Editing Cornish language (section)

== Phonology ==
{{main|Cornish phonology|Standard Written Form}}
The phonological system of Old Cornish, inherited from Proto-Southwestern Brittonic and originally differing little from Old Breton and Old Welsh, underwent various changes during its Middle and Late phases, eventually resulting in several characteristics not found in the other Brittonic languages. The first sound change to distinguish Cornish from both Breton and Welsh, the [[assibilation]] of the dental stops {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} in medial and final position, had begun by the time of the {{lang|la|Vocabularium Cornicum}}, {{circa|1100}} or earlier.{{sfn|Jackson|1953|p=699}} This change, and the subsequent, or perhaps dialectical, [[palatalization (sound change)|palatalization]] (or occasional [[rhotacism|rhotacization]] in a few words) of these sounds, results in orthographic forms such as Middle Cornish {{lang|cnx|tas}} 'father', Late Cornish {{lang|cnx|tâz}} (Welsh {{lang|cy|tad}}), Middle Cornish {{lang|cnx|cresy}} 'believe', Late Cornish {{lang|cnx|cregy}} (Welsh {{lang|cy|credu}}), and Middle Cornish {{lang|cnx|gasa}} 'leave', Late Cornish {{lang|cnx|gara}} (Welsh {{lang|cy|gadael}}).{{sfn|Chaudhri|2007}} A further characteristic sound change, [[pre-stopped consonant|pre-occlusion]], occurred during the 16th century, resulting in the nasals {{IPA|/nn/}} and {{IPA|/mm/}} being realised as {{IPA|[ᵈn]}} and {{IPA|[ᵇm]}} respectively in stressed syllables, and giving Late Cornish forms such as {{lang|cnx|pedn}} 'head' (Welsh {{lang|cy|pen}}) and {{lang|cnx|kabm}} 'crooked' (Welsh {{lang|cy|cam}}).{{sfn|Chaudhri|2007}}

As a [[language revitalization|revitalised language]], the phonology of contemporary spoken Cornish is based on a number of sources,<ref>{{cite book |last=Mills |first=Jon |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1078987283 |title=Reconstructive Phonology and Contrastive Lexicology: Problems with the Gerlyver Kernewek Kemmyn |date=1999 |publisher=[[University of Exeter Press]] |oclc=1078987283}}</ref> including various [[Linguistic reconstruction|reconstructions]] of the sound system of middle and early modern Cornish based on an analysis of internal evidence such as the orthography and rhyme used in the historical texts,<ref name="J. 1986" />{{sfn|Schrijver|1995}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Wmffre |first=Iwan |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/249114049 |title=Late Cornish |date=1998 |publisher=Lincom Europa |isbn=9783895861222 |oclc=249114049}}</ref> [[Comparative method|comparison]] with the other Brittonic languages Breton and Welsh,<ref>{{cite book |last=Ball |first=Martin J. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/759101335|title=Celtic Linguistics/ Ieithyddiaeth Geltaidd: Readings in the Brythonic Languages. Festschrift for T. Arwyn Watkins. |date=1990 |publisher=John Benjamins Pub. Co. |isbn=9789027278302 |pages=242 |oclc=759101335}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Peter Berresford |author-link=Peter Berresford Ellis |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1256181 |title=The Cornish language and its literature |date=1974 |publisher=[[Routledge]] & Kegan Paul |isbn=0710079281 |location=London |pages=194 |oclc=1256181}}</ref> and the work of the linguist [[Edward Lhuyd]], who visited Cornwall in 1700 and recorded the language in a partly phonetic orthography.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lhuyd |first1=Edward |author1-link=Edward Lhuyd |first2=Dewi W. |last2=Evans |first3=Brynley F. |last3=Roberts |author3-link=Brynley F. Roberts |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/339162016 |title=Archaeologia Britannica: Texts & Translations |date=2009 |publisher=Celtic Studies Publications – Cymru Cyf |isbn=9781891271144 |location=Aberystwyth |oclc=339162016}}</ref>{{sfn|Chaudhri|2007|p=68}}