THE Federation of Old Cornwall Societies has launched a new enterprise to highlight and share the Cornish dialect, with the aim of inviting people from across Cornwall and its diaspora to have their stories recorded for posterity.

Recorders and Cornish Bards Chris Trevena ('Kovadhor an Bobel') and Paul Phillips ('Kaffler Rannyeth') have undertaken extensive work to record Cornish stories and dialect, to be issued in monthly volumes on the first day of each month.

Two volumes are already available to be viewed online, one by Mr Phillips and another by Brian Stevens of St Ives. Cornish diaspora groups in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA have also been invited to contribute to a proposed Diaspora Volume of Cornish Voices.

This work is highlighting an important yet overlooked aspect of Cornish heritage: its dialect, a distinct variety of a language spoken by a particular group of people, typically defined by geography or social factors. Cornish dialect varies from parish to parish, trade to trade, and speaker to speaker, with each community across the Duchy maintaining its own expressions, mannerisms and stories passed down through generations.

Recognition of this linguistic distinctiveness can be traced as far back as 1689, when antiquarian William Scawen lamented the decline of the Cornish language (Kernewek) and noted early forms of Anglo‑Cornish dialect. The 19th century saw further documentation, from the humorous writings of IT Tregellas to the scholarly work of Fred WP Jago.

Local newspaper reports soon followed, publishing weekly dialect anecdotes shared at Women’s Institutes, village halls, chapels, and amateur dramatic societies - stories of village gossip, fête‑day mishaps, and the familiar antics of “mawther” and “feyther”. These tales brightened homes, gatherings, and public houses then, as they continue to do so today.

Although a considerable body of written dialect material survives into present-day, recorded dialect remains comparatively scarce. Combined with the decline of traditional Cornish manner of speech, this work acts as a call to action.

The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies’ motto - “Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost” - underpins this project and its commitment to safeguarding the spoken heritage of Cornwall for future generations.

Find out more by joining the Cornish Dialect Facebook group and YouTube channel, or the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies Bandcamp.