Copula-less clauses in Welsh

Bob Morris Jones
University of Wales, Aberystwyth


Forms of the present tense of the copula

Some phonemic details are ignored e.g. vocalic realizations especially oes.
oes can be reduced to s and sydd can be reduced to sy.
Full forms (e.g. ydw) versus clipped forms (e.g. dw).

Formal Style Informal Style NW Informal Style SW
ydwyf wyf i ydw dw i odw w i
ydwyt wyt ti wyt w't ti wyt wyt ti
mae mae (f)e; hi ma' ma' (f)o; hi ma' ma' (f)e; hi
ydyw yw ydy dy ody yw
sydd sydd sydd sydd sydd sydd
oes oes oes oes oes oes
ydym ym ni ydan dan ni odyn yn ni
ydych ych chwi ydach dach chi odach ych chi
maent hwy ma'n ma'n n(h)w ma'n ma'n n(h)w
ydynt ydyn dyn odyn yn

Clipped forms in spontaneous speech

1

a.

dw

i

’n

licio

sudd

oren.

 

 

be+pres+1sg

I

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

‘I like orange juice.’

 

b.

dy

Sioned

yn

licio

sudd

oren?

 

 

 

be+pres+3sg

 

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

 

‘does Sioned like orange juice?’

 

c.

dach

chi

ddim

yn

licio

sudd

oren.

 

 

be+pres+2pl

you+pl

not

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

‘you don’t like orange juice.’

'Copula-less' forms in spontaneous speech

(2)

a.

ti

’n

licio

sudd

oren.

 

 

[be+pres+]2sg

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘I like orange juice.’

 

 

b.

ni

’n

licio

sudd

oren?

 

 

 

[be+pres+]1pl

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

 

‘do we like orange juice?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

c.

chi

ddim

yn

licio

sudd

oren.

 

 

 

[be+pres+]2pl

not

prog

like

juice

orange

 

 

 

‘you don’t like orange juice.’

 

 

(3)

a.

tatws

newydd

yn

cyrraedd

yfory.

 

 

potatoes

new

prog

arrive

tomorrow

 

 

‘new potatoes arriving tomorrow.’

 

b.

drych

wedi

torri.

 

 

mirror

perf

break

 

 

‘mirror broken.’

 

c.

adar

ar

ben

y

tô.

 

 

birds

on

head

the

roof

 

 

‘birds on the roof.’

 

(4)

a.

dw

’n

cofio

ti

’n

gweithio

yn

y

llyfrgell.

 

 

be+pres+1sg

prog

remember

you

prog

work

in

the

library

 

 

‘I remember you working in the library.’

 

b.

dw

’n

cofio

Sioned

yn

gweithio

yn

y

llyfrgell.

 

 

be+pres+1sg

prog

remember

 

prog

work

in

the

library

 

 

‘I remember Sioned working in the library.’

Clipped forms are recognized but copula-less are not: e.g. Fynes Clinton (1995: 43), Thomas (1996: 36-38). But there is recognition for ti in King (1993: 147).

What do we have here?

 

Copula-less forms: pronouns and noun phrases

Negation with dim

(5)

a.

ti

’n

aros.

 

 

be+pres+2sg

prog

stay

 

 

‘you’re staying.’

 

b.

ti

ddim

yn

aros.

 

 

be+pres+2sg

neg

prog

stay

 

 

‘you are not staying.’

 

(6)

a.

dadi

’n

aros.

 

 

daddy

prog

stay

 

 

‘daddy ciming.’

 

b.

dadi

ddim

yn

aros.

 

 

daddy

neg

prog

stay

 

 

‘daddy not staying.’

 

Yes/no questions and responsives:

 

(7)

a.

ti

’n

aros?

 

 

be+pres+2sg

prog

stay

 

 

‘are you staying?’

 

b.

ydw

/

dw

/

*ie.

 

 

be+pres+1sg

/

be+pres+1sg

/

yes

 

 

‘am / am / yes.’

 

c.

nac

ydw

/

na

dw

/

*nage

 

 

neg

be+pres+1sg

/

neg

be+pres+1sg

/

no

 

‘am not / am not / yes.’

