The Ancient Language And The Dialect Of Cornwall With An Enlarged Glossary Of Cornish Provincial Words. Also An Appendix, Containing A List Of Writers . Pentreath, The Last Known Person Who Spoke Th

Long-descended from Cornishmen, the writer, like others of his countrymen, has a clannish fondness for Cornish words and phrases. From May 1879 to October 1880, the compiler of this book wrote lists of Cornish Provincial Words, which, through the courtesy of the Editor of the “Cornishman”. These letters appeared to interest a good many persons, and lists of provincial words were often asked for, but compliance was impossible without printing, and so, a glossary in the form here given was then decided on. The writer has collected a number of words as spoken in Cornwall at this very time, and he has compared them with similar ones used by Chaucer 500 years ago. The resemblance is an interesting peculiarity of the Cornish dialect ; and for illustration, quotations from Chaucer are given for each word used provincially. A great many apparent l y barbarous , unmeaning, and uncouth words are evidently derived from the ancient Cornish language. By making comparisons between such words, and those formerly used by the old Cornish people, the writer has tried to make such obscure terms more clearly understood.