LEARN CORNISH

On-line classes and resources
for the Cornish language

A CORNISH DICTIONARY FOR CONVERSATION

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

Read More  
NEED MORE CORNISH WORDS?

NEED MORE CORNISH WORDS?

ON-LINE HERE: Kescows Nebes Moy, 2nd edition, supplementary vocabulary classified by topic (work-in-progress)

Read More  
Five Hundred Most Useful Words

Five Hundred Most Useful Words

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

Read More  
CORONAVIRUS GLOSSARY

CORONAVIRUS GLOSSARY

ON-LINE HERE: Unique glossary, Cornish-English, English-Cornish, dedicated specifically to the Covid-19 pandemic

Read More  
What's New? image
THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE
First Chapters of the Classics
Click or tap here

INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET
We've started a bank of Cornish words
in IPA spelling
Click or tap here

GORMOLA AN BENENES
Poem by Nicholas Williams, read aloud by the author
Click or tap here

CORNISH-LANGUAGE PODCASTS BY NICHOLAS WILLIAMS
There are now more than 400 podcasts to choose from
Click or tap here

PASSYON AGAN ARLÙTH
In Standard Cornish spelling
But adapted to be as faithful as possible to the poetics of the original
First 160 verses now published
Click or tap here

DE CREATIONE HOMINIS
Bonner's First Homily
As translated by John Tregear
Now in Standard Cornish spelling
Click or tap here

SACRAMENT AN ALTER
New critical edition by David Frost
Click or tap here

CARA KERNOWEK IN THE MAKING
First 44 of planned 60 lessons
Available as working drafts
Go to Courses page and scroll down

Celebrating 140 years since the birth of A.S.D. Smith
PWYLL PRINCE OF DYFED
The First Branch of the Welsh Mabinogi
Translated by 'Caradar'
Published in full in Standard Cornish spelling for the first time
Click or tap here

Celebrating 140 years since the birth of A.S.D. Smith
BRANWEN DAUGHTER OF LLŶR
The Second Branch of the Welsh Mabinogi
Translated by 'Caradar'
Published in Standard Cornish spelling for the first time
Click or tap here

About Us image
This website is dedicated to supporting those who are learning the Cornish language (Kernowek) in LOVINGLIVINGCORNISH classes and/or using the self-study book DESKY KERNOWEK.

Desky Kernowek and the Cara Kernowek coursebooks used by lovinglivingcornish employ the modern spelling system known as Kernowek Standard (KS). Most Cornish written material on this site is spelled in KS. To check any KS spelling, go to Vocabulary.

It is important to realize there are several other 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. Debating the merits of such differences is outside the scope of this site.

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, and the associated blog Te ha Tesednow. 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 high-quality literature in Cornish, original or translated. We also welcome high-quality podcasts in Cornish. We accept advertising for publications in KS, and for events suitable for learners where Cornish is spoken. Click on Miscellany for our literary / audio and advertising policies.

  •  05/06/2023 19:30
  • Online Event

This class is for complete beginners. Mondays, 19:30, by Zoom. The course is Common European Framework of Reference A1 (Breakthrough), the coursebook is Skeul an Tavas, Standard Cornish edition, available from Amazon UK. We supplement it with a lot of additional material. Fully compatible with all the podcasts and literature on this website.

  •  07/06/2023 19:30
  • Online Event

This class is for those who are no longer beginners but who would like more practice before moving past the introductory stage. Wednesdays, 19:30, by Zoom. And Tuesday and Friday evening slots are sometimes available by arrangement. The course is at the level of Common European Framework of Reference A1 (Breakthrough). New joiners welcome at any time. Contact Us to get the joining details. The class runs until the end of June 2023.

  •  08/06/2023 19:30
  • Online Event

This class is currently for those progressing to Common European Framework of Reference B1 (Lower Intermediate). Thursdays, 19:30, by Zoom. The current coursebook is Cara Kernowek Book Three, with lessons available in pdf format while we road-test it. Fully compatible with all the podcasts and literature on this website. The course is planned to go as far as CEFR B2 (Upper Intermediate), subject to demand. The class will continue to meet in July and August as an on-line 'Summer School'.

  •  04/09/2023 19:30
  • Online Event

This class is for complete beginners. Mondays, 19:30, by Zoom. The course is Common European Framework of Reference A1 (Breakthrough). The coursebook will be Cara Kernowek Book One, available by this summer from magazine / publisher Gweles. Fully compatible with all the podcasts and literature on this website. Meets requirements for Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Go to Contact Us to book a place in this class. The class will only run if there is sufficient demand.

  •  07/09/2023 19:30
  • Online Event

This class is for those who have completed a beginners course and are now progressing to Common European Framework of Reference A2 (Preliminary). Wednesdays, 19:30, by Zoom. The coursebook is Cara Kernowek Book Two, available by this summer from magazine / publisher Gweles. Fully compatible with all the podcasts and literature on this website. Go to Contact Us to book a place in this class. The class will only run if there is sufficient demand.

