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§ 126
NOUNS
213

(4) celfyẟyd ‘art’, Ml. W. pl. kelvydodeu.

celfyẟyd < *kalmíi̯o-tūts; kelvydod- < *kalmii̯o-tā́t-es, owing to the interchange of ‑tūt‑, -tāt‑; § 99 ii (2), § 143 iii (10), (24).

Plural of Nouns with Singular Endings.

§ 126. Nouns with the singular endings ‑yn and ‑en fall into three classes for the purposes of pl. formation.

i. Class 1. The sg. ending is dropped, with or without vowel change; thus, without vowel change: pluen ‘feather’, pl. plu; mochyn ‘pig’, pl. moch; cwningen ‘rabbit’, pl. cwning g. 226; blewyn ‘a hair’, pl. blew. The vowel changes that take place when the ending is dropped are the following:

(1) Mutation: conyn ‘stalk’, pl. cawn; deilen b.t. 28, Gen. viii 11, ‘leaf’, pl. dail; cneuen ‘nut’, pl. cnau; gwenỿnen ‘bee’, pl. gwenɥn, etc.

(2) Ultimate Affection: collen ‘hazel’, pl. cɥll; onnen ‘ash’, pl. ɥnn; dalen w.m. 231, r.m. 167, Ps. i 3 ‘leaf’, pl. dail, chwannen ‘flea’, pl. chwain; draenen ‘hawthorn’, pl. drain; tywarchen ‘sod’, pl. tyweirch, tywyrch:

Drylliwr cwys i droi lle’r ceirch,
Daint haearn dan y tyweirch.—T.A. c. i 341.

‘The cutter of a furrow to turn up the bed of the corn, an iron tooth under the sods.’

(3) Reversion. As ‑yn causes penultimate affection, when it drops the vowel reverts to its original sound: plentyn ‘child’, pl. plant; aderyn ‘bird’, pl. adar.

(4) Exchange of penultimate for ultimate affection: giewyn ‘sinew’, pl. gḯau; Ml. W. llyssewyn Ỻ.A. 97, 166 ‘plant’, pl. llysseu m.m. 3, Mn. llyssau W.Ỻ. 99, llysiau.

ii. Class 2. A plural ending is substituted for the sg. ending, as diferyn ‘drop’, pl. diferion; crwydryn ‘vagrant’, pl. crwydraid; meddwyn ‘drunkard’, pl. meddwon; planhigyn ‘plant’, pl. planhigion; cwningen ‘rabbit’, pl. cwningod. The following vowel changes occur:

(1) Affection: mïaren ‘bramble ’, pl. mïeri (mwyeri r.b.b. 48).

(2) Reversion: gelyn ‘enemy’, old pl. galon b.a. 26, and