Two different things
People sometimes mix up the Cornish language and Cornish English. They are different. The Cornish language is a Celtic language, related to Welsh and Breton, and it has a modern revival. Cornish English, or the Cornish dialect, is English as spoken in Cornwall. It has its own words, pronunciations and turns of phrase, and it is the everyday speech of most Cornish people today.
The two are connected, but the connection is partial. As English spread westward over the centuries, Cornish speakers learned it while still using their own language, and some Cornish words and habits of speech passed into the English that resulted. Other features come from the wider south-west of England and from the trades and industries that shaped the county, such as mining and fishing.
Where the dialect comes from
Dialect is shaped by many influences, and in Cornwall these probably include:
- The Cornish language. A few words survive in everyday English, and many more in place names and surnames. Influence on grammar and sound is harder to measure, and scholars treat it carefully.
- West Country English. Cornwall shares many features with Devon and Somerset, such as certain vowel sounds and some vocabulary.
- Occupations. Mining, fishing and farming all produced technical vocabulary, some of which became general speech.
- Contact with outsiders. Sailors, traders, soldiers, visitors and returning emigrants brought new words.
Because dialect lives in speech, spelling is not standard. You will find the same word spelled in several ways in books, on postcards and online. Treat any spelling as one version.
Some well-known words and phrases
A few examples give the flavor. Meanings and usage vary from place to place and from speaker to speaker, and many younger people use few of these words in daily talk.
- Dreckly. Roughly “directly”, but famously flexible. It can mean soon, later, or at some unspecified point. It is often used with a smile.
- Proper job. Said of something done well, or as an expression of approval.
- Proper is also used as an intensifier, as in “proper cold”, meaning very cold.
- My lover, my handsome, my bird. Everyday terms of address, used by people of both sexes and by speakers of all ages. They are warm and ordinary, not romantic.
- Teasy. Irritable or bad-tempered.
- Dimpsy. Dusk or twilight, a word associated with the south-west more widely.
- Emmet. Literally an ant, but long used for tourists. Some people use it playfully and some consider it rude, so visitors are best to avoid it.
- Oggy. A pasty, a word tied up with the Cornish pasty and the identity that goes with it.
- Cousin Jack. A Cornishman, especially a miner who worked overseas.
For a longer list that includes technical, language and landscape terms, see the glossary of Cornish terms.
Sayings and speech patterns
Some features of Cornish English are about structure and sound rather than vocabulary. A few that are often mentioned include:
- The use of “to” at the end of a question about place, as in “Where’s that to?”.
- Verb constructions such as “I do go” for something done regularly, a feature shared with the wider south-west.
- Distinctive vowel sounds and rhythm, which differ between west and east Cornwall, and between town and country.
These features should be taken as general tendencies. Individual speakers differ a great deal, and the dialect has changed. Mass media, schooling and population movement have all influenced the way people talk, so the speech of an older farmer in a rural parish may sound very different from that of a teenager in a larger town.
Dialect in writing and performance
Cornish dialect has a long life in writing. Local authors have used it in stories, poems and humorous sketches, and dialect has long appeared in comic performance, folk song and storytelling. Some of this has been affectionate and skilled. Some, especially from outside Cornwall, has leaned on stereotypes. The wider topic is covered in discussions of Cornwall in literature, where dialect appears alongside other voices.
Folk music and chapel singing also keep older speech patterns in view, and Cornish folk music often includes dialect words in its songs.
Respect and caution
A few cautions are worth stating.
- Do not imitate. Trying a “Cornish accent” can sound mocking, even if meant kindly. Listening is better.
- Do not assume. Not every Cornish person uses these words, and many speak what is simply standard English with a regional accent.
- Be careful with labels. Words like emmet can offend in some settings.
- Treat guides as snapshots. Lists of dialect words, including this one, record tendencies rather than rules.
For visitors, the best approach is the same as with any local custom: listen, ask politely if you do not understand, and take the lead from the people around you. This fits with the wider advice on local etiquette and community life.
A living variety
Dialect is not a fossil. It changes with each generation, and some older words are fading while new expressions appear. Many people see local speech as an important part of identity, and recording it has become a hobby for local historians and community groups. At the same time the Cornish language is being taught and used again, which gives the county two linguistic threads: the revived Celtic language and the English with its own character. Enjoying both, and keeping them distinct, is a sound starting point.