List of Cornish dialect words

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This is a select list of Cornish dialect words in English—while some of these terms are obsolete others remain in use.[1][2] Many Cornish dialect words have their origins in the Cornish language and others belong to the West Saxon group of dialects which includes West Country English: consequently words listed may not be exclusive to Cornwall.[3]

Table of contents:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

B

The ruins of Poldice mine, Gwennap
Bal maidens at work, showing traditional dress
The Bettle and Chisel, Delabole

C

A coffen stile at Tremedda Farm
A "Cousin Jack's" pasty shop in Grass Valley, California

D

"Dreckly" on souvenir clocks in Cornwall
Wenford Dries

E

F

Gorse-covered hillside

G

A miner's pick
Four women wearing large white bonnets
Bal maidens wearing gooks, 1890

H

A mounting block at St Buryan
The Huer's Hut overlooking Newquay Bay

J

A black and white engraving of a woman in 18th century clothing with a bonnet. Fish, a crab, a crustacean and a jug are below
Dolly Pentreath (a fish jowster), in an engraved portrait published in 1781

K

L

Linhay at Higher Troswell

M

N

O

Tonkin's Ope, Truro

P

A Cornish pisky

Q

R

S

Stargazy pie
Swaling

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Barrett's Zawn on the north Cornish coast

See also

References

  1. ^ Phillipps, K. C. (1993) A Glossary of the Cornish Dialect[permanent dead link] ISBN 0-907018-91-2
  2. ^ "Cornish dialect dictionary". Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  3. ^ Little attempt has been made to record the districts where most of these words have been used except in a few cases of East, Mid, or West Cornwall, e.g. crib; crowst.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj Nance, Robert Morton (1923). Glossary of Celtic Words in Cornish Dialect. Falmouth: Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society.
  5. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 156–57. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  6. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 8
  7. ^ a b James, C.C. (1949). A History of the Parish of Gwennap in Cornwall. Penzance: C. C. James.
  8. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 15
  9. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 18
  10. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 20
  11. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 22
  12. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 108–09. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  13. ^ Hamilton Jenkin, A. K. (1934) Cornish Homes and Customs. London: J. M. Dent; p. 16
  14. ^ Wakelin, Martyn F. (1977) English Dialects: an introduction; rev. ed. London: Athlone Press; p. 128
  15. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 33
  16. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 34
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Wakelin, Martyn F. (1977) English Dialects: an introduction; rev. ed. London: Athlone Press; p. 129
  18. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 35
  19. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 35
  20. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  21. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; pp. 40-41
  22. ^ Hamilton Jenkin (1934); p. 66
  23. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 42
  24. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 146–47. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  25. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 164–65. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  26. ^ Wakelin, Martyn F. (1977) English Dialects: an introduction; rev. ed. London: Athlone Press; p. 128-29
  27. ^ Coffin stile on St Michael's Way; Wikimedia Commons
  28. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 46
  29. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 46
  30. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 47
  31. ^ Thernstrom, Stephan (1980), Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (2nd ed.), Harvard University Press, pp. 243–44, ISBN 978-0-674-37512-3
  32. ^ Jupp, James (2001), The Australian People: an encyclopedia of the nation, its people, and their origins (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 229, ISBN 978-0-521-80789-0
  33. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 48
  34. ^ Iona Opie, Peter Opie (1959) The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. Oxford: Clarendon Press; map on p. 149
  35. ^ The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.) has "Food, provisions, light meal, etc." (dialectal) as one of the meanings of "crib" giving several examples including quotations from M. A. Courtney's Glossary (1880) and Rowse's Cornish Childhood (1942).
  36. ^ In An Gerlyver Meur 'croust' is given as meaning 'picnic lunch, meal taken to work, snack', and says it is attested in Origo Mundi, line 1901 (written in the 14th century). It also says it comes from Middle English 'crouste', which in turn came from Old French 'crouste'. So it appears that the word was indeed a loan from Middle English but it was in use as part of the Cornish language long before the language died out, and seems to have entered the Anglo-Cornish dialect from the Cornish language.
  37. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 166–67. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  38. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  39. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  40. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 57
  41. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 59
  42. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  43. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 120–21. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  44. ^ Opie, Iona & Peter (1959) The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. Oxford: Clarendon Press; map on p. 149 & "fains or fainites", p. 151
  45. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 154–55. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  46. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  47. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 136–37. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
  48. ^ a b Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 73
  49. ^ Upton, Clive; Widdowson, J. D. A. (1996). An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 160–61. ISBN 978-0-19-869274-4.
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  53. ^ Richards, Mark (1974) Walking the North Cornwall Coastal Footpath. Gloucester: Thornhill Press; p. 50
  54. ^ a b "Glossary | Cornish Mining World Heritage Site". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
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  59. ^ Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard; p. 393
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  61. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 86
  62. ^ Ellis, P. B. (1974) The Cornish Language and its Literature. London: Routledge; p. 115
  63. ^ Kibbal Archived 2015-09-03 at the Wayback Machine; Online dictionary
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  97. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 147
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  101. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; p. 155
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  104. ^ Crystal, David (2015). The Disappearing Dictionary. London: Macmillan; pp. 169-70
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  107. ^ "There's old Wason over to Cury ..." (referring to Sandys Wason)--Walke, Bernard (2002) Twenty Years at St Hilary. Mount Hawke: Truran; p. 25
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  112. ^ Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms by American Geological Institute and U S Bureau of Mines; pp. 128, 249 & 613
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Further reading