A Grammar of Modern Cornish [Hardcover]

Wella Brown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Cornish Language Board; 2nd edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0907064094
• ISBN-13: 978-0907064091
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,908,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, July 16, 2007

By 

A reader (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Grammar of Modern Cornish (Hardcover)

There are a lot of great materials out there, both in print and online, for learning Cornish. This book stands out among them. It is a gem. It is not a language course - for that, you have to look elsewhere. The auther has a great course book (Skeul an Yeth - The Language Lader). This is a real reference grammar and includes all the "nuts and bolts" that one needs to gain a grasp of how the language works. The 2nd and later editions are in Kemmyn, so users of other orthographies should note this. The book is thorough in its treatment of Cornish grammar and it provides numerous examples of the forms in use. If your interest in Cornish is serious, get this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pur dha, November 5, 2003

By 

Guto Rhys "Guto Rhys" (Glasgow) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Grammar of Modern Cornish (Hardcover)

An excellent grammar. Clearly laid out and researched in the greatest detail. A must for any student of the Cornish language. Very reliable. Written for kernewek kemmyn. The typescript and layout can be a little tiring on the eyes but this is undoubtedly one of the most important works on the Cornish language.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grammar of Modern Cornish by Wella Brown, March 26, 2004

By 

Talat Chaudhri (Aberystwyth, Kembra, Breten Veur) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Grammar of Modern Cornish (Hardcover)

The standard reference guide to revived Cornish. Users of Unified Cornish would do well to double check that they are buying the first edition rather than the second or third, which are in the "phonemic" orthography.

This is a surprisingly detailed and all-encompassing book, from which a great deal of grammar and constructions can be learnt that may well not be easily found as a language learner from the standard courses or the dictionaries. (However, only advanced learners and those with a grammatical bent are likely to make use of it in this way!)

It is a shame that the Language Board, who recognise Unified Cornish in their exams, do not continue to publish this book in its former edition. This reveals a great deal about their approach to pluralism in terms of different views about the future of Cornish orthography, a denial of the reality that Unified remains nearly as strong as Kemmyn even after so many years of attrition and that neither represents a majority.

The first edition is now very difficult to obtain. I hope that permission will be sort by one of the Unified groups to re-publish the former edition, and that Wella Brown will be kind enough to see our point of view and grant it.

After many years, it remains the standard grammar of revived Cornish and will be hard to better in the future.