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Emmet (alt. spellings emmit, emit) is a word in the Cornish dialect of English that is used to refer to tourists or holidaymakers coming to Cornwall.[1] There is debate over whether the term is pejorative or not.[2] It originally referred to tourists who visit Cornwall, but has also been used by native Cornish folk to refer to "incomers" or residents who have moved to the county but were not born there.

Etymology

It is commonly thought to be derived from the Cornish-language word for ant, being an analogy to the way in which both tourists and ants are often red in colour and appear to mill around. However the use of 'emmet' to mean ants is actually from the Cornish dialect of English, and is derived from the Old English word æmete from which the modern English word ant is also derived (compare Modern German Ameise [ant]). The Cornish word for ants is actually moryon (singulative moryonen) [3][4][5]

Porthemmet Beach hoax

Porthemmet is a fictitious beach that supposedly can only be accessed via a cave found between Harlyn and St Merryn. It has been rumoured to have existed since the 1990s, but is considered a hoax as many tourists try to locate it, but cannot. In August 2007, Truro-born Jonty Haywood began promoting a fictional Porthemmet (Port of Emmet) beach in North Cornwall with fake road signs and a hoax website, which directed people to random areas on the north coast, confusing tourists and amusing locals.[6][7][8] In July 2008, Haywood placed a further set of signs.[9]

2021 graffiti

In August 2021 a number of incidents were reported in which the word 'emmet' was used pejoratively in graffiti across Cornwall.[10] At Pedn Vounder beach the phrase 'Emmets go home' was spray-painted onto rocks, whilst 'Die emmets' appeared on the welcome sign to the town of Hayle.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Collins dictionary definition of "emmet"". Collins Online. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "True meaning of the word 'emmet' and why Cornish people use it to describe tourists". CornwallLive. August 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  3. ↑ An English-Cornish And Cornish-English Dictionary - R. Morton Nance (1955)
  4. ↑ Gerlyvrik/Mini-Dictionary - Kesva An Taves Kernewek (2005)
  5. ↑ K. C. Phillipps (1993). A Glossary of the Cornish Dialect. Tabb House. pp. 29, 42. ISBN 0-907018-91-2.
  6. ↑ "Britain's "only topless beach" doesn't exist". The Inquirer. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ Milmo, Cahal (27 September 2007). "Wish you were here? Website lures tourists to imaginary beach". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
  8. ↑ de Bruxelles, Simon (27 September 2007). "Beach hoax sends tourists on a road to nowhere". The Times. London. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
  9. ↑ "Tourist trap: A sign of the times..." Cornish Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  10. ↑ Beamish, Sam (12 August 2021). "Racist hate graffiti at Cornish beauty spot investigated by police". CornwallLive. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Church, Edward (18 August 2021). "Visitor feels unwelcome after seeing nasty 'anti-emmet' graffiti". CornwallLive. Retrieved 19 August 2021.


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