Editing Cornish language (section)

=== Morphology ===
==== Mutations ====
Cornish has initial [[consonant mutation]]: The first sound of a Cornish word may change according to grammatical context. As in Breton, there are four types of mutation in Cornish (compared with three in [[Welsh language|Welsh]], two in [[Irish language|Irish]] and [[Manx language|Manx]] and one in [[Scottish Gaelic]]). These changes apply to only certain letters (sounds) in particular grammatical contexts, some of which are given below:{{sfn|Ball|Müller|2009|pp=510-513}}

*[[Lenition]] or "soft" mutation:
**Feminine singular nouns are lenited after {{lang|kw-kkcor|an}} 'the':
***{{lang|kw-kkcor|kath}} 'cat' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|an gath}} 'the cat'
*[[Spirantization]] or "aspirate" mutation:
**Nouns are spirantized after {{lang|kw-kkcor|ow}} 'my':
***{{lang|kw-kkcor|tas}} 'father' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|ow thas}} 'my father'
*[[Provection]] or "hard" mutation:
**Verbs are provected after the verbal particle {{lang|kw-kkcor|ow}} (approximately English "-ing"):
***{{lang|kw-kkcor|gweles}} 'see' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|ow kweles}} 'seeing'
*Lenition followed by provection (usually), or "mixed" mutation:
**Type 1 mixed mutation:
***Occurs after the affirmative particle {{lang|kw-kkcor|y}}:
****{{lang|kw-kkcor|gwelav}} > {{lang|kw-kkcor|y hwelav}} 'I see'
**Type 2 mixed mutation:
***Occurs after 2nd person singular infixed pronoun {{lang|kw-kkcor|'th}}:
****{{lang|kw-kkcor|dorn}} 'hand' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|y'th torn}} 'in thy hand'

==== Articles ====
Cornish has no indefinite [[article (grammar)|article]]. {{lang|kw-kkcor|Porth}} can either mean 'harbour'<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Ken |editor-last=George |editor-link=Ken George |date=2009 |title=porth |page=533 |dictionary=An Gerlyver Meur: Cornish-English; English-Cornish Dictionary |publisher=[[Kesva an Taves Kernewek]] |isbn=9781902917849}}</ref> or 'a harbour'. In certain contexts, {{lang|kw-kkcor|unn}} can be used, with the meaning 'a certain, a particular', e.g. {{lang|kw-kkcor|unn porth}} 'a certain harbour'. There is, however, a definite article {{lang|kw-kkcor|an}} 'the', which is used for all nouns regardless of their gender or number, e.g. {{lang|kw-kkcor|an porth}} 'the harbour'.{{sfn|Williams|1997|pp=17-18}}

==== Nouns ====
Cornish nouns belong to one of two [[grammatical gender]]s, masculine and feminine, but are not inflected for [[grammatical case|case]]. Nouns may be singular or plural. Plurals can be formed in various ways, depending on the noun:<ref>{{cite book |last=Toorians |first=Lauran |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1075291123 |title=Towards a grammar of Middle Cornish |date=2011 |oclc=1075291123}}</ref>

*Vowel change:
**{{lang|kw-kkcor|toll}} 'hole' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|tell}} 'holes'
*Addition of a specific plural suffix:
**{{lang|kw-kkcor|el}} 'angel' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|eledh}} 'angels'
**{{lang|kw-kkcor|tas}} 'father' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|tasow}} 'fathers'
**{{lang|kw-kkcor|gwikor}} 'peddler' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|gwikoryon}} 'peddlers'
*Suppletion:
**{{lang|kw-kkcor|den}} 'man' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|tus}} 'men, people'

Some nouns are collective or mass nouns. Singulatives can be formed from collective nouns by the addition of the suffix ⫽-enn⫽ (SWF ''-en''):

*{{lang|kw-kkcor|gwels}} 'grass' > {{lang|kw|gwelsen}} 'a blade of grass'
*{{lang|kw-kkcor|helyk}} 'willow-trees' > {{lang|kw-kkcor|helygen}} 'a willow tree'

==== Verbs ====
Verbs are [[grammatical conjugation|conjugated]] for [[Grammatical person|person]], [[grammatical number|number]], [[grammatical tense|tense]] and [[grammatical mood|mood]]. For example, the [[verbal noun]] {{lang|kw|gweles}} 'see' has derived forms such as 1st person singular present indicative {{lang|kw|gwelav}} 'I see', 3rd person plural imperfect indicative {{lang|kw|gwelens}} 'they saw', and 2nd person singular imperative {{lang|kw|gwel}} 'see!'<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/436976273 |title=An Outline of the Standard Written Form of Cornish |date=3 June 2008 |publisher=Cornish Language Partnership |first1=Albert |last1=Bock |first2=Benjamin |last2=Bruch |isbn=9781903798560 |edition=1st |pages=76–77 |oclc=436976273}}</ref> Grammatical categories can be indicated either by inflection of the main verb, or by the use of auxiliary verbs such as {{lang|kw-ucrcor|bos}} 'be' or {{lang|kw-ucrcor|gul}} 'do'.{{sfn|Williams|1997|p=166}}

==== Prepositions ====
Cornish uses [[inflected language|inflected]] (or [[grammatical conjugation|conjugated]]) [[preposition]]s: Prepositions are inflected for person and number. For example, {{lang|kw-kkcor|gans}} (with, by) has derived forms such as {{lang|kw-kkcor|genev}} 'with me', {{lang|kw-kkcor|ganso}} 'with him', and {{lang|kw-kkcor|genowgh}} 'with you (plural)'.{{sfn|Ball|Müller|2009|p=516}}