<sigh> I don't think I'll ever get the mutations the right way round!  And
sorry about the ne + sunjunctive rather than calfar + infin.  I'm thinking
Spanish again. ;-)

What words in particular?  'ill grew' is the only obvious nonstandard word
I could see, being Paesan.

Padraic.