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In this lesson, you will learn:
Stress in Cornish is always on the penultimate syllable (the second to last). This even happens when syllables are added:
Example:
- Kernow 'Cornwall, a Cornishman'
- Kernewek 'the Cornish language'
- kerneweger, 'a Cornish speaker'
- kernewegoryon 'Cornish speakers'
There are some exceptions, these will be pointed out as they appear.
Before you can accurately pronounce Cornish, you need to know how to ascertain the length of the vowel. Cornish has rules for this so it is quite regular, but there are exceptions, which will need to be learnt separately.
- All unstressed vowels are short.
- In stressed words of one syllable, vowels are:
- Long at the end of words
- Long before the graphs <b>, <dh>, <g>, <gh>, <k>, <l>, <m>, <n>, <r>, <s>, <st>, <th> and <v>
- Short before the graphs <ch>, <ff>, <ll>, >p<, <rr>, <ss>, <t>
- Short before any other two consonants (except <st>)
- Stressed vowels in words of more than one syllable are short (there are a few exceptions which will be pointed out as they appear).
| <a> |
- When long, as in a drawn out English sad
- When short, as in English cat
- When unstressed, as in English sofa
- When before rr, rt and lt, as in English father
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| <aw>
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As in English cow
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| <ay>
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As in English why
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| <b> |
Same as English
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| <c> |
- As in English city
- In placenames, as in English cat
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| <ch> |
Same as English
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| <ck> |
Same as English
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| <d> |
Same as English
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| <dh>
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As in English this
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| <e> |
- When long, as in English air (before the r sets in)
- When short, as in English bet
- When unstressed, as in English fallen
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| <eu>
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As in French peur
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| <ew>
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A combination of English made and took made in rapid succession
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| <ey>
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A combination of English sofa and see made in rapid succession
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| <f> |
- Usually as in English face
- When lenited, as in English van
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| <g>
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As in English gun
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| <gh>
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Pronunciation varies between speakers:
- Some pronounce it as in Scottish loch
- Some pronounce it as in English Aha!
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| <gwr>
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As in English great
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| <h> |
Same as English
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| <hw>
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As in Scottish or posh English where
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| <i> |
- When stressed, as in English seen
- In unstressed position in the middle of a word, as in English satin
- In unstressed position at the end of a word, baby
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| <ia>
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As in the English name Leah
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| <iw>
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A combination of English see and took made in rapid succession
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| <j> |
Same as English
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| <k> |
Same as English
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| <ks>
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As in English box
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| <kw>
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As in English quick
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| <kwr>
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As in English crack
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| <l> |
Same as English
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| <m> |
Same as English
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| <n> |
Same as English
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| <o> |
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| <oo> |
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| <ou> |
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| <ow> |
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| <oy> |
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| <p> |
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| <r> |
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| <s> |
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| <sh> |
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| <ss> |
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| <t> |
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| <u> |
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| <v> |
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| <w> |
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| <y> |
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| <yw> |
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| <z> |
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