LEARN CORNISH
Revived traditional language
Courses and materials
Vocabulary
Over 10,000 Cornish words and phrases Handy for laptop, tablet, smartphone For on-line coursebooks go to Courses page
ON-LINE HERE: Gerlyver Kescows, 2nd edition, full text, completely revised, 5000 words and phrases for conversation + grammar words + 'outbursts' + place-names, easily browsed, easily searched
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ON-LINE HERE: Kescows Nebes Moy, 2nd edition, work-in-progress but already thousands more words supplementing Gerlyver Kescows, classified by topic, each topic also downloadable in pdf format
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ON-LINE HERE: Minimum working vocabulary for those wishing to learn just a little Cornish, or a first step for those aspiring to greater things
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ON-LINE HERE: Short phrases worth learning for fluent everyday conversation
Read MoreCourses
Try our Cara Kernowek on-line coursebooks For the classroom and for self-study See Events for our current on-line Cara Kernowek classes
ON-LINE HERE: Cara Kernowek Book One is the first in a series of coursebooks specially commissioned for learners of the traditional Cornish language
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ON-LINE HERE: Cara Kernowek Book Two is the second in a series of coursebooks specially commissioned for learners of the traditional Cornish language
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ON-LINE HERE: Cara Kernowek Book Three is the third in a series of coursebooks specially commissioned for learners of the traditional Cornish language
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ON-LINE HERE: Bilingual consolidated index to the first three Cara Kernowek coursebooks
Read MoreEXPECTED JUNE 2025: Cara Kernowek Book Four will be the fourth in a series of coursebooks specially commissioned for learners of the traditional Cornish language
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ON-LINE HERE: Quick Cornish, free taster course
Read MoreSo called 'Late Cornish' is not really a different language. It is idiomatic Cornish as recorded in the later historical sources. This on-line audio course by Dan Prohaska brings you a colloquial spoken register without requiring you to learn more formal or literary Cornish first.
Read MoreMore on-line materials in revived Cornish based on later historical sources
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Model answers for the exercises in Lesson One of the first Cara Kernowek coursebook
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Model answers for the exercises in Lesson Two of the first Cara Kernowek coursebook
Read MoreAbout Us
High quality open access material
Contact Us
The coursebooks CARA KERNOWEK and DESKY KERNOWEK employ the modern spelling system known as Kernowek Standard (KS). Most Cornish written material on this site is spelled in KS.
It is important to realize there are several approaches to revived Cornish, drawing on the historical sources to strike different balances in matters of grammar and vocabulary. There are alternative spelling systems too, most publicly the Standard Written Form (SWF) favoured by Cornwall Council. One may therefore fairly say that revived Cornish is a 'pluricentric' language. Cornish that is written in KS generally takes the Tota Cornicitas approach, which means it reflects all the evidence found in the historical tradition. See Five Principles here.
The weekly lovinglivingcornish class in Newlyn (Lulyn) has its own website kernoweklulyn.com carrying further compatible material. There is also moderncornish.net, the website of Cussel an Tavas Kernôwek who specialize in applying the later historical sources. There is a lively magazine Gweles with a majority of its content in Cornish (KS and SWF with traditional graphs). Additional material appears on its website gweles.com where you can subscribe.
Are you a prospective teacher of a class in traditional Cornish? We offer a full Scheme of Work, as well as classroom kit and logistical support. Don't hesitate to get in touch. And whether teacher or student, you can always contact us with questions about traditional Cornish grammar or vocabulary, or with queries about idiom or style.
We are not a commercial website. We are however eager to carry well-written literature in Cornish, original or translated. We also welcome interesting podcasts in Cornish. We accept advertising for publications in KS; for scholarly work on the Cornish language and its heritage; and for events suitable for learners where Cornish is spoken. Click on Miscellany for our literary / audio and advertising policies. We are not responsible for the content of any website that may be linked to this site.
What's New?
