Useful Lists

[megli]

List of things that cause Lenition/soft mutation:

The second noun in a compound word (like 'sixpack, railway, blackberry') almost always undergoes lenition.

A noun in apposition to a proper name undergoes lenition: e.g. Manawydan uab Llyr, where 'uab' is in apposition to 'Manawydan'.

a: the particle which comes after the subject or object and before the verb in the Abnormal Order.

deu and dwy, the forms of the numeral 'two' used before a masculine and feminine noun respectively.

oed: the 3rd singular imperfect indicative of bod, 'to be', thus, 'he/she/it was'.

un, the numeral 'one' (1), when it comes before a feminine noun.

y: (or yr before a vowel or h-) - the definite article, that is, the word meaning 'the', but only before a feminine singular noun; e.g. y urenhines, 'the queen', from original brenhines. Pronounced 'uh' 'uhr'.

y: the 3rd singular masculine possessive pronoun, or, to put it another way, the word that means 'his'. E.g. y gath, 'his cat', from radical cath, 'cat'. Pronounced 'ee'.

[megli]

How many things can a be in Middle Welsh?

a: the particle which comes after the subject or object and before the verb in the Abnormal Order. Causes lenition.

a: the conjunction meaning 'and', ac before a vowel. Causes aspiration.

a: the preposition meaning 'with, as, by means of', also ac before a vowel. It triggers aspiration. In origin, it is the same word as a(c), 'and', above.

[megli]

How many things can y be in Middle Welsh?

y (yr before a vowel or h-): the definite article, i.e. the word meaning 'the'. Causes lenition of a following feminine singular noun. Pronounced 'uh, uhr, er'.

y (yd before a vowel): the particle that comes after a prepositional phrase (e.g. in the wood), an adverb (e.g. slowly) or a time phrase (e.g. after that) and before the verb in the Abnormal Order. Pronounced 'uh, uth' ('uth' like the first syllable in 'other'). It causes no mutation.

y: the 3rd person singular and plural possessive pronoun, 'his, her, their'. Pronounced 'ee'.

When it means 'his', it causes lenition: y gath, 'his cat'.
When it means 'her' it causes aspiration, and prefixes an h- to a following vowel: y chath, 'her cat'.
When it means 'their' it causes no mutation, but also prefixes h- to a following vowel: y cath, 'their cat'.

y: the preposition meaning 'to', which triggers lenition. Pronounced 'ee'.