Page:The ancient language, and the dialect of Cornwall.djvu/66

46 island-like position of Cornwall, is no doubt the cause of the retention in the Cornish dialect of so many old English words in use to this very day. We have in the provincial dialect a singular mixture of old Cornish and old English words, which gives so strong an individuality to the Cornish speech. As, in speaking English, a Frenchman, or a German uses more or less of the accent peculiar to each, so it is very probable that the accent with which the Cornish speak, is one transferred from their ancient Cornish lan- guage. The *^ sing-song," as ^'strangers" call it, in the Cornish speech is not so evident to Cornishmen, when they listen to their own Dialect. It has been observed, that when Tregellas, in any place out of the County, gave one of his inimitable lectures on the Cornish ^patois, it was not appreciated as it deserved, yet Cornish audiences richly enjoyed it ; but then the latter were more Celtic, and those in distant places more Saxon. The cerebral, and subtle difference, between the Celt and the Saxon, may be the reason why the former per- ceived the wit and fun, and the latter little, if at all. Truly of this may it be said that appreciation is one of the talents. As the old Cornish gave place to English, a provincial dialect composed of both being the result, so the last in its turn, as we are witnessing in our day, is rapidly passing away, and there threatens to be at no distant time a similarity of speech everywhere. As this general levelling