Page:A handbook of the Cornish language; Chiefly in its latest stages with some account of its history and literature.djvu/98

Rh initial of the adjective remains in the first state. If the noun is feminine singular, the initial of the adjective changes to the second state.

3. The pronoun of the third person singular, used for a feminine noun, even when it signifies an inanimate object, is hŷ, she, not ev, he. Examples:—


 * tâs, a father; an'tâs, the father.
 * tassow, fathers; an dassow, the fathers.
 * mergh, a daughter; an vergh, the daughter.
 * merhes, daughters; an merhes, the daughters.
 * tâs mas, a good father; mergh vas, a good daughter; an vergh vas, the good daughter.
 * tassow mas, good fathers; merhes mas, good daughters.

It will be evident, considering that a large number of nouns and adjectives do not begin with mutable letters, that the question of gender only applies to a limited number of nouns and adjectives, and therefore presents but little difficulty. Perhaps the best way to learn the genders of nouns with mutable initials is to get accustomed to their sound with the article prefixed. The feminine equivalents of certain masculine nouns denoting animate objects are represented, as in other languages, in one of two ways, by the addition of a syllable or by different words.

1. By the addition of es. This is the regular form.


 * arledh, lord; arledhes, lady.
 * pestrior, a wizard; pestriores, a witch.
 * coweth, a companion, masc.; cowethes, a companion, fem.
 * mow, a boy; mowes, a girl.
 * sans, a saint; sanses, a female saint.
 * eneval, an animal, masc.; enevales, an animal, fem.