A playlet for use with Skeul an Tavas Lesson 18
© 2019 Ray Chubb and Ian Jackson
With grateful acknowledgments to John Parker and his original conversation Dhe’n lytherva
2nd edition July 2020
Mrs Treloar wants stamps. Jacket is on duty at the counter in the post office. Mrs Treloar knows her quite well.
JACKET
Myttyn dâ, Mêstres Treloar.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Myttyn dâ, Jacket. Fatla genes hedhyw?
JACKET
In poynt dâ, meur ras. Ha why inwedh?
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Ogh, nyns yw ow heyn pòr dhâ i’n eur-ma, saw ny dal dhybm croffolas, dell dyba’.
JACKET
Drog yw genef clôwes hedna. Pandra alla’vy gwil ragowgh hedhyw?
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Wèl, gas vy dhe weles. Soweth, gasa ow rol prenassa i’n chy my re wrug. Eâ, me a garsa prena whegh stamp kensa class, mar pleg. Usy an re teg genowgh, stampow specyal?
JACKET
Usons, ottensy ha lywans palores warnedha. Whegh stamp – peswar pens whêtek dynar ha dew ugans, mar pleg.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Â, ro dhybm inwedh whegh stamp secùnd class.
JACKET
Whegh stamp hag ëdhyn warnedha kefrës? Hèn yw eth pens, whegh ha dew ugans in cowl-sùm.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Ot obma deg pens, Jacket. Drog yw genef nag eus tra vëth le genef.
JACKET
Ny vern, yma lowr a vona munys genef. Eth pens, whegh ha dew ugans – eth ha dew ugans, hanter-cans, naw pens, deg pens. Eus whans dhywgh a neppyth ken?
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Ogh, eus, namna wrug vy ankevy. Pëth yw an lytherdoll airbost rag danvon lyther dhe Jermany? Ev a vëdh lyther ha carten pedn bloodh ino. Y fëdh pedn bloodh ow whor in Coloyn an seythen a dheu.
JACKET
Â, ny wodhyen vy bos whor dhywgh. Pes bloodh yw hy?
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Dew ugans hy a vëdh. Heb dowt, polta cotha agesof vy.
JACKET
Otham vëth a’y leverel, Mêstres Treloar. An lyther yw moy ès ugans gràm. Ytho an pris yw udn pens, eth dynar ha try ugans, mar nyns yw an lyther moy ès cans gràm.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
A worowgh pes termyn erna dheffa an lyther dy?
JACKET
Ogh, treddeth, dell gresa’.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Gromercy dhis, Jacket, me a vydn gorra an lyther dhe’n post hedhyw dohajëdh.
JACKET
Dâ lowr. Ha me’yll glusa tôkyn airbost dhe’n mailyor ragowgh.
MÊSTRES TRELOAR
Meur ras, Jacket. Now, py eur yw? Ogh, qwartron dhe hanter-dëdh. Y coodh dhybm fystena ha kerhes ow meppyk in mes a’n bagas gwary. Duw genes, da weles.
JACKET
Duw genowgh, Mêstres Treloar, gàs gweles.
Jacket is the Cornish form of Jacqueline. A ‘jacket’ is jerkyn. Note how Mrs Treloar mixes informal ty-forms and more formal why-forms in her conversation with Jacket. Such mixing is quite common in traditional Cornish when speaking to someone you know well. But Jacket stays strictly with why-forms, because she is dealing professionally with a customer. Note also the idiomatic alternatives da weles (= dha weles) and gàs gweles (= agas gweles).
Extra vocabulary
sodhva bost (also lytherva) post office
in poynt dâ in good shape, fit, well
i’n eur-ma right now
saw here but
ny dal dhybm I ought not
croffolas grumble, complain
dell dyba’ I think
gas vy dhe let me (do something)
gasa leave
rol list
my re wrug I have (done something)
an re teg the pretty ones
ottensy here they are
warnedha on them
dynar penny
ro (also roy) give – imperative form of ry
kefrës also, too
cowl-sùm total
vëth any (with negative)
le smaller, less
lowr a lots of
mona munys small change
neppyth ken something else
namna wrug vy I almost (did something)
ankevy forget
lytherdoll airbost airmail letter rate
danvon send
lyther letter
Jermany Germany
carten card
pedn bloodh birthday
ino in it
Coloyn Köln, Cologne
an seythen a dheu next week
ny wodhyen vy I did not know
pes bloodh? how many years old?
polta cotha agesof vy quite a bit older than me
otham vëth here no need
moy ès more than
gràm gram
pris price
a worowgh? do you know?
pes termyn how long
erna dheffa an lyther until the letter arrives
treddeth three days
dell gresa’ I believe
hedhyw dohajëdh this afternoon
glusa glue, stick
tôkyn here label, sticker
mailyor envelope
y coodh dhybm I should
meppyk young son
bagas group