Publication of the second edition of Gerlyver Kescows is expected in 2021. A draft of the Checklist of Mutations appears below. If you are supportive of revived traditional Cornish and the Kernowek Standard spelling system, please let us know if you find any errors. Go to Contact Us.
This text: 7 May 2021 (17:00)
CHECKLIST OF MUTATIONS
Second state (lenition)
b > v
c > g
No change after s, th
ch > j
d > dh
No change before û = yoo
Occasionally no change after s: e.g. nos, tus
g > zero
gl, gr often unchanged, but , but glân > lân is regular
growedha / groweth / grugys > wrowedha / wroweth / wrugys
Monosyllables usually unchanged, e.g. gis
And many loan-words also resist this change
go > wo
goo > woo
gou > wou
gu > wu
gù > wù
gû > wû
gw > w
k > g
No change after s, th
m > v
p > b
No change after s, th
qw > g
No change after s, th
t > d No change after s, th
In loan-words go sometimes > o: e.g. arolegyth, an orseth
Second state in speech but not in writing
f > v
fl, fr unchanged
Some also argue for s > z. But the evidence for such a regular mutation is not strong. The pronunciation of s as [z] is better regarded as a matter determined primarily by phonetic environment and regional variation.
Third state (spirantization)
c > h
cl, cr unchanged
> h kn unchanged
qw > wh
p > f
t > th
Fourth state (provection)
b > p
d > t
g > c / k
gw > qw
Fifth state (mixed)
b > f
> v after th
But note ‘re’th fo’ in wishes
d > t
g > h
gl, gr unchanged
go > who
> wo after th
goo > whoo
> woo after th
gou > whou
> wou after th
gu > whu
> wu after th
gù > whù
> wù after th
gû > whû
> wû after th
gw > wh
> w after th
m > f
> v after th
Note the unique nasal mutation dor > an nor (in special sense ‘earth as opposed to heaven’). The development d > j after n in a few words (an jëdh, a’n jeves etc) is sometimes called nasal mutation because it is triggered by n although the result of the change is not itself a nasal.