 

 

(8)

a.

dadi

yn

aros?

 

 

daddy

prog

stay

 

 

‘daddy staying?’

 

b.

ydy

/

dy

/

ie

 

 

be+pres+3sg

/

be+pres+3sg

/

yes

 

 

is / is / yes.’

 

c.

nac

ydy

/

na

dy

/

nage.

 

 

neg

be+pres+3sg

/

neg

be+pres+3sg

/

no

 

 

‘is not / is not / no.’

 

Tags:

 

(9)

a.

ti

’n

aros,

ynd

wyt

/

*ie?

 

 

be+pres+2sg

prog

stay

q+neg

be+pres+2sg

/

yes

 

 

‘you’re staying, aren’t you?’

 

b.

ti

ddim

’n

aros,

nac

wyt

/

*nage?

 

 

 

be+pres+2sg

neg

prog

stay

neg

be+pres+2sg

/

yes

 

 

 

‘you’re not staying, are you?’

 

 (10)

a.

dadi

’n

aros,

ynd

ydy

/

ie?

 

 

daddy

prog

stay

q+neg

be+pres+3sg

/

yes

 

 

‘daddy staying, isn’t he?’

 

b.

dadi

ddim

’n

aros,

nac

ydy

/

nage?

 

 

daddy

neg

prog

stay

q+neg

be+pres+3sg

/

yes

 

Fronting:

 

(11)

a.

ti

’n

neud

coffi.

 

 

be+pres+2sg

prog

make

coffee

 

 

‘you’re making coffee.’

 

b.

coffi

ti

’n

‘i

neud.

 

 

coffee

be+pres+2sg

prog

its

make

 

 

‘its coffee that you’re making.’

 

(12)

a.

dadi

yn

neud

coffi.

 

 

daddy

prog

make

coffee

 

 

‘daddy making coffee.’

 

b.

*

coffi

dadi

yn

‘i

neud.

 

 

 

coffee

daddy

prog

its

make

 

 

‘coffee daddy making.’

 

Noun clauses:

 

(13)

a.

dw

i

’n

meddwl

ti

’n

mynd.

 

 

be+pres+1sg

I

prog

think

be+pres+2sg

prog

go

 

 

‘I think you’re going.’

 

b.

*dw

i

’n

meddwl

dadi

’n

mynd

 

 

be+pres+1sg

I

prog

think

daddy

prog

go.

 

 

‘I think daddy going.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restrictions

 

Fronting:

 

(14)

a.

ti

’n

torri

coed

heddiw.

 

 

be+pres+2sg

prog

cut

wood

today

 

 

‘you’re cutting wood today.’

 

b.

coed

ti

’n

‘i

dorri.

heddiw.

 

 

wood

be+pres+2sg

prog

its

cut

today

 

 

‘it’s wood that you are cutting today.’

 

c.

*

torri

coed

ti

 

 

cut

wood

be+pres+2sg

 

 

 

‘it’s cutting wood that you are.’

 

d.

torri

coed

wyt

ti.

 

 

cut

wood

be+pres+2sg

you

 

 

‘it’s cutting wopod that you are.’

 

(15)a.

ti

’n

hapus

heddiw.

 

be+pres+2sg

pred

happy

today

 

 

‘you’re happy today.’

 

b.

*

hapus

ti

heddiw.

 

 

happy

be+pres+2sg

today

 

 

 

‘happy you are today.’

 

c.

hapus

wyt

ti

heddiw.

 

 

happy

be+pres+2sg

you

today

 

 

‘happy you are today.’

Phonology

Full

Clipped

‘Copula-less’

 

ydw      i

dw       i

*i        

fi

wyt      ti

w’t       ti

ti

 

ma’      (f)o

ma’      (f)o

* (f)o; hi

 

ydy      (f)o

dy        (f)o

*(f)o; hi

 

sydd

sydd

 

 

oes

oes

 

 

ydan    ni

dan     ni

ni

 

ydach  chi

dach    chi

chi

 

ma’n           n(h)w

ma’n           n(h)w

*n(h)w

 

ydyn           n(h)w

dyn           n(h)w

* n(h)w