0914 Welsh grammar - inverted word order. The usual order is
verb-subject-complement, but if the complement is to be emphasised it is placed
at the head of the sentence. Mae Siān yn fedd’g - Siān is a doctor. Medd’g ’w
Siān - (it is) (a) doctor that-is Siān - not a broadcaster, not an artist, etc.
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1273e An Elementary Welsh Grammar by John
Morris-Jones (1864-1929), professor of Welsh at Coleg y Brifysgol (
The usual order is verb-subject-complement, but
if the complement is to be emphasised it is placed at the head of the sentence.
Mae Siān yn fedd’g - Siān is a doctor. Medd’g ’w Siān - (it is) (a) doctor
that-is Siān - not a broadcaster, not an artist, etc.
Inverted Word Order.
The Complement at the head of a Sentence
y-mae Siān yn
meddwl - Siān thinks, Siān's thinking
Verb (y mae) + subject (Siān) + complement (yn meddwl)
meddwl y-mae Siān - it's thinking that-is Siān
complement (meddwl) + verb (y mae) + subject (Siān)
Note that the linkword 'yn' is dropped when the
complement comes first.
In some cases y-mae becomes ’w when the complement comes first.
Y-MAE
(1) verbnoun
y-mae Siān yn meddwl
meddwl y-mae Siān
(2) adverbial
y-mae Siān yma - Siān is here
yma y-mae Siān - (it is) here (that)
Siān is
(3) prepositional phrase
y-mae Siān yn y cae - Siān is in the
field
yn y cae y-mae Siān - (it is) in the
field (that) Siān is
YW
(4) noun
y-mae Siān yn fedd’g - Siān is a doctor
medd’g ’w Siān - (it is) (a) doctor
(that) Siān is
Note that the linkword yn with a noun causes the soft mutation; when the
linkword is dropped there is no soft mutation
(5) adjective
y-mae Siān yn dal - Siān is tall
tal ’w Siān - (it is) tall (that) Siān
is
Note that the linkword yn with a noun causes the soft mutation; when the
linkword is dropped there is no soft mutation
(6) pronoun
(not used with y-mae)
Siān ’w hon - this is Siān, (it is) Siān (that) is this one
hon ’w Siān - this is Siān, (it is) this one (that) is Siān
These might be used in the context of looking at a photo
Who's this? That's Siān - Pw’ ’w hon? SIĀN ’w hon
Which one's Siān? This one's Siān - P'un
’w Siān? HON ’w Siān
Y-mae + plural subject
y-mae Siōn yn cael cinio - Siōn is having
dinner
y-mae Siōn a Siān yn cael cinio - Siōn
and Siān are having dinner
cael cinio y-mae Siōn a Siān - (it is)
having dinner (that) Siōn and Siān are
This becomes plural only with a pronoun
y-maent hwy (y-maen nhw) yn cael cinio -
they are having dinner
cael cinio y-maent hwy (y-maen nhw) -
(it is) having dinner (that) they are
SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS STRUCTURES
1 Simple Affirmative (with an
indefinite complement) - Y-MAE
y-mae Siān yn fedd’g - Siān is a doctor
y-mae Siān yn aros - Siān is waiting
y-mae Siān yn dal - Siān is tall
y-mae Siān yma - Siān is here
2 Subject Emphasised (with an indefinite
complement) - SYDD
Siān s’dd yn fedd’g - (it is) Siān who-is (a) doctor
Siān s’dd yn aros - (it is) Siān who-is
waiting
Siān s’dd yn dal - (it is) Siān who-is
tall
Siān s’dd yma - (it is) Siān who-is
here
3 Subject Emphasised
(with an definite complement) - YW
Siān ’w'r medd’g - (it is) Siān who-is the doctor
Siān ’w'r dalaf - (it is) Siān who-is
the tallest
Siān ’w hon - (it is) Siān who-is
this-one
4 Complement Emphasised - Y-MAE,
YW
meddwl y-mae Siān - (it is) thinjing (that-is) Siān
yma y-mae Siān - (it is) here (that)
Siān is
yn y cae y-mae Siān - (it is) in the
field (that) Siān is
medd’g ’w Siān - (it is) (a) doctor
(that) Siān is
tal ’w Siān - (it is) tall (that) Siān
is
hon ’w Siān - THIS is Siān, (it is) this one (that) is Siān
Note the uses with interrogatives:
Beth ’w - what is (+ noun phrase)
(In North Wales, Beth ydi, often
reduced to Bedi)
Beth ’w hwn? - What's this?
Am beth y-mae - what about + is (+ verb)
(South Wales: Am beth mae; North Wales:
Am be mae)
Am be mae'n sōn? What's it about? (in talking of a book)
Beth sydd - what + is (+ verb)
(South Wales: beth s’dd / beth s’;
North Wales: be s’dd, be s’)
Beth s’dd yn gorwedd wrth y drws? What's lying by the door?
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Adolygiad diweddaraf / Darrera actualització 30 05 1999
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