Chapter II The Initial Mutations
In all the Celtic languages there are certain partly grammatical and partly phonetic changes of the first letters of words, which are called by various names, the most convenient of which is initial mutations. These changes take place in Cornish when words beginning with the letters P, C or K, T or Ch, B, G, D or J, and M are preceded by certain adjectives, prepositions, pronouns, particles, etc., which stand in some governing or qualifying relation to them. Words beginning with other letters, except occasionally F and S, do not change their initials. Very similar changes are often made in the case of the second halves of compound words.
The mutable letters, P, C or K, T or Ch; B, G, D or J form two classes, with mutual relations to one another. A third class, related to the other two, is formed of F or V, H, Dh, and Th. Of these last F and H are the only ones that can occur as primary or unchanged initials. Of these
P, C or K, and T or Ch are called tenues or thin (or hard) letters.
B, G, and D or J are called mediæ or middle (or soft).
F or V, H, Dh, and Th are called aspirates.
One set of tenuis, media, and aspirate is called labial (or lip letters), a second is called guttural (or throat letters), a third is called dental (or teeth letters), from the parts of the mouth most used in forming them.
The labials are:—
Tenuis, P; Media, B; Aspirate, F or V.
The gutturals are:—
Tenuis, C or K; Media, G; Aspirate, H.
The dentals are:—
Tenuis, T or Ch; Media, D or J; Aspirate, Th or Dh.
There is no difficulty in perceiving that the letters forming each of these classes are closely related to one another; in most languages they are interchangeable under certain conditions, and the changes in the Celtic languages called initial mutations are based upon these relations, though the method, rules, and arrangement of these changes differ in the six languages, as do also the names by which they are known.
In Cornish (as in Breton) the general principle is that (1) the tenuis changes under some circumstances into the media, and under others into a form of the aspirate; and that (2) the media changes to a form of the aspirate under some circumstances, and into the tenuis under others; but that (3) the conditions which change the tenuis into the media change the media into the aspirate: while those which change (4) the tenuis into the aspirate leave the media unchanged; and those which change (5) the media to the tenuis leave the tenuis unchanged.
In this book we shall call the original or radical condition of a word its first state.
Thus Pen, a head, Car, a friend, Tâs, a father, Blew, hair, Gras, grace, Dên, a man, Mab, a son, are in their first state.
The change of the tenuis to the media, or a radical media to an aspirate, we call the second state.
Thus, the same words in their second state are Ben, Gar, Dâs, Vlew, ’ras, Dhên, Vab.
The change of the tenuis to the aspirate we call the third state.
Thus, for the first three words the third state is Fen, Har, Thâs.
The other four, beginning with mediæ or m, have no third state.
The change from the media to the tenuis we call the fourth state. It is commonly called provection.
Thus, the fourth state of Blew, Gras, and Dên (the words beginning with tenues or m having no fourth state) is Plew, Cras, Tên.
[It is to be noted, however, that none of these three words, being nouns, would be likely to be subjected to this last change in any real construction, for the fourth state is used almost exclusively with ow, the particle of the present participle of verbs, with the conjunctions a and mar, if, and maga, as, sometimes with the verbal particle y or e, and sometimes with the adverbial particle en, so that it is generally applied to verbs and adjectives.]
The following is a table of changes:—
P has two changes, to B (second state), and F (third state).
C (or K) 70a has two changes, to G (second state) and H (third state).
T (or Ch) 70b has two changes, to D (or J) (second state) and Th (third state).
B has two changes, to V (second state) and P (fourth state).
G has two changes, omitted or changed to W (second state) and C or K or Q (fourth state).
D has two changes, Dh (second state) and T (fourth state).
M has one change, to V (second state).
Occasionally in a few words F changes in the second state to V, and in one case to H. S rarely changes to Z. There is one change of D to N (like what is called the nasal mutation in Welsh). This is in the word dôr, earth, which after the article an is nôr.
In the following tables cases of the use of mutations are shown. It is to be noted that e, his, is one of the words which govern the second state, and ow, my, the third state, and agan, our, the first state, while the particle ow of the present participle governs the fourth state.
Examples of the use of the first, second, and third states:—
| First State. | Second State. | Third State. |
| Tenues: | ||
| Agan Pen, our head Agan Car, our friend Agan Tâs, our father | e ben, his head e gar, his friend e dâs, his father | ow fen, my head ow har, my friend ow thâs, my father |
| Mediæ: | ||
| Agan Blew, our hair Agan Gras, our grace Agan Golow, our light Agan Dên, our man Agan Mab, our son | e vlew, his hair e ’ras, his grace e wolow, his light e dhên, his man e vab, his son | ow blew, my hair (no change) ow gras, my grace (no change) ow golow, my light (no change) ow dên, my man (no change) ow mab, my son (no change) |
Examples of the use of the fourth state:—
| First State. | Fourth State. |
| Tenues: | |
| Palas, to dig Cara, to love Kelmy, to bind Terry, to break | ow palas, digging (no change) ow cŏra, loving (no change) ow kelmy, binding (no change) ow terry, breaking (no change) |
| Mediæ: | |
| Bewa, to live Gǒrra, to put Gwelas, to see Dôs, to come Môs, to go | ow pewa, living ow cŏrra, putting ow qwelas, seeing ow tôs, coming ow môs, going (no change) |
There are a few irregular mutations. Rarely a B after the adverbial particle en changes to F instead of P, e.g. en fras, greatly, from bras, sometimes an M after the same particle changes to F, sometimes an initial G becomes Wh, not C or K, for the fourth state, and in the MSS. there are other exceptional changes. The mutations are very irregularly written even in the best MSS. Sometimes a word is written in its first state when it ought to be in one of the other states, and sometimes mutations are made when they ought not to be, but probably the writers used them correctly enough in speaking, without perhaps clearly recognising the changes as they made them.
The rules for the use of the initial mutations will be given, as occasion occurs, throughout the book, and they will be tabulated at the end, where they will require less explanation than they would if they were given now. But this chapter should be thoroughly learnt and understood before going any further, as these changes are a very important part of Cornish grammar, and a habit should be formed of making them correctly.