The Cornish Voices That Could Be Lost Forever Without This

You can still read Cornish dialect in old books and faded newspaper columns. Hearing it spoken aloud is a different matter, and that gap is exactly what two men from the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies have set out to close.

A new home for the Cornish voice

The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies has started a new enterprise to highlight Cornish dialect, led by its Dialect Recorders, Chris Trevena and Paul Phillips. The pair have recently carried out extensive work recording Cornish stories and dialect. The result is a substantial body of material, and it will be released in monthly volumes on the first day of each month.

It is not only their own recordings going out. Two volumes have been produced with Brian Stevens of St Ives, and a further two were recorded by the late Kathleen Hawke, known as “Keren”.

The men behind the recordings

Chris and Paul are both bards of Gorsedh Kernow. Chris carries the bardic name ‘Kovadhor an Bobel’. Paul is known as ‘Kaffler Rannyeth’.

Why this work matters now

A considerable amount of written dialect material has survived into the present day. Recorded dialect, by contrast, is comparatively scarce. Set against the decline of the traditional Cornish manner of speech, the Federation describes the work as a call to action.

It sits under the Federation’s motto, “Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost”. The aim is to share and promote Cornish dialect, and to invite more people from each part of Cornwall who want their own stories recorded.

Cornish dialect is not one fixed thing. It varies from parish to parish, trade to trade, and speaker to speaker, with each community across the Duchy holding on to its own expressions, mannerisms and stories passed down through generations.

A history that runs deep

Recognition of this linguistic distinctiveness can be traced back as far as 1689, when the antiquarian William Scawen, writing in ‘Antiquities Cornu Britannick’, lamented the decline of the Cornish language, Kernewek, and noted early forms of Anglo Cornish dialect.

The 19th century brought more documentation, from the humorous writings of I. T. Tregellas to the scholarly work of Fred W. P. Jago. Local newspaper reports followed, printing weekly dialect anecdotes shared at Women’s Institutes, village halls, chapels and amateur dramatic societies. They told of village gossip, fête day mishaps and the familiar antics of “mawther” and “feyther”. Those tales brightened homes, gatherings and public houses then, and they still do today.

The full 2026 schedule

• 1st May: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 1)
• 1st June: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Brian Stevens (Volume 1)
• 1st July: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 2)
• 1st August: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Brian Stevens (Volume 2)
• 1st September: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 3)
• 1st October: Cornish Dialect Words With Kathleen Hawke (A – K) (Volume 1)
• 1st November: Cornish Dialect Words With Kathleen Hawke (L – Z) (Volume 2)
• 1st December: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 4)

Where to listen and get involved

The recordings have a home on Bandcamp and a dedicated YouTube channel. There is also a Facebook group for anyone who wants to follow along or have their own stories recorded.

The Federation has said it is happy to take part in interviews about the series, the recording process and the wider business of keeping Cornish dialect alive.