THE CORNISH LANGUAGE. 
231 
the exception of the names of places and persons. It is curious 
that people should have continued to count in Cornish after they 
used English for other purposes, and that the memory of the 
numerals up to twenty should have survived to the present day 
among a few old folk. The reason, however, is not difficult to 
find. People count in their mother tongue even when they use 
some other for general purposes. There is a Yorkshire system of 
sheepscoring which may be a relic of the extinct Cumbrian language. 
At any rate, it seems the Cornish folk used the Celtic numerals 
for counting pilchards, &c„, up to a score, after they had forgotten 
the language itself. Living Newlyn tradition gives the numerals 
thus : 
1 On 
8 Seth 
15 Pempthack 
2 Deu 
9 Nau 
16 Whethack 
3 Try 
10 Deig 
17 Eithack 
4 Paji(Padzher, Roberts) 
11 Unjack 
18 Leithack 
5 Penip 
12 Dorthack 
19 Naunjack 
6 Wheith 
13 Torthack 
20 Igaus 
7 Eith 
14 Peswarthack 
The Cornish personal pronouns, though free from the cases which 
puzzle and trouble our juveniles in Greek and Latin grammars, 
present another difficulty of a more formidable character in their 
fourfold forms. Each pronoun may be represented in four ways. 
Of these pronouns nothing remains in living tradition, unless 
it be Deu gena why, which I have heard is still used as a 
sort of saying in some place. The meaning of this is Adieu. 
Den = God, the Latin Dens ; French, Dieu. Gena = w T ith. Why 
= you ; i.e. the pronoun in form I. or II. 
I 
Thou- 
He - 
She = 
We = 
You — 
They - 
I. Personal pronoun in simple use. 
II. Personal pronoun in regimen ; e.g. Fr. moi and toi 
III. Persona] pronoun after particle ending with vowel. 
IV. Personal pronoun after a preposition. 
The idea of rendering the personal pronoun by a single letter is 
I. 
ii. 
III. 
IV. 
Poses. 
My, me . 
Vy . 
'm 
.. 'f 'm . 
.. Ou 
Ty • 
•• Sy, gy 
. 'dth . 
's 
.. the 
Ef 
Ef e .. 
'n 
'o 
y 
Hy . 
Hy, y .. 
's 
.. y 
y 
Ny 
.. Ny 
'n 
'n 
. . agan 
Why 
.. Why ., 
s 
.. ugh . 
. . agas 
y 
y 
's 
e 
.. aga 
