The Norwegian solution has each local authority region (not sure how local this goes) voting for it's primary standard, (two forms of Norwegian and Sami in a couple of places in the far north). But IIRC all kids have to learn both systems before they're done with school.
But then there is no agreed RLC standard, even amongst the RLC faction, and they've had about 25 years to come up with one.
To get briefly technical for Morvyl, one of the main differences between Tudor Cornish and Late Cornish is that the latter has lost or reinterpreted most of the verb and preposition inflections, changing Cornish from a synthetic to an analytic language. The effect is reinforced by the much more extensive use of auxillary verbs. This is a pretty major shift!
I'd be interested to know exactly what is done in Wales (or indeed Britany). I imagine that kids are taught the sort of modernised literary Welsh that you see in national newspapers and popular books, with some regional variation in vocabulary and pronunciation. However they learn the parish dialect at the parish pump as it were, not at school.
You are misrepresenting (or misinterpreting, perhaps?) Late Cornish. While it is true that Late Cornish has built on the tendency of change from synthetic to analytic (already apparent in Middle Cornish), the synthetic forms are found in Late Cornish alongside the analytic forms, just as in Middle Cornish. Users of Revived Late Cornish also have two forms, <dhew> and <dho why> (as you can see the <wh> for the unvoiced labio-velar is used, as it is predominantly found in LC). This is not to appease the users of MC and win them over, but simply because the Late Cornish texts we have show that these forms existed side by side. Rowe writes <thew>, same as CW, Lhuyd writes <dheu.(h)> or <dhiu.>, J.Boson has <dh'eu> next to the forms such as <tha why>.
You are under the mistaken impression that MC and LC are two different languages, that there is some unexplained radical break between the two. The evidence shows, however, that conservative early MC gradually developed into LC something that is to be expected in natural language evolution. A group of speakers of a synthetic language doesn't spontaneously decide, "Oh, we're fed up of all these inflections, let's use analytical grammar" - the analysis is the "re-analysis" by the speaker of phonological forms that are already there. So a lexically written early MC form <dhewgh why> in allegro speech would most likely have been pronounced [DIU 'Wi:]. The strong phrasal stress on the enclitic would have caused reduction and along with the other regular changes occurring in MC have given [D@ 'W@i]. The speaker then re-analyses as preposition + pronoun, rather than prepositional pronoun + enclitic. The spoken word is the same though. This has already occurred in MC as forms like <thewhy> show, that are found in BK, TH and CW, and forms such as <theugwhy> in OM show that this development was well under way much earlier.
Whatever the interpretation, the Middle Cornish forms <thewgh> + <why> and <thewhy> are essentially the same form. Now whether we spell them <dhewgh why> or <dha why> as we have suggested for KS is another question. One could write them as a contraction of the same form, i.e. KS *dhe'why, or KK *dhy'hwi, just as other alternative forms in KK <gene'ma> are written. Of course the existence of KK <genev> next to <gene'ma> (and <genev vy>) is not presented as "pretending to be two written standards in one". It's OK to hush up and be quiet about the KK alternative forms, but if KS does it it's bad, ill-advised or some of the more nasty epithets critics have called it.
Since all the typically "Late" features of Late Cornish can already be found in Middle Cornish (at least in fledgling form) it IS possible to create a compromise form that caters to both users. If the phonology and orthography is based on ca. 1600 instead of 1500 or 1700 respectively this can be achieved, has been achieved, in my opinion, with KS.
Where the date 1500 is concerned the experts from all camps have very differing theories as to phonological developments, but look at 1600, and you will find that Nicholas Williams and Ken George largely agree in their respective reconstructions, so that means that consensus is more easily achieved if we look toward 1600 as the "bull's eye" for the base phonology the SWF. No one would have to give up what he or she uses now, but we'd be teaching an authentic form to future learners.
All these analytical forms were already used earler, Late Cornish just expanded upon them. I'd rather use the rich periphrastic constructions in MC and LC then revert to "my-a-wra-Kernewek" so many speakers use because the cannot remember all those personal endings. Not Late Cornish is the creole that is corrupt, but the language of many modern learners who are overburdened with the (mostly reconstructed or invented) wealth of early Middle Cornish personal endings.
So, no, there is no "major shift" as you make out, just a tendency, one that was there already before. LC preserves synthetic forms in a number of contexts, so variation and forms that occur next to each other is something that was essentially Cornish and something that KS refers to when it presents its different registers. We are not prescribing their use, only showing that they are there, as they were in traditional Cornish.
