CHAPTER XI—THE IRREGULAR VERBS
The irregular verbs are:—
_môs_ (earlier _mones_), to go.
_dôs_ (earlier _dones_), to come.
_dôn_, to bear or carry.
_drŷ_, to bring.
_rŷ_, to give.
_gǒdhvos_, to know.
Of these, _môs_ and _dôn_ are each made up of two different verbs. The irregularities of _dôs_, _drŷ_, and _rŷ_ are due to contractions, and those of _gŏdhvas_ chiefly to its being compounded with _bos_, to be.
There are irregularities also in the auxiliary verbs _gwîl_, to do, and _gally_, to be able, but these have been already given in Chapter IX.
In earlier Cornish the inflected forms of the irregular verbs were freely used, but later these are comparatively rare, and the impersonal and auxiliary forms became so much commoner that the full inflected form can only be gathered from the early writings and from the rather imperfect paradigms given by Lhuyd.
It is not necessary to give anything more than the inflected verbs here, for the impersonal and auxiliary tenses can easily be worked out from these on the model of the regular verb. These are given without pronouns, though of course pronouns are used, as with other verbs.
In the latest Cornish the infinitives of _môs_, _dôs_, _drŷ_, _rŷ_, were often used colloquially to express the imperative, without much discrimination between singular and plural. These verbs, especially _môs_ and _dôs_, are generally found in late Cornish in the auxiliary form with _gwîl_ and _menny_, but rarely in the simple inflected.
§ 1. _Môs_, to go.
I. PRESENT OR FUTURE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _av_ or _ăthov_ (older 1. _en_ or _ăthen_. _af_).
2. _eth_ or _ătheth_. 2. _eugh_ or _ătheugh_.
3. _a_ or _ătha_. 3. _ans_ or _ăthans_.
II. IMPERFECT OR SECONDARY PRESENT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _ellen_. 1. _ellen_.
2. _elles_. 2. _elleugh_.
3. _ella_. 3. _ellens_.
III. PRETERITE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _êthen_. 1. _êthen_.
2. _êthes_. 2. _êtheugh_.
3. _êth_, _ellas_. 3. _êthons_.
IV. PLUPERFECT OR CONDITIONAL (probable, but not found).
Singular. Plural.
1. _elsen_. 1. _elsen_.
2. _elses_. 2. _elseugh_.
3. _elsa_. 3. _elsens_.
V. SUBJUNCTIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _ellev_. 1. _ellen_.
2. _elly_. 2. _elleugh_.
3. _ello_. 3. _ellons_.
VI. IMPERATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. — 1. _en_.
2. _kê_, _kejy_, _kehejy_. 2. _eugh_. {144}
3. _ens_. 3. _ens_.
INFINITIVE, _môs_.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE, _ow môs_.
PAST PARTICIPLE, _gilles_ (supplied from _gylly_ or _gelly_, to go).
In the impersonal form of the preterite, the verbal particle _a_ often takes an _s_ or _j_ at the end of it, _mî aj êth_, I went, but generally in this form _a_ is omitted, _mî â_, I go; _mî eth_, I went; _mî ello_, I may go, etc. In the _Ordinalia_ and other Dramas the forms _reseth_ and _regeth_ (_rejeth_) are found for the perfect. This is the preterite _êth_ with the particle _re_ and _s_ (_j_), for _th_, prefixed.
§ 2. _Dôs_ (earlier _devonos_, _donos_, _devos_), to come.
I. PRESENT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _dov_ (older _duf_). 1. _down_ (_duen_, _dun_).
2. _dêth_ (_dueth_). 2. _dough_, _deugh_.
3. _dê_ (_due_). 3. _dons_, _desons_.
II. IMPERFECT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _deffen_. 1. _deffen_.
2. _deffes_. 2. _deffeugh_.
3. _deffa_. 3. _deffens_.
III. PRETERITE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _dêtha_, _dêth_ (older 1. _dêthon_ (_duthon_). _duth_, _dueyth_).
2. _dêthes_, _dês_ (older 2. _dêtheugh_ (_dutheugh_). _duthys_, _dues_).
3. _dêth_ (older _dueth_, 3. _dêthons_, _desons_ (_duthens_). _duth_).
IV. PLUPERFECT not found, except third person singular, _dothye_ or _dethye_, and third pl. _dothyans_.
Singular. Plural.
1. _dothyen_, _dethyen_. 1. _dothyen_, _dethyen_.
2. _dothyes_, _dethyes_. 2. _dothy eugh_, _dethyeugh_.
3. _dothya_, _dethya_. 3. _dothyens_, _dethyens_.
V. SUBJUNCTIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _deffev_. 1. _deffen_.
2. _deffy_. 2. _deffeugh_.
3. _deffo_. 3. _deffens_.
IMPERATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. wanting. 1. _dewn_ (_dun_, _duen_).
2. _dês_ (_dues_, 2. _deugh_ (_dugh_). _dus_).
3. _dêns_. 3. _dêns_.
INFINITIVE, _dôs_.
PARTICIPLES. PRESENT, _ow tôs_; PAST, _devedhes_.
“I am come” is _devedhes ov_.
The root vowels of this verb vary a good deal in the MSS. The _ue_ is evidently a single syllable according to the rhythm, and so is the _ye_ or _ya_.
§ 3. _Dôn_, to bear or carry (earlier also _doen_, _doyn_).
I. PRESENT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _degav_. 1. _degon_.
2. _deges_. 2. _degough_.
