Page:The ancient language, and the dialect of Cornwall.djvu/123

 103 These resemblances between words in South West Wales, and Cornwall, point to the inter-communication by sea, because, in journeying by land, the traveller passes through districts in which such words are not used. The writer, being a native of central Cornwall, will be found to have spelt many words which are not exactly so pronounced in other parts of the County ; it has been explained how the Cornish dialect varies between the Tamar and the Land's End, yet it is hoped that the spelling and the meanings are not very different from what we find in other districts. There are various ways of spelling provincial words, and as each writer is guided by his hearing the spelling of a great many of them must be phonetic. Young Cornish people appear to be unaware how rapidly their language is altering because of so much more travelling and intercourse, therefore it may be of some interest, if not use to collect all the provincial words which the writer can remember, or glean from other scources ; without so doing it would be impossible that a glossary could ever be completed or rendered useful. Like two colours, the Miner's dialect and that of the Husbandman shade off into each other; this shading is more or less intensified in different places, and the dia- lectic words are being continually scattered, or intermingled by the constant movements of the Cornish population. Western people coming eastwards, and Eastern people going westwards, must therefore keep up a continual interchange of Western and Eastern dialect.