  •  02/06/2023 16:00 - 04/06/2023 12:00
  •   Towednack, Saint Ives, UK

A residential weekend according to the Tregedna concept, combining learners and more confident speakers, where everyone commits to speak only Cornish. With plenty of activities designed to encourage conversation. Places subject to availability. Contact Us for more information.

SCROLL DOWN

Items are in alphabetical order of Cornish title. For items recently added you can alternatively click or tap MOST RECENTLY ADDED and follow the links from there.

Read More  
MOST RECENTLY ADDED

MOST RECENTLY ADDED

Click or tap and follow the links

Read More  

Adro dhe’n Bÿs in Peswar Ugans Dëdh

Jules Verne's Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days), abridged for young readers

Read More  

Amêthva an Bestas

ON-LINE: George Orwell's Animal Farm, with Cornish-English glossary (instalments from January 2021)

Read More  

An Beybel Sans

The Holy Bible (Old Testament, New Testament)

Read More  

An Brynces wàr an Bysen

ON-LINE HERE: Hans Christian Andersen's Prinsessen paa Ærten (The Princess and the Pea), with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Canker Neb'rug Gwary gans an Mor

ON-LINE HERE: Rudyard Kipling's The Crab that Played with the Sea (a 'Just So' story), with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Corn Tan

ON-LINE HERE: Hans Christian Andersen's Fyrtøjet (The Tinderbox), with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Cronyclys a Bow Bara

ON-LINE HERE: Chapter 1 of Anthony Trollope's The Warden, being the first volume of The Chronicles of Barsetshire, with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Flour a Vrathles Cogh

ON-LINE HERE: Chapter 1 of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Genesyk Dewhelys

ON-LINE HERE: Chapter 1 of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native, with Cornish-English glossary

Read More  

An Golon Yêyn

ON-LINE HERE: Wilhelm Hauff's Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart)

Read More  
KERNOWEK QWYCK

KERNOWEK QWYCK

ON-LINE HERE: Quick Cornish, free taster course

Read More  
ON-LINE CLASSES FROM SEPTEMBER 2023

ON-LINE CLASSES FROM SEPTEMBER 2023

Go to Events page of this website

Read More  
CARA KERNOWEK BOOK ONE

CARA KERNOWEK BOOK ONE

ON-LINE HERE: New coursebook (CEFR A1) for beginners: consultation draft (consultation complete: now being prepared for publication)

Read More  
CARA KERNOWEK BOOK TWO

CARA KERNOWEK BOOK TWO

ON-LINE HERE: New coursebook (CEFR A2) for those who have already taken a beginners course: consultation draft (consultation complete: now being prepared for publication)

Read More  
CARA KERNOWEK BOOK THREE

CARA KERNOWEK BOOK THREE

ON-LINE HERE: Tentative draft of first 11 Lessons of new CEFR B1 coursebook (currently being road-tested)

Read More  

On-line Beginners Class 2022/23

ON-LINE HERE: Worksheets and other material for the lessons so far

Read More  

On-line Bridging the Gap Class 2022/23

ON-LINE HERE: Worksheets and other material for the lessons so far

Read More  

On-line CEFR A2 Class 2021/23

ON-LINE HERE: Worksheets and other material

Read More  

On-line Beginners Class 2021/22

ON-LINE HERE: Worksheets and other material

Read More  

Newlyn Class 2019/21 Worksheet Compendium

ON-LINE HERE: Newlyn Class, all the worksheets for the on-line lessons, March - June 2021 (with cumulative vocabulary)

Read More  

Newlyn Class 2019/21 Individual Worksheets

ON-LINE HERE: Newlyn Class, individual worksheets for the on-line lessons, March - June 2021

Read More  

Desky Kernowek

Support Group materials for the comprehensive self-study course by Nicholas Williams

Read More  
ALPHABET

ALPHABET

ON-LINE HERE: The Standard Cornish alphabet and how to spell out words

Read More  
PRONUNCIATION

PRONUNCIATION

ON-LINE HERE: A simplified guide to pronouncing Cornish

Read More  
IPA Spellings

IPA Spellings

ON-LINE HERE: Cornish words spelled in the International Phonetic Alphabet

Read More  

Conversation patterns

ON-LINE HERE: Basic verb patterns with bos, gwil, mydnas, gallos, godhvos

Read More  

Four Decades of Prose Development

ON-LINE HERE: Famous prose passage written 40 years ago, and how it might look if written today

Read More  

Questions

ON-LINE HERE: Ready-reference guide

Read More  

Reported speech

ON-LINE HERE: Ready-reference guide

Read More  

An gyst wag

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 1

Read More  

Dëdh dâ, Wella

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 2

Read More  

Man-gows

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 3

Read More  

Dëdh dâ, pyw osta?

