This group is in recess due to
Covid-19 Restrictions
Members will be informed of any resumption of the
Cornish Language Group
Below is something of the history of this group
A small group of Cornish Association members met
regularly to promote and learn the Cornish
Language. These included experts who had passed
their exams and also those just starting out.
Amongst this group were three Cornish Language
Bards - The late Stephen Amos, Stephen Morey and
Peter Trevorah.
All Cornish Association members were welcome to
attend and more details of meeting venues could be
obtained by contacting the Secretary of the CAV
The C.A.V. has been active in the Cornish language
revival movement for some years. Our senior
language bard was Stephen Amos. Stephen who became
a language bard in the late 1980's and was an
active committee member of the association for
many years. He counts among his many contributions
to the revival movement the translation of an
entire book of the old Testament as part of the
Cornish Language Board's project to translate the
Bible into Cornish.
Stephen Morey completed a thesis on certain
minority languages in India and Burma and so his
linguistic net is spread very wide. Stephen has
spent time in Cornwall conversing with the most
fluent speakers of the language - and has brought
back the 'intelligence' so gained for the benefit
for the others in the language group.
In 2001, the two Stephens were joined by a third
CAV language bard, Peter Trevorah.
Peter has since conducted classes in the language
both through the Association and the Council of
Adult Education. Under the learned linguistic
editorship of the late Ray Edwards (the father of
the Cornish correspondence course), Peter has
published the novel 'Brenda'. It is believed still
to be the longest novel in the language and the
only one specifically written for young adults.
The other two stalwarts of the group are Janet
Woolhouse and June Halls. Janet has been the
gentle hostess for the group's meetings for many
years and, with her great mate, June, they are
wont to perform enthusiastically numerous playlets
for the amusement of the others members. Both
Janet and June have passed their 'Grade 3' exams
(the second highest level) in the language.
The late Stephen Amos and Peter Trevorah have
deposited with the Association's library copies of
various (published and unpublished) Cornish
language manuscripts written by them.
As an example of their work, you may read
"Trayturi", a condensed version of a short story
by Peter which was commended by the Gorsedh Kernow
in its 2000 prose competition.
Other sample pieces will be uploaded from time to
time.
