§ 4 The Plural of Nouns
There are seven ways of forming the plural of nouns.
1. In ow or yow (pronounced o or yo). This is the commonest form, and would naturally be used for most new words. It answers to the Welsh au or iau, and the Breton ou or iou.
alwedh, a key, alwedhow.
dorn, a hand, dornow.
arv, a weapon, arvow.
bedh, a grave, bedhow.
ro, a gift, roow.
scovorn, an ear, scouornow.
dêdh, a day, dêdhyow.
Dew, God, dewow.
enev, soul, enevow.
cledh, ditch, cledhyow.
gwredh, root, gwredhyow.
menedh, mountain, menedhyow.
trev, tre, town, trevow.
tîr, land, tiryow,
Some which follow this form have peculiarities of their own.
a. Some double the last consonant, which has the effect of shortening the sound of the preceding vowel, and if the last consonant is an s, giving it the sound of s instead of z. Thus:—
Tâs, father, tassow.
fôs, wall, fossow.
lêr, floor, lerryow.
gêr, word, gerryow.
garget, garter, gargettow.
b. Some, which end in er or ar, drop the last vowel. Thus:—
levar, book, levrow.
dagar, tear, dagrow.
kenter, nail, kentrow.
c. Some insert g or k after a final l.
cŏsŏl, counsel, cŏsŏlgow.
tewal, dark, tewlgow or tewalgow.
del, leaves (collectively), delkyow (simple plural).
d. Some modify the root vowel. Thus:—
mâl, a joint, melyow.
2. In yon or on. This is also very common.
Cristiŏn, a Christian, Cristiŏnyon.
sgwer, esquire, sgwerryon.
caradow, friend, caradowyon.
scŏlŏr, scholar, scŏlŏryon.
deskibl, disciple, deskiblyon.
Breth, Briton, Brethon.
Sows, Englishman, Sowson.
prev, worm, prevyon.
When a word ends in k, and has this form of the plural (as most words ending in k have) the last letter becomes g.
bohajak, poor, bohajagyon.
marrek, knight, marregyon.
gowek, liar, gowegyon.
Some modify the root vowel.
clav, sick, clevyon.
mab, son, mebyon.
gwas, serving-man, gwesyon.
Yethow, Jew, Yethewon.
Kernow, Cornishman, Kernewon.
kîf, dear, kefyon.
gwîr, true, gweryon.
Those ending in er and ar, after a mute, contract the last syllable of the root.
lader, thief, laddron.
This termination is the only one used for the plural of adjectives. These are rarely inflected when in agreement with a plural noun, but when used as nouns they make their plural in this way. A large number of adjectives and also some nouns end in ek or ak. It is also the regular plural of words ending in or denoting an agent.
3. In y. This termination is more common in Cornish than in Welsh or Breton, though it is not uncommon in those languages also. It is often written i in the MSS.
esel, limb, esely.
mowes, girl, mowesy.
Gwidhel, Irishman, Gwidhely.
castell, castle, castelly.
legast, lobster, legesty (with a change of vowel).
porhel, pig, porhelly.
bîgel, shepherd, bîgely.
profes, prophet, profesy or profejy.
servis, servant, servisy or servijy.
gwithes, guardian, gwithesy. arledh, lord, arledhy.
trahes, cutter, trahesy (e.g. trahesy meyn, stone cutters).
This plural is mostly used for words ending in l and s, though not exclusively, and it occurs occasionally with other words. When a word ends in s preceded by a thin vowel, that letter is sometimes written j in the plural.
4. In es or edh. This is the equivalent of the Welsh edd, ydd, or oedd, and the Breton ed, though it is not necessarily used for the same words. Sometimes the vowel is modified. Thus:—
mergh, daughter, merhes. 86
benen, woman, benenes.
flogh, child, flehes.
côl, coal, côles.
rôm, room, rômes.
laha, law, lahes.
best, beast, bestes.
silly, eel, sillyes.
abostol, apostle, abesteledh.
broder, brother; brederedh, brethren.
el, angel, eledh.
gwrêg, wife, gwrêgedh.
A variant of this, written by Lhuyd az, yz, or oz, the vowel being obscure, is best represented in this spelling by as. It perhaps answers to the Welsh od, and iaid.
canker, crab, kencras.
pesk, fish, pescas.
bes, finger, besyas.
bat, staff, battas.
fow, den, fowas.
cap, cap, cappas.
5. By the modification of the vowel.
trôs, foot, treys.
mên, stone, meyn.
broder, brother; breder, brothers.
davas, sheep, deves, but also devejyow.
margh, horse, mergh.
tol, hole, tel.
ascorn, bone, escarn.
sans, saint, sêns, but also sansow.
dans, tooth, dêns.
yar, hen, yer.
mab, son, mêb, but also mebyon.
manek, glove, menik.
gavar, goat, gever.
6. By dropping the syllable en or an from the singular; or rather in this case the singular is formed from a plural, usually more or less collective, by adding the individualising suffix an or en. The words to which this applies are mostly such as are more commonly used in the plural, and the en becomes, as Norris calls it, “an individualising particle.” Thus:—
dêl, leaves, foliage; dêlen, a leaf.
gwrîhon, sparks; gwrîhonen, a spark.
gwêdh, trees; gwêdhen, a tree.
gwêl, rods, twigs; gwêlen, a rod, a twig.
lûhas, lightning; lûhesen, a flash of lightning.
scow, elder trees; scowen, an elder tree.
eithin, furze; eithinen, a furze bush.
loggas, mice; loggosan or loggojan, a mouse.
low, lice; lewen, a louse.
redan, fern; redanen, a single fern.
mor, berries; moren, a berry.
hern, pilchards; hernen, a pilchard.
mŭrryan, ants; murryanen, an ant.
on, ash trees; onnen, an ash.
enwedh, ash trees; enwedhen, an ash, from on, ash, gwêdh, trees.
glasten, oaks; glastenen, an oak.
gwern, alders; gwernen, an alder.
spern, thorns; spernen, a thorn.
bannol, broom (the plants collectively); bannolen, a broom (to sweep with).
And many others, chiefly names of plants and animals of a more or less gregarious nature. Some of these have other plurals, formed by adding one of the plural terminations to the collective plural. These would be used when the collective idea was not required. Thus:—
dêl, leaves (collective); delkyow or delgyow, leaves (not collectively).
Some singulars in en form their modern plurals from a lost collective plural, i.e. by dropping the en and adding one of the ordinary plural terminations. Thus:—
asen, a rib; asow, ribs.
gwillen, a sea-gull; gwilles, gulls.
7. In en, with or without alteration of vowel and contraction. Thus:—
kŷ, dog; kîen.
hanow, name; henwen (formerly hynwyn).
There is no general definite rule for the formation of plurals; they must be learnt by experience. Some words are found with two plurals, but this generally means a tendency in modern Cornish to consider yow or ow to be the normal termination, and to discard other endings in favour of it, just as the plural in s in English has superseded all but a very few other forms. Thus:—
escop (or epscop), bishop; escobyon or escobow.
Dew, God; dewon or dewow.
flogh, child; flehes or flehesow (flejow).
dêlen, leaf; dêlyow or delkyow.
tîr, land; terros or terryow.
enes, island; eneses or enesow.