Acknowledgements

It would not have been possible to write this doctoral thesis without the help and support of the kind people around me, to only some of whom it is possible to give particular mention here. Above all, I would like to thank my wife Rachael for her personal support and great patience at all times. My parents, brother and sister have given me their unequivocal support throughout, as always, for which my mere expression of thanks likewise does not suffice. This thesis would not have been possible without the help, support and patience of my principal supervisor, Prof. Patrick Sims-Williams, not to mention his advice and unsurpassed knowledge of comparative Celtic linguistics. The good advice, support and friendship of my second supervisor, Dr. Rhisiart Hincks, has been invaluable on both an academic and a personal level, for which I am extremely grateful. I would like to acknowledge the financial, academic and technical support of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and its staff, particularly in the award of a Postgraduate Research Studentship that provided the necessary financial support for this research. The library facilities (notably the Celtic collection) and computer facilities of the University, as well as the National Library of Wales, have been indispensable. I also thank the Department of Welsh for their support and assistance since the start of my previous postgraduate work in 1998, especially the head of department, Prof. Gruffydd Aled Williams. I am most grateful to Andrew Hawke for providing me with computer files of his unpublished versions of the Cornish texts, which have been a valuable and reliable method of checking the published editions and have made referencing quotations from the texts far more efficient. It was particularly kind of him to allow me to refer to his
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collections of the bulk of the corpus of Late Cornish material, which represents a large body of work on his part. I would like to thank Jacqueline Gibson for her kindness, friendship and support, together with the other officers of Cymdeithas Cymru-Llydaw. I remember the generosity and encouragement of the late Mr. Richard Jenkyn, former Grand Bard of Cornwall and eminent revivalist, when I first became interested in Cornish, who would have welcomed this academic study and whom, sadly, I never met in person. Amongst my fellow postgraduate students in the Department of Welsh, the effort made by Hannah Dentinger and Ifor ap Dafydd in promoting a stimulating and welcoming academic and social environment will stand as an example to those that succeed them. I would also like to thank my colleagues and friends in the Old College, Aberystwyth. Last, but by no means least, I thank my friends in Brittany, Great Britain, America and elsewhere for their support and encouragement throughout, some of whom have already been named. For any errors or inadequacies that may remain in this work, of course, the responsibility is entirely my own.

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