Quick access from this page to all our latest additions
ON-LINE SUMMER SCHOOL
July / August 2025
A Celtic Hobbit
Click or tap here
TRISTAN HAG ISOLT
A.S.D. Smith 'Caradar'
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
Marking 75 years since the death of the first great writer of Revived Cornish
Click or tap here
TRISTAN HAG ISOLT
as completed by
David Watkins 'Carer Brynyow'
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
Click or tap here
KESCOWS NEBES MOY
Cornish for Everyday Life
Vocabulary supplementary to Gerlyver Kescows
On-line second edition currently as far as Section 18-J Animals: Fish etc
Each section now also downloadable in pdf format
Click or tap here
On this website you can now listen to more than
500 PODCAST ARTICLES
by Nicholas Williams
Each one accompanied by the full written text
Traditional Cornish, crystal-clear pronunciation
Professor Williams is one of the foremost teachers of the Cornish language
Click or tap here
ANIMAL FARM
Famous satire by George Orwell
With full vocabulary support
Click or tap here
GOOD-BYE, MR CHIPS
Famous novella by James Hilton
With full vocabulary support
Click or tap here
JOWAN CHY AN HORDH
John of Chyannor
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
Click or tap here
BÊWNANS KE
The Life of St Kea
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
Click or tap here
BÊWNANS MERYASEK
The Life of St Meriadoc
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
Click or tap here
CREACYON AN BËS
The Creation of the World
New on-line edition in Standard Cornish
As far as line 100
Click or tap here
INFLECTED IMPERATIVES
Second person singular forms
Ready-reference guide
Click or tap here
AN RADYÔ
Radyô an Gernowegva has a new name
Produced by Matthi ab Dewi
Click or tap here
ALPHA VERSION OF COMPLETE CARA KERNOWEK 4
Now being road-tested in weekly class
Beta version expected April 2025
Click or tap here
ANNA KARENINA
Leo Tolstoy
First Chapters of the Classics
Click or tap here
CARA KERNOWEK 1
Taking complete beginners to
Common European Framework Level A1
The coursebook may also be downloaded in pdf format
With on-line model answers for the exercises so you can check your own work
Click or tap here
CARA KERNOWEK 2
For those progressing to
Common European Framework Level A2
The coursebook may also be downloaded in pdf format
With on-line model answers for the exercises so you can check your own work
Click or tap here
CARA KERNOWEK 3
For those progressing to
Common European Framework Level B1
The coursebook may also be downloaded in pdf format
With on-line model answers for the exercises so you can check your own work
Click or tap here
CARA KERNOWEK INDEX
Bilingual consolidated index to the first three coursebooks
Click or tap here
FIVE PRINCIPLES
for revived Cornish applying
Tota Cornicitas
Click or tap here
THE SIGNAL-MAN
Famous ghost story by Charles Dickens
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NESSUN DORMA
Meaning of the famous aria
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THE FOUR FEATHERS
A.E.W. Mason
First Chapters of the Classics
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CORNISH FAMILY TREE
Updated in the light of the most recent scholarship
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THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT
Beatrix Potter
First Chapters of the Classics
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INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET
Entire vocabulary of Cara Kernowek 1 now available in IPA spellings
Plus reference guide summarizing effect of Prosodic Shift on pure vowels
Click or tap here
WORD BUILDING
Appendix to Kescows Nebes Moy Second Edition
How to employ compounding and affixation
Compound words and prefixes; suffixes still to be added
Click or tap here
There are now twenty one
FIRST CHAPTERS OF THE CLASSICS
to read in Cornish on this website
All with comprehensive glossary supplementing on-line
GERLYVER KESCOWS
Click or tap here
PASSIO CHRISTI
In Standard Cornish spelling
First 1850 lines
Click or tap here
Find direct links on this website
to every weekly Cornish language radio show
produced by
Matthi ab Dewi
in the past 12 months
Click or tap here
Altogether there are over 50 different works of literature
to read in Cornish on-line on this website
including a whole novel
An Nawnjek Stap warn Ugans
(John Buchan's The Thirty-nine Steps)
and a whole novella
Benatuw, Mêster Chyps
(James Hilton's Good-bye, Mr Chips)
and a whole satire
Amêthva an Bestas
(George Orwell's Animal Farm)
Click or tap here
Audio
loving cornish by listening
Literature
loving cornish by reading
Items are in alphabetical order of Cornish title. Alternatively, for items recently added for reading on-line, you can click or tap ON-LINE HERE: MOST RECENTLY ADDED and follow the links.
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Click or tap and follow the links for open access on-line literature recently added to this website
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Catalogue of famous First Chapters available to read in Cornish on this website with full vocabulary support
Read MoreLink to a comprehensive list of published material available in Kernowek Standard (KS)
Read MoreJules Verne's Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days), abridged for young readers
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ON-LINE HERE: George Orwell's Animal Farm, with Cornish-English glossary
Read MoreThe Holy Bible (Old Testament, New Testament)
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Hans Christian Andersen's Prinsessen paa Ærten (The Princess and the Pea), with Cornish-English glossary
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Rudyard Kipling's The Crab that Played with the Sea (a 'Just So' story), with Cornish-English glossary
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Hans Christian Andersen's Fyrtøjet (The Tinderbox), with Cornish-English glossary
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Chapter 1 of The Warden by Anthony Trollope, being the first volume of The Chronicles of Barsetshire, with Cornish-English glossary
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: The Wise Men, being the Cornish translation of the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1-20, by William Rowe (William Kerew), transcribed into Standard Cornish in three styles, and also into the Main Form of the Standard Written Form
Read MoreEvents
Events advertised here take a 'whole Corpus' approach: tota Cornicitas For other events see the calendar at www.speakcornish.com
The final meeting of our weekly on-line class for those who have helped with developing the fourth coursebook in the Cara Kernowek series, to Level B2 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework (approximately equivalent to an A Level or IB). Publication of Cara Kernowek Book Four is expected in July.
