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_) {70b} (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_
{70a} 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 _e ben_, his head _ow fen_, my head
_Agan Car_, our _e gar_, his friend _ow har_, my friend
friend
_e dâs_, his father _ow thâs_, my father
_Agan Tâs_, our
father
Mediæ:
_Agan Blew_, our hair _e vlew_, his hair _ow blew_, my hair (no
change)
_Agan Gras_, our _e ’ras_, his grace
grace _ow gras_, my grace (no
_e wolow_, his light change)
_Agan Golow_, our
light _e dhên_, his man _ow golow_, my light (no
change)
_Agan Dên_, our man _e vab_, his son
_ow dên_, my man (no
_Agan Mab_, our son change)
_ow mab_, my son (no
change)
Examples of the use of the fourth state:—
First State. Fourth State.
Tenues:
_Palas_, to dig _ow palas_, digging (no change)
_Cara_, to love _ow cŏra_, loving (no change)
_Kelmy_, to bind _ow kelmy_, binding (no change)
_Terry_, to break _ow terry_, breaking (no change)
Mediæ:
_Bewa_, to live _ow pewa_, living
_Gǒrra_, to put _ow cŏrra_, putting
_Gwelas_, to see _ow qwelas_, seeing
_Dôs_, to come _ow tôs_, coming
_Môs_, to go _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.