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Gwefan Cymru-Catalonia |
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1273e “An Elementary Welsh Grammar” by John
Morris-Jones (1864-1929), professor of Welsh at Coleg y Brifysgol (
PLURALS
OF ADJECTIVES
(1) Many
adjectives have plural forms.
Today
they are little used in the spoken language, at least not spontaneously.
The
singular form tends to be used instead.
However,
in formal written Welsh it is usually
regarded
as more correct to use the plural forms.
Thus
tÿ gwag
(=
empty house)
The literary plural form is
tai gweigion (= empty houses);
but in
the spoken language
tai gwag (= empty houses) is the more likely combination
(2) These
plural forms of adjectives are likely to be found in:
a)
poetry
b)
careful prose (such as legal texts)
c) as
fossils in many place names (eg Coed Cochion, = red trees, red wood)
d) in a
number of fossilised expressions in the spoken language
mwÿar
duon =
blackberries
(3) How
is the plural formed? Briefly, there are four possibilities:
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1 vowel change (llydan > llydain) |
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2
addition of the termination -ion (bÿr > byrion) |
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3
addition of the termination -on (du > duon) |
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4
vowel change and the addition of the termination -ion or -on (trwm > trymion) (gorau
> goreuon) |
(4) Looked
at in greater detail:
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····· |
||
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1 vowel change |
||
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A
number of possible changes exist 1 a > ai 2 a > ei 3 a-a > e-ÿ 4 a-e > e-ÿ |
(llydan,
llydain) = wide (marw
> meirw) = dead (cadarn
> cedÿrn) = strong (caled
> celÿd) = hard |
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····· |
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2 addition of the termination -ion |
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hir > hirion = long |
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····· |
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3 addition of the termination -on |
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1
after -u du > duon = black 2
after a consonant + r budr > budron = dirty 3
after a consonant + w gloÿw
> gloÿwon =
bright (ÿ here is a consonant) gwelw > gwelwon = pale |
||
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····· |
||
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4 vowel change and the addition of the termination -ion or -on |
||
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1 a > ei 2 ai > ei 3 w > y 4 ÿ > y 5 aw > o 6 au > eu |
(dall
> deillion) = blind, (marw > meirwon) = dead (main
> meinion) = thin (trwm
> trymion) = heavy (melÿn
> melynion) = yellow (tlawd
> tlodion) = poor (tenau > teneuon) = thin |
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(5) Note
that some adjectives can have two plural forms -
marw
> meirw, meirwon
garw
> geirw, geirwon
Note
also that in
coch
> cochion (standard
and North), cochon (
(6) Which
adjectives have plural forms? Basically,
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Some
monosyllabic adjectives: du, duon = big |
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Some
disyllabic adjectives: llydan, llydain = wide |
(7) Looked
at in greater detail:
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a) Many monosyllabic and some disyllabic adjectives have plural forms. |
|
coch,
cochion =
red; mawr,
mawrion =
big; tew,
tewion =
fat,
ieuanc,
ieuainc
= young, etc But
then again, many don't! (For
example, glân = clean, pur = pure, araf = slow) |
|
····· |
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b) adjectives ending in -adwÿ, -aid, -aidd, -gar,
-in, -llÿd / -lÿd don't have plural forms |
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(For
example, llychlÿd = dusty, cymeradwÿ = recommendable, hawddgar
= pleasant) |
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····· |
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c) adjectives in -ig, -og, -ol, -us can
be made plural by the addition of -ion. -igion, -ogion, -olion, -usion |
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They
are used in very formal registers and come before the noun fy
ngharedigion bobl = my beloved people |
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However,
many adjectives in -ig, -og, -ol, -us cannot be made plural! For example, swÿnol = charming |
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····· |
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d) compound adjectives cannot usually be made plural (eg hirben = shrewd) unless the final element is an existing adjective |
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(crwn,
crynion = round; pengrwn, pengrynion = round-headed) Some
adjectives in the plural form can ONLY be used as nouns bechgÿn
enwog =
famous boys yr
enwogion
= the famous; famous people (that is, *bechgÿn enwogion is not
possible) Some
adjectives in the plural form can ALSO be used as nouns; bechgÿn
tlodion =
poor boys, y tlodion = the poor; poor people y
myfyrwÿr deillion = blind students, y deillion = the blind,
blind people |
(8) Adjectives which can ONLY
take a plural form when used as nouns usually refer to categories of people or
animals or objects;
y
doethion =
wise people
blwÿddiaid = year-old animals
ffyddloniaid = the faithful
(9) Some
adjectives are also used as nouns in the plural to denote location
yr
eithafion / yr eithafoedd = the extremes
uchelion = the heights, the heavens
pellafoedd / pellafion =
extremes (ym mhellafoedd y ddaear / ym mhellafion y ddaear = at the ends
of the earth)
(10) Some
adjectives are also used as nouns in both the singular and plural:
dirgel = (adj) secret - ystafell
ddirgel = secret room
yn y dirgel = in secret
dirgelion = secrets (also: private parts, pudenda)
cyfrin = (adj) secret (as in Y
Cyfrin-gyngor the Privy Council, ymddiriedaeth gyfrin = secret
trust)
cadw'r gyfrin = (noun) (archaic or literary) keep a secret
cyfrinion = mysteries (yr hen gyfrinion = the ancient mysteries)
Adolygiad
diweddaraf - latest update 06 06 2000
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