ENGLISH FOR CORNISH SPEAKERS
ADVANCED LEVEL EXAMINATION 2010
Copyright University College Relubbus 2010
Translate ONE of the following passages into Standard English (Sowsnek). The first passage is in traditional Kernewek. The second is in modern vernacular Cornish. Write on at least one side of the paper. Answer in words. Marks will be deducted for bad spelling, illegible handwriting and halitosis. Time allowed: 7 hours.
Ple'ma Mammik?
Eus davas y'n karrji? Nag eus. Nyns eus davas y'n karrji. Mes yma sim y'n stevell-omwolghi, war an privedhyow. Foll yw ev -- pur serrys; nyns eus paper privedhyow ena.
Yma Maria y'n stret. Hi a boes war wolowbrenn. Seytek bloedh ha pur deg yw hi. Yma gols melyn ha diwarr hir dhedhi. Yma Maria war an gwari.
Ple'ma mammik? Usi hi war an treth? Nag usi. Yma hi y'n stret gans Maria. Usi hi war an gwari ynwedh? A wodhes ta? Ny wonn.
Where's Maither To?
Iz ther uh sheep in th' garrige? Naw, there iddn. Iz naw bleddy sheep in th' garrige. But izza ape in the back-'ouse, on the bog. Sum bleddy mazed a iz -- iz naw bleddy bog paper out there.
Loveday's deown the road, proppin' up a lampost. Seventeen she iz, an' sum 'ansome maid. She got blonde 'air an' bleddy long legs. On the game she iz, too.
Where's maither to? Izza down the beach? Naw, she idnn. She's deown the road with Loveday. Iz maither on the game 'swell? Knaw, doee? I dunknaw.
This took hours because it made no sense. You've missed the mutations in the second sentence, second passage. 'proppin' up a lampost' is 'hi a boes war wolowbrenn'. What you've got means something entirely different - 'guttin' a conger eel'.
ReplyDeleteThat's why you get 7 hours. We did of course mean "gutting a conger eel". However, you get extra marks for your alternative reading (which is so original that we have adopted it).
ReplyDelete