canu

See also: cañu and Canu

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh canam, from Old Welsh canam, from Proto-Brythonic *kėnɨd, from Proto-Celtic *kaneti, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-. Equivalent to cân (“song”) +‎ -u.

Pronunciation

Verb

canu (first-person singular present canaf)

  1. to sing
  2. to intone, chant
  3. to state, say
  4. to produce musical sounds (of instrument); to play or perform (on instrument)
  5. to compose poetry, celebrate in song

Conjugation
Conjugation (literary)
singular plural impersonal
first second third first second third
present indicative/future canaf ceni cân, cana canwn cenwch, canwch canant cenir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/
conditional		 canwn canit canai canem canech canent cenid
preterite cenais cenaist canodd canasom canasoch canasant canwyd
pluperfect canaswn canasit canasai canasem canasech canasent canasid, canesid
present subjunctive canwyf cenych cano canom canoch canont caner
imperative — cân, cana caned canwn cenwch, canwch canent caner
verbal noun canu
verbal adjectives canedig
canadwy
Conjugation (colloquial)
Inflected colloquial forms singular plural
first second third first second third
future cana i, canaf i cani di canith o/e/hi, caniff e/hi canwn ni canwch chi canan nhw
conditional canwn i, canswn i canet ti, canset ti canai fo/fe/hi, cansai fo/fe/hi canen ni, cansen ni canech chi, cansech chi canen nhw, cansen nhw
preterite canais i, canes i canaist ti, canest ti canodd o/e/hi canon ni canoch chi canon nhw
imperative — cana — — canwch —
Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Quotations
  • 1892, Daniel James (Gwyrosydd) (lyrics and music), “Calon Lân [A Pure Heart]”:
    Dim ond calon lân all ganu / Canu’r dydd a chanu’r nos.
    Only pure hearts praise God truly / Praise him all the day and night.
    (literally, “None but a pure heart may sing / Sing in the day and sing in the night.”)
  • canwr (“(male) singer”)

Mutation
Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
canu ganu nghanu chanu
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References
  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “canu”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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