§ 44. i. In a regularly accented word of three syllables the first syllable is the least stressed; thus in can|i̯a|dau the stress on can is lighter than that on dau, both being unaccented as compared with i̯a. Hence the vowel of the first syllable is liable to drop when the resulting combination of consonants is easy to pronounce initially; as in Mn. W. pladur ‘scythe’, for Ml. W. paladur, c.m. 95 (paladurwyr w.m. 425, 426); Mn. W. gw̯rando ‘to listen’, for Ml. W. gw̯arandaw, r.m. 16, c.m. 29; Mn. W. Clynnog for Ml. W. Kelynnawc,[W 1] Ỻ.A. 124.
Some shortened forms are found, though rarely, in Ml. prose and verse: gw̯randaw, c.m. 27; kweirẏwyt for kyweirẏwyt ‘was equipped’, r.p. 1276 (the y was written, and then deleted as the metre requires); pinẏwn r.p. 1225 from E. opinion; grennyẟ do. 1055 for garennyẟ.
For dywedud ‘to say’ we generally have dwedud in Early Mn. poetry (written doedyd in the 16th cent.); so twysog, E.U. § 32, b.cw. 71, for tywysog ‘prince’; cledion c.c. 334, 390, pl. of caled ‘hard’; clonnau for calonnau ‘hearts’, in Tyrd, Ysbryd Glân, i’n clonnau ni, R.V.
ii. In words of four or more syllables, when pronounced deliberately, the first syllable has a secondary accent, as bèn|di|gé|dig ‘blessed’, pl. bèn|di|ge|díg|ion. This also applies to trisyllables with the accent on the ultima, as cỳf|i̯aw|nhā́d ‘justification’. The least stressed syllable is the second; and this is often elided, in which case the secondary accent disappears; as in Mn. W. gorchfýgu for gòrchyfýgu Ỻ.A. 15, and in Mn. W. verse tragẃyddol for trà|gy|ẃy|ddol ‘eternal’, partói for pà|ra|tói ‘to prepare’, llythrénnau for llỳthyrénnau ‘letters’, perthnásau ‘relations’ for pèrthynásau, etc.
- Gwaeddwn, feirdd, yn dragẃyddol;
- Gwae ni nad gwiw yn i ôl.—Gu.O., a 14967/120.
‘Bards, let us cry for ever; woe to us that it is useless [to live] after him.’ See g. 160, 255.
- Yn ddyfal beunydd i bartói.—Wms. 259.
‘Assiduously every day to prepare.’
iii. When a vowel is elided, as in i, ii, or v, the same vowel disappears in the derivatives of the word; thus pladurwyr ‘mowers’; twysoges b.cw. 11 ‘princess’ from twysog, for tywysog; tragwyddoldeb ‘eternity’, ymbartói ‘to prepare one’s self’, ’wyllysgar ‘willing’ (ewyllys, ’wyllys ‘will’).
- ↑ Corrected on p. xxvii to: “Kellynnawc (ll ≡ l)”
