2026 Day 250

 2026 Dedh Dew Cans ha Hanter Cans

De Lün, seythves mis Gwedngala

Monday, 7th September

It is interesting to see how the development of words we use in Cornish can be traced in place names, and how Cornish was progressively replaced by English. This happened noticeably in the old hundreds of Caradon and North Cornwall, adjacent to England.
Take the words a-bervedh, en bera, a-bera and bera, which we use for inside or inner:

TRESPARRETT (Rospervet 1086)  “middle/inner roughland”
= Rosperveth
CUTPARRETT (Cut Pervet 1324) “middle/inner wood” 
= Cuitpervet (OC)  The Old Cornish hard p is still preserved in pervet middle (and t in cuit wood)

TREBARWITH (Treberveth 1296) “middle/inner farm” 

= Treberveth Meanwhile p was softening to b in MC berveth

TREBARBER (Treberveth 1307) “middle/inner farm” 

= Treberveth 

TREBARVAH (P’uthno) (Treberveth 1342) “middle/inner farm” 

= Treberveth 

Another simple word that allows us to see development and replacement is Middle Cornish bighan which became bian (or vian with lenition). There are plenty of Little Farms (and a few Great Farms) down west, but not so many with earlier names. Perhaps it was more important (or isolated) places which hung onto the older fossilised forms for longer. There is a lot of overlap of old and new.

PENTIRE POINT, East: (Pentirbighan c1270) "little promontory" > Pentir Bian

LOOE, West (Porthbighan 1280, Portbian 1334) “little cove” >

Porth Bian MARAZION

(Marghasyou 1331) “Thursday market” >

Marhas Yow

CARBEAN (Carnbyan 1356) “little tor” >

Carn Bian  

MARAZION

(Marghasbighan 1359) “little market” >

Marhas Vian

TREBEATH (Trebigh 1583) “small farm” >              

Trebigh The remnants of the gh affected the later pronunciation.

COOSEBEAN (Cusbyan c1400) “little wood”  >             

Coosbian        

After that comes the lenition and the stretched out vowel!

TREVEAN (Kea) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (Madron) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (Morvah) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (Newlyn East) Trevian   “little farm” 

TREVEAN (Perranuthnoe) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (Sancreed) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (St Keverne) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (St Levan) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAN (St Merryn) Trevian “little farm” 

TREVEAR (St Issey) Treveur “great farm” 

TREVEAR (St Merryn) Treveur “great farm” 

TREVEAR (Sennen) Treveur “great farm”