A talk by Ian Jackson. On-line by Zoom. The talk will be in English, but there will also be the opportunity for participants to read extracts from the play aloud in Cornish. The text of the play, in Standard Cornish spelling, can be found on the Literature page of this website. The best academic text and commentary is Bêwnans Ke: The Life of St Kea by Graham Thomas and Nicholas Williams. Contact Us if you would like to attend this talk. The date is still provisional.
Our Summer School 'A Celtic Hobbit' will meet on-line by Zoom at 20:00 every Thursday in July and August 2025. We shall be reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit in the Cornish translation by Nicholas Williams (An Hobys, published by Evertype), both to enjoy the story and to improve everyone's fluency in Cornish. There will also be the opportunity to make comparisons with the Irish translation by Nicholas Williams (An Hobad, published by Evertype), the Scottish Gaelic translation by Moray Watson (A' Hobat, published by Evertype), the Breton translation by Alan Dipode and Joshua Tyra (An Hobbit, published by Evertype), and the Welsh translation by Adam Pearce (Yr Hobyd, published by Melin Bapur). The convenor is Ian Jackson. There is no charge for the Summer School, but students should provide their own copies of the book. Contact Us if you would like to join the Summer School.
Grammar
And on the Courses page you'll find the Cara Kernowek coursebooks and the Desky Kernowek Support Group
ON-LINE HERE: A practical guide to pronouncing Cornish
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ON-LINE HERE: Cornish words spelled in the International Phonetic Alphabet
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Handy reference chart of the inflected verb forms in Cara Kernowek 1
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Basic verb patterns with bos, gwil, mydnas, gallos, godhvos
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Famous prose passage written 40 years ago, and how it might look if written today
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Ready-reference guide
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Ready-reference guide
Read MoreDrills
Playlets
Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 1
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 2
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 4
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 7
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 8
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 10
Read MorePlaylet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 12
Read MorePuzzles
Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)
Read MoreDon't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword
Read MoreSimple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)
Read MoreDon't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword
Read MoreSimple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)
Read MoreDon't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword
Read MoreSimple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 2 (Lessons 1-12)
Read MoreDon't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword
Read MoreSimple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 2 (Lessons 1-12)
Read MoreDon't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword
Read MoreStories
ALL ON-LINE HERE
For students of Skeul an Tavas Books 1 & 2
Story for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5
Read MoreStory for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 7
Read MoreStory for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 15
Read MoreStory for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 18
Read MoreWorksheets
ALL ON-LINE HERE
For students of Skeul an Tavas Books 1 & 2
Weekly lesson sheets to accompany on-line meetings of the Newlyn class
Read MoreWorksheet 2 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 2
Read MoreWorksheet 3 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 3
Read MoreWorksheet 4 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5
Read MoreWorksheet 5 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5
Read MoreWorksheet 7 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 8
Read MoreWorksheet 8 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 9
Read MoreExams
ON-LINE HERE: Examinations of lovinglivingcornish that are scheduled for June 2025
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: The deadline for candidacy in these examinations has now passed
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Written examination paper, oral examination paper, mark scheme, June 2023
Read MoreAcademic
A critical edition with translation by Graham Thomas and Nicholas Williams (2007)
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Philip Payton's revised and updated history of Cornwall (2017)
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ON-LINE HERE: Paper by Prof Nicholas Williams (2022)
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A new edition of Henry Jenner's original monograph from 1904, underpinning all subsequent work to revive the Cornish language (2010)
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ON-LINE HERE: Paper by Rod Lyon (2007)
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A critical edition with translation by David Frost (2023)
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Two important historical texts, re-edited and translated, together with bilingual review (2020)
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Overview of historical Cornish, and of the early years of revived Cornish, by P. Berresford Ellis (1974)
Read MoreMiscellany
Welcome page with quick links
Read MoreON-LINE HERE: Five principles for the revived Cornish on this website
Read MorePlease read before sending us any communication.
Read MorePlease read before submitting to us any literary work or audio item.
Read MorePlease read before submitting any advertisement to us.
Read MoreA short English-language grammar of Breton
Read MoreObservations on contemporary revived Cornish by former Grand Bard Rod Lyon
Read MoreContact us
- Click on Miscellany for our 'Contact Us' policy.