Guide to the Cornish Language

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Confused by the odd names of Cornish villages, towns, houses, rivers etc.? Below is a table of Cornish words to help you translate those bizarre names.

To find the English translation of a Cornish word, it often helps to break it down into chunks that resemble phonetic equivalents in Cornish, for example:

Cornish name

Cornish phonetic equivalents

Cornish translation of English
Carn Brea   Heap of rock Hill
Porthtowan porth - towan Sandy Cove
Penzance pen - sans Holy Highland
Camel (as in Camelford) cam - (hay)le Crooked Estuary

 

I've barely scraped the surface of the language, but at least from these few words you can translate many of the Cornish place names. There are some links at the bottom of the page to some excellent sites I found.

Cornish

English
ALS Cliff
ARTH High place
BAL Mine
BEAN Small
BOS Dwelling
BOUNDER Lane
BREA Hill
BRYN Mound
CAM Crooked
CAR Camp
CARN Heap of rock
CATH Cat
CARRICK Rock
CHY House
COATH Old
COOMBE Valley
CREEK Burial ground
CROWS Cross
CUI Narrow
DOWER Water
DU Black
DYNAS Fort
EGLOS Church
ENYS Island

Cornish

English
FENTON Spring
FOGO Cave
FORTH Road
FOS Ditch
GARTH Garden
GOON Downland
GWEAL Field
GWYNS Wind
HAL Moor
HAYLE Estuary
KERNOW Cornwall
KELLY Grove
KEYNANS Gorge
LAN Enclosure
LYN Stream
MAEN Stone
MARHAS Market
MELYN Mill
MENHYR Long stone
MOR Sea
MOREB Seashore
MOW Rick
MUR Large
NANS Valley

Cornish

English
NOWETH New
PARC Field
PELL Distant
PEN Highland/End
POL Pool
PORTH Harbour/Cove
ROS Spur of land
RUTH Red
RYN Slope
SANS Holy
SCATH Boat
SCAWEN Elder Tree
STEN Tin
TOL Hole
TOWAN Sand dune
TRE Homestead
TRETH Beach
VENTON Spring
VEAN Small
VOR Furrow
WARTHA Higher
WHEAL Mine
WOLLAS Lower
   

 

For an in depth look at the Cornish language, have a look at the Cornish Language Advisory Service. Another site that I have to recommend is the brilliant Cornish Dialect and Idiosyncrasies (this link seems to be broken 9 Oct 03). Check out the Goonhilly Cornish phrase book. As a Cornish chap that no longer lives in Cornwall, I found it hilarious, especially after friends that have met my family said they couldn't understand a word that was said!

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Last updated 01 January 2005 . Copyright © 1999-2005 by Adrian Eddy. All rights reserved.

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