An Introduction to Early Welsh - Arthur Pendragon of Wales

46.] THE PRONOUN. 33
etc.)
When attached to a verb as its subject the pronouns are
liable to weakening, e.g. vi, i for mi, di for ti, ditheu for titheu.
Classes (a) and (c) are used also to reinforce an infixed pronoun
(4pa),a pronominal preposition (52), or a possessive pronoun (56),
or possessive adjective ( 58) ; then, too, they are liable to the same
reduction (
I7a).
(a) Simple.
/, me mi, vi, vy, i, y.
We, us ni, ny.
(b) Emphatic.
mivi, myvi, rnyvy,
vivi, vyvi.
nini, nyny.
Thy, thee ti, di, dy, de. tidi, tydi, dydi,
Ye, you chwi.
He, himti (O.W. em),
She, her hi, hy.
They, them (h)wy,
(h)wynt.
NOTE 1.
go ye, dowchi come ye.
NOTE 2.
dydy.
chwichwi.
efo.
hihi.
(h)wyntwy.
(c) Conjunctive.
minheu,minneu,
inneu.
ninheu, ninneu.
titheu, ditheu.
chwitheu.
ynteu.
hitheu.
(h)wynteu.
In chwi the w may be omitted after w in the verb, e.g. ewchi
wy is the earlier form, which became wynt under the influence
of the ending -nt of the 3 plur. of the verb, just as O.Ir. e they became in
Mid.Ir. lat. In Mid.W. wynt is particularly used when it precedes the
verb, e.g. wynt a welynt they saw, but y gwelynt wy; this, however, is a
later distinction, in earlier Welsh wy is used everywhere, e.g. wy
gwnaethant they did, wy ladassant they sleiv.
46. The independent pronouns are used as the subject of a
sentence, as the object of a sentence, where, however, they enter
into concurrence with the infixed pronoun ( 48), (which, to judge
from Irish, was the original method of expressing the object), after
prepositions which did not enter into a unity with the pronoun
( 52 )>
and after some conjunctions. The following examples will
illustrate the usage :
(a) mi a wnaf / will do ; pan y gweleis i ef when I saw him ;
nyt yspeilwys ynteu vi he did not strip me ;
a rithwys Duw cyn no
mi whom God created before me; ti a wely thou wilt see ;
a wely di
dost thou see ?
kymer dy hun ef take it thyself; nyt oes seith cantref