I actually agree with Morvyl up to a point. In dhywgh hwi the -wgh and the hw- are really just two ways of spelling what is more or less the same sound [x ~ h] with lip-rounding. What happens when you add the independent pronoun is that it merges with of eclipses (drowns out if you like) the inflexional ending. Since many of the endings resemble the start of the personal pronouns, once it becomes more or less compulsory to add the pronoun, then the inflexions get lost or weakened leading eventually to the whole lump being reanalysed. In this case as dha hwey, and so on with dha ney etc. Trouble is if you then decide to drop the pronoun for a less emphatic form, all you're left with is dha with no clue as to the person, which makes this simple form unusable.
OTOH is you write the 'classical' form dhywgh hwi it will almost automatically streamline itself into [DI'Wi:] (or if you must [D@\w@I]) in rapid/careless speech, but you've still got dhywgh marked for person for use in more formal less emphatic prose.
So it would seem to me that all a SWF needs is dhywgh with the option of adding -hwi (and the same in all the other persons, and equivalent with verbs etc). All the other many and varied forms like dhy'hwi and so on are unnecessary, unless you want to draw special attention to colloqual speech. And really this need will only arise when there is an extensive population of colloqual speakers to develop and use those forms. If and when that ever happens, then the common shortened forms (like 'don't' and 'can't' in English, or 'dwi' and 'ydi' in Welsh) will no doubt creep into the written standard. But right now what we need is a SWF for education and official (e.g. local government) use. Which means we need a formal standard.
Which point? Where do you disagree? I could live with a standardised usage of RC <dhewgh> + optional <why>. So there's basically no disagreement in the matter. I was merely objecting to the stylised and artificial differentiation of MC and LC. There was no sudden break between the two, just gradual development and long transitional periods. The whole of the 16th century could be interpreted as such.
But as I said earlier <dhewgh> [DIU] never died out. It was used side by side with <dhewgh why> [D@\W@i]
As did LC.
As I said above, I can live with this arrangement. Try to look at this with an open mind and look beyond your crowd. Whether you like it or not there are Cornish speakers in Cornwall who have revived LC, so we are dealing with already existing variety. Why shouldn't we give them them chance to write the Single Written Form (whatever it may be) the way they are used to speaking. Why is LC inherently 'bad' to you and MC inherently 'good'. Both these forms of RC exist and any SWF will have to take the existence of these two 'dialects' into account. I believe that is inclusive and responsible.
The 'Modernists' (i.e. the people who think it's still 1750) might have been relevant if they'd put their time and energy into spreading the Cornish language. Instead, they've committed themselves to slagging off ordinary Cornish-speakers, while completely failing even to agree amongst themselves how to spell the language. It's all such an incredible waste. Now they're trying to drag down the rest of us with them. But it's not going to happen.
But Bardh, who is slagging off the ordinary Cornish speaker? It seems to be OK for you to slag off any Cornish speaker who doesn't use your 'de facto modern standard Cornish'.
Nobody's trying to drag anybody down. Let's just stay civil and see what the mutually agreed upon process brings. We will have to deal with each other one way or another after September. I'd be nice if we coud look each other in the eye then, wouldn't it?
Most people at first assumed that sense would prevail and the 'Process' would confirm the status quo. When it became obvious that the entire exercise was a costlt stitchup, many people became depressed and were moaning that nothing could be done, especially after the first Tremough farce.
The clique overreached themselves with the BK incident. That was when people started to get angry. When they saw how openly the few rules of this game were being openly flouted, they started to get very angry. Now it's dawning on more and more people that no arbitrary 'solution' of any kind can be imposed on them against their will.
Ex-minister in turbine plan row
A row has broken out between a former minister and residents in a Cornish village over his wind turbine plans.
Man quizzed over pedestrian death
A man is arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a man was hit by a car on the A30.
Woman, 77, is tagged over cocaine
A 77-year-old woman is to be fitted with an electronic tag after being caught with £1,300-worth of cocaine in her handbag.
Celibacy the key to a long life
A woman who is celebrating her 105th birthday attributes her long life to remaining celibate.
Fire crews save stuck pig's bacon
Firefighters have to wade through a slurry pit in Cornwall to rescue a sinking pig in danger of drowning.
Apology over ashes ruling
Officials apologise to a man who was refused permission to scatter his mother-in-law's ashes in the shape of a cross.
Reptiles benefit from drugs raid
A Devon zoo and the Eden Project in Cornwall benefit from a big drugs bust in Plymouth.
INTERNET - CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL DOMAIN SUFFIXES
The Celtic League has urged the Cornish Language Partnership to support the campaign to adopt national internet domain suffixes for the Celtic countries. So far just Ireland and Mannin have national domain suffixes (ie and im respectively).
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