3. _deg_, _dog_. 3. _degons_.
II. IMPERFECT, not found.
III. PRETERITE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _dîges_ (older _duges_). 1. _dîgon_.
2. _dîges_ (_duges_). 2. _dîgough_.
3. _dîg_ (_dug_, _duk_). 3. _dîgons_.
IV. PLUPERFECT, not found.
V. SUBJUNCTIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _dogev_. 1. _dogen_.
2. _dogy_. 2. _dogeugh_.
3. _dogo_, _doga_. 3. _dogens_.
IMPERATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. wanting. 1. _dogen_.
2. _dog_, _doga_. 2. _degeugh_.
3. _degens_. 3. _degens_.
INFINITIVE, _dôn_, _doga_, or _degy_.
PARTICIPLE. PRESENT, _ow tôn_ or _ow tegy_; PAST, _deges_.
§ 4. _Rŷ_, to give.
I. PRESENT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _rov_. 1. _ren_.
2. _reth_. 2. _reugh_.
3. _re_. 3. _rens_.
II. IMPERFECT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _ren_. 1. _ren_.
2. _res_. 2. _reugh_.
3. _re_. 3. _rens_.
III. PRETERITE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _rês_. 1. _resen_.
2. _resses_. 2. _rosough_.
3. _ros_. 3. _rosons_.
IV. PLUPERFECT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _rosen_. 1. _rosen_.
2. _roses_. 2. _roseugh_.
3. _rosa_. 3. _rosens_.
V. SUBJUNCTIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _rollen_. 1. _rollen_.
2. _rolly_. 2. _rolleugh_.
3. _rollo_. 3. _dollens_, _rollons_.
IMPERATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. wanting. 1. _ren_.
2. _ro_. 2. _reugh_.
3. _roy_. 3. _rens_.
INFINITIVE, _rŷ_.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE, _ow rŷ_.
PAST PARTICIPLE, _reys_.
§ 5. _Dry_, to bring.
Except that the present is:—
Singular. Plural.
1. _dorov_ or _drov_. 1. _doren_ or _dren_.
2. _doreth_ or _dreth_. 2. _dorough_ or _dreugh_.
3. _dore_ or _dre_. 3. _dorens_ or _drens_.
the second person singular of the imperative is _doro_ or _dro_, and the preterite third person singular is _dres_ or _dros_, this verb is _rŷ_ with a _d_ prefixed. The present participle is _ow trŷ_.
§ 6. _Gŏdhvos_, or _gŏdhvas_, to know, compounded of _godh_ or _gŭdh_=knowledge, and _bos_, to be.
I. PRESENT.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gôn_ or _goram_. 1. _gŏdhon_.
2. _gŏdhas_. 2. _gŏdhough_.
3. _gôr_ (second state _wôr_ or ’_ôr_). 3. _gŏdhons_.
II. IMPERFECT, used also as Perfect.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gŏdhen_, _gŏdhyen_. 1. _gŏdhen_, _gŏdhyen_.
2. _gŏdhes_, _gŏdhyes_. 2. _gŏdheugh_, _gŏdhyeugh_.
3. _gŏdha_, _gŏdhya_. 3. _gŏdhens_, _gŏdhyens_.
III. PRETERITE. The second form, given by Lhuyd, is a rather improbable tense, and is not found elsewhere.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gŏdhvên_, _gwedhun_. 1. _gŏdhvên_, _gwedhyn_.
2. _gŏdhvês_, _gwedhys_. 2. _gŏdhveugh_, _gwedheugh_.
3. _gŏdhvê_, _gwedhewys_. 3. _gŏdhvons_, _gwedhans_, _gweians_.
IV. PLUPERFECT OR CONDITIONAL.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gŏdhvîen_. 1. _gŏdhvîen_.
2. _gŏdhvîes_. 2. _gŏdhvîeugh_.
3. _gŏdhvîa_. 3. _gŏdhvîens_.
V. SUBJUNCTIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gŏdhevav_, _gŏdhav_. 1. _gŏdhven_.
2. _gŏdhvy_, _gŏdhy_. 2. _gŏdhveugh_.
3. _gŏdhvo_. 3. _gŏdhvens_ or _gŏdhans_.
VI. FUTURE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _gŏdhvedhav_, _gŏffedhav_. 1. _gŏdhvedhen_, _gŏffedhen_.
2. _gŏdhvedhes_, _gŏffedhes_. 2. _gŏdhvedheugh_, _goffedheugh_.
3. _gŏdhvedh_, _gŏffedh_. 3. _gŏdhvedhens_, _gŏffedhens_.
VII. OPTATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. _re wŏffen_. 1. _re wŏffen_.
2. _re wŏffas_. 2. _re wŏffeugh_.
3. _re wŏffa_. 3. _re wŏffens_.
IMPERATIVE.
Singular. Plural.
1. wanting. 1. _gŏdhvedhen_.
2. _gŏdhvedh_. 2. _gŏdhvedheugh_.
3. _gŏdhvedhens_. 3. _gŏdhvedhens_.
INFINITIVE, gŏdhvos, gŏdhvas, gŏvos.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE, _ow cŏdhvos_.
PAST PARTICIPLE, _gŏdhvedhes_.
INFLECTED PASSIVE, _gŏdher_.
In the impersonal form and elsewhere, when this verb has its initial in the second state, _w_ is substituted for _g_.
The Optative _re wŏffen_, etc. seems to be formed on the imperfect mixed up with the subjunctive.