a little effort again
Breton syntaxe: continuing
I heard breton syntaxe was very different from welsh syntaxe: are we sure of a so big difference?
Action description (verb):
the both prefer a progressive form for present action, with help of the Verb «to be»:
the both have a form of «to be» at the 3°SP, different according to the respective places of Subject and Verb:
W:
y mae y dyn yn y ty the man is (stays) in the house
B:
ema an den en ti « « « «
W:
y mae fym mab yn darllen my son is reading
B:
ema ma mab o lenn « « « «
welsh uses less often an intensive form by placing an element at the beginning of the sentance, but the form of «to be» is the same by origin: then, in welsh, this «pole-position» has a stronger meaning than in breton which have more gradual forms to espress importance:
W:
y dyn sy(dd) 'n y ty it is the man who is in the house
B:
an den zo en ti the man he is in the house
an den eo zo en ti/ an den an heni (eo) zo en ti it is the man who is in the house
&: 'eo' (
yw:ydy in welsh, is an other form of «to be» at the 3°SP: it follows the Adjective and precedes the Subject, only when it means:
«it is ... that:who»)
W:
fym mab sy(dd) 'n glaf it is my son who is sick
B:
ma mab zo klañv my son he is sick
ma mab eo zo klañv/ ma mab an heni (eo) zo klañv it is my son who is sick
+
W:
claf ydy fym mab «it is sick that my son is»
B:
klañv eo ma mab «sick is my son»
&: in welsh
mae may be used with indefinite Subjects, not in breton:
W:
ymae ci yn yr ardd the is a dog in the garden
B:
boud ezh eus ur c'hi er jardrin « « « «
&&: in welsh as in some breton dialects, the «situation» form
ymae=ema is used only at the
affirmative form, and only at the 3°SP when the Subject is in the sentance (as for other verbs, NO conjugaison then) – hen the true Subject is a Pronoun, usually the pronoun doesn't appear before the Verb, and the Verb is conjugated at the right person: but in modern litterary breton, a regular form was forged for every person of the situation form of «to be», and used even at the
negative form:
W:
yr ydwyf / yr ydwyt / ymae ef / ymae hi / yr ydym / yr ydych / ymaent
B:
(ezh) on / (ezh) out / ema-eñv / ema-hi / (ezh) omp / (ezh) oc'h / emaint
LB:
emaon / emaout / emañ / emei / emaomp / emaoc'h / emaint
&: simplified welsh: shortened forms needing a Pronoun «Subject», postponed (no considered as S
SW:
'rtdw i / 'rwyt ti / 'mae e / 'mae hi / 'rydyn ni / 'rydych chi /(chwi) / 'maen nhw /
&: in some colloquial bretons, this posposition of Pronoun Subject exists too, but for insistance, stress:
CB:
'on-me / 'out-te / 'ma-eñv / 'ma-hi / 'omp-ni /' oc'h-c'hwi / 'maign int /
in both modern languages, the presence of a Subject implies the conjugaison of the Verbs at the 3°SP, whatever the tense (a bit more complicated for negative, in breton):
W:
ti (a) dorrodd y pot = it's thou who brokes the pot – ymae y bobl yn wylo =the people are crying
B:
te a dorras ar pod = thou, thou broke the pot - ema an dud o welañ = « « «
W: y wragedd a odrodd y fuwch = it's the wives who milked the cow
B: ar wragez a c'horas ar vuoc'h = the wives, they milked the cow
&:
torrodd, ymae, torras, ema, godrodd, goras: all these Verbs are at the Singular 3°P, whatever the person of the Subject!
last post: comparison of welsh and breton concerning the negative