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 4

Read More  

Me a wra marhogeth

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5

Read More  

Myttyn dâ

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 6

Read More  

In chy Wella ha Tamsyn

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 7

Read More  

An fyt pel droos

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 8

Read More  

An delgolyow hâv

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 10

Read More  

Eus gloos dhis?

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 12

Read More  

Dëdh dâ, Morwena

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 14

Read More  

Pandra wrussys gwil?

Playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 17

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 1

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 1

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 2

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 2

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 3

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 1 (Lessons 1-6)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 1 Crowseryow 3

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 1

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 2 (Lessons 1-12)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 1

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 2

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 2 (Lessons 1-12)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 2

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 3

Simple vocabulary crossword for Skeul an Tavas Part 2 (Lessons 1-12)

Read More  

Key to Skeul an Tavas Radn 2 Crowseryow 3

Don't go to the key until you've attempted the crossword

Read More  

ALL ON-LINE HERE

For students of Skeul an Tavas Books 1 & 2

Yma Peternel ow cùsca

Story for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5

Read More  

Yma Davyth ow cùsca whath

Story for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 7

Read More  

Trystan, gwra fystena

Story for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 15

Read More  

Peder ha'y whor

Story for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 18

Read More  

ALL ON-LINE HERE

For students of Skeul an Tavas Books 1 & 2

Newlyn Class Weekly Sheets

Weekly lesson sheets to accompany on-line meetings of the Newlyn class

Read More  

Gender

Worksheet 1 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 1

Read More  

Missing letters

Worksheet 2 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 2

Read More  

Forms of the verb 'be'

Worksheet 3 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 3

Read More  

Present tense

Worksheet 4 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5

Read More  

Me a garsa cafos dehen rew

Worksheet 5 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 5

Read More  

Ow pewa

Worksheet 6 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 8

Read More  

Lowr a Gernowyon

Worksheet 7 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 8

Read More  

Telling the time

Worksheet 8 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 9

Read More  

Comprehension

Worksheet 9 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 10

Read More  

Revising 4th state mutation

Worksheet 10 for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 11

Read More  

Specification

ON-LINE HERE: lovinglivingcornish examinations in revived traditional Cornish

Read More  

Next examinations

Registration of candidates for the lovinglivingcornish June 2023 A1 examination has closed. The next lovinglivingcornish examinations will be held in Summer 2024.

Read More  
Bewnans Ke: The Life of St Kea

A critical edition with translation by Graham Thomas and Nicholas Williams (2007)

Read More
Cornwall: A History

Philip Payton's revised and updated history of Cornwall (2017)

Read More
Expressing the Future in Cornish

ON-LINE HERE: Paper by Prof Nicholas Williams (2022)

Read More
Handbook of the Cornish Language

A new edition of Henry Jenner's original monograph from 1904, underpinning all subsequent work to revive the Cornish language (2010)

Read More
Sacrament an Alter

A critical edition with translation by David Frost (2023)

Read More
The Charter Fragment and Pascon agan Arluth

Two important historical texts, re-edited and translated, together with bilingual review (2020)

Read More
The Cornish Language and its Literature

Overview of historical Cornish, and of the early years of revived Cornish, by P. Berresford Ellis (1974)

Read More

Policy of this Website: 'Contact Us'

Please read before sending us any communication.

Read More  

Policy of this Website: Literature and Audio

Please read before submitting to us any literary work or audio item.

Read More  

Policy of this Website: Advertising

Please read before submitting any advertisement to us.

Read More  

An Pader

ON-LINE HERE: The Lord's Prayer in Cornish

Read More  

Breton Grammar

A short English-language grammar of Breton

Read More  

Canasta

ON-LINE HERE: Cornish rules for playing Canasta

Read More  

Carten

ON-LINE HERE: Card advertising the Skeul an Tavas website

Read More  

Colloquial Doesn't Mean Corrupt

Observations on contemporary revived Cornish by former Grand Bard Rod Lyon

Read More  

Cornish Family Tree

ON-LINE HERE: Diagram showing how Cornish is descended from the ancestor language, Proto-Indo European, spoken in Eastern Europe 5000 years ago

Read More  

Cornish Today

The ground-breaking examination of revived Cornish, first written by Nicholas Williams in 1995 (3rd edition 2006), leading eventually to Kernowek Standard (KS)

Read More  

Domynôs

ON-LINE HERE: Cornish rules for playing Dominoes

Read More  

Golowan

ON-LINE HERE: Verse spoken when lighting the Golowan bonfire at Midsummer (with pronunciation guide)

Read More  
  • Click on Miscellany for our 'Contact Us' policy.