Edwards R. Kernewek Dre Lyther. Grades 1-3

Cornish Language Board, 2006. - 242 p.MP3 (first 25 lessons)Kernewek dre Lyther began in 1983 and has helped many students to succeed in the examinations of the Cornish Language Board, the majority with distinction. Many have reached the highest grade and been made Bards of the Gorsedd of Cornwall.For the first four years, courses were only in Unified Cornish but in 1987 the phonemic spelling, now called Kernewek Kemmyn, with modified pronunciation, based on the research of Dr. Ken George and described in his book The Pronunciation and Spelling of Revived Cornish. was introduced. The KDL courses were all converted to the new system and almost all students are now learning this system though classes in Unified Cornish are still available to those who want to learn it. The reasons for the changes are explained rather technically in Dr George’s book mentioned above and they are further explained and defended against recent criticisms in Kernewek Kemmyn, Cornish for the Twenty- first century by Paul Dunbar and Ken George, published in 1997.The course was initiated and organized on behalf of the Cornish Language Board by Ray Edwards at the request of Dr Ken George who in 1983 was the secretary of the Education sub-committee of the Board.A cassette in the new pronunciation has been made to accompany the courses and detailed pronunciation instructions are included.Before 1988 there were three grades of examination and the courses correspond with these three grades. In 1988 the second grade was divided into two parts to be taken separately. The original second grade K.D.L. course has not been divided into two to correspond with this but it has been re-named the Second/Third Grade. The advanced course, previously described as Third Grade is now the Fourth Grade.All the K.D.L. courses put together consist of eighty lessons. The first twenty five cover the first grade and are followed by a number of past first grade exam. papers. Lessons twenty six to fifty cover the second/third grade and these likewise are followed by a number of past papers. Lessons fifty one to eighty cover the fourth grade and consist of reading/study programs to improve general knowledge of, and ability to read and write the language, with reading programs for the set texts. Students also work slowly through a number of past fourth grade papers answering questions on the history and background of Cornish as well as ones involving the language.