An Introduction to Early Welsh - Arthur Pendragon of Wales

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3 4 RESPONSIVE PARTICLES. [239.
moruyn the law says it is right to try whether she is a maiden
or whether she is not a maiden BCh. p. 40 ; ny wydyat hitheu
beth a wnaei . . . ae
know what she
dywedut hynny ae tewi she did not
should do, whether she should tell that or keep silent
R.B. 270; either or, e.g. a uynny di ae diawt ae dim dost thou
1
desire drink or anything } RB. 276 ;
a thebic i
yw genhyf na doeth
y wrthunt heb lad ae rei onadunt ae cwbyl and I think that he did
not leave them without slaying either some or all of them WB. p 221.
240. pony ( = Ir. cani), before vowels ponyt ; with the present
of the copula ponyt = nonne? e.g. pony chlywy
di dost thou not
hear? RB. 272 ; ponyt oed iawn y titheu would it not be right fot
thee? RB. 246.
RESPONSIVE PARTICLES.
241. In answers to questions the verb or the predicate
noun is
often repeated, e.g. a gaffaf i letty gennyt ti, heb y Peredur. keffy,
heb ynteu, yn llawen "shall I get a lodging with thee?" said Peredur.
" Yes" said he, "gladly" ;
a yttiw Kei yn llys Arthur. Yttiw " is Kei
"
in Arthur's court l ?" Yes"; ae amser ynni vynet yr byrdeu. amser
"is it time for us to go to table?" "Yes" In negative answers
na(c) is used, e.g. a atwaenost di y
marchawc racco mawr. nac
atwen " knowest thouyondergreat horseman ? " "No " dywet, heb ef,
a vu ef gennyt ti a gwneuthur anuod arnat. na vu, myn vyg cret,
heb hi, na cham nys goruc ym "tell me" said he, "was he with thee
and did he do violence to thee?" "No," said she, "and he did me no
wrong" ; ae byw. na vyw "is he alive? " "No" In answer to ae,
nac ef (
= Mod.W. nage)
is found, e.g. dywet unbenn, heb ef, ae
o anwybot ae o ryfyc y keissut ti colli ohonof i
vy rnreint . . .
nac ef, heb y Gereint, ny wydy wn i kaethu fford y neb " tell me, sir,
is it through ignorance or arrogance that thou didst seek to make me
lose my privileged "No" said Gereint, "I did not know that the
road was debarred to
any one " WB. p. 217.
NOTE. nac ef is also found without a preceding question, e.g. arhowch
ivith the ivorm.