A FEW MISTAKES MADE BY ROPARZ HEMON

and Per Denez

by Jean-Claude Miossec

Observation : It is very difficult to describe Roparz Hemon's mistakes. There are so many of them one can say he is completely wrong all time....In fact all his writtings look like French sentences covered with Breton words more or less exact.

The negation: Roparz Hemon is perfectly unable to say "no" correctly in breton.

He used to say "Nann" in the same way as "Non" in french. Negations are completely different in both languages.

  For example: -  Brao eo an amzer?

                                     - Ya . Brao eo.

                                     - Níeo ket              

                                     -  Níeo ket brao an amzer?

                                     - Nann.

                                     - Eo brao eo.

             It is exactly the same way for the other verbs: O labourad emaout? Níemaon ket

Hemon and Denez used a lot of nann, nann, med nann. It is no use to do with them in the normal language. Sometimes several mistakes can be found in the same sentence:

For example: Ho fazi e oa? - Nann, nann! ne oa ket va fazi.

Instead of correct Breton: Dre ho faot e oa? Ne oa ket! Ne oa ket dre va fazi.

The progessive form: Hemon made a horrible thing in confusing the Preterit - The progressive form - the present participle and the verbal adjective.

The progressive form can only be used when the action is or was being done.  

                    Gwelet am-eus eun den o labourad.(He was working when he saw him)

                    But:

                    Ar paotr-ze a labour ganin er porz. He isn't working when I mention him).

                    The terrible confusion with: Eur helenner hag a oar saozneg

                    Roparz Hemon and Denez say: Eur helenner o cíhouzoug saozneg.

                    Both of them are completly wrong.

                    But O+Verb may be used with verbs as: kared - gweled - poania - Verbs which describe sentiments.

                         For example: O kompren kement-se e fuloras.

                                                  O weled anezo e tehas kuit.

                        It's better to do with the form: OUZ + Va, da ......

                        o weled aneho he tehas kuit= Ouz o gweled e tehas kuit.(Better).

 Hemon and Denez both made a horrible confusion with O+Verb.

For example: O treuzi ar ster war neuÒv am-eus merket e oa yen an dour. o lakaad va dorn en dour am-bije merket ar memez tra.

There are two mistakes: The first was UNVOLUNTAR - I haven't crossed the river to verify the water temperature! In the second sentence I put my hand into the water to verify the temperature.

                         Voluntar : Dre + verb (To compare with By in english)

                          Involuntar: en eur + verb.

The correct sentences are: En eur dreuzi ar ster war neuÒv am-eus merket e oa yen an dour. DRE zouba va dorn en dour am-bije merket ar memez tra.

Have a look at the rimadellou : DRE forz govelia e teui da veza mest-gov

                                                     (Not O hovelia....

  You can compare with: We earn our living BY repairing engines. Our bara a hounezom DRE adaoza klefuse

Roparz Hemon and Denez made other mistakes in the use of EDO hag E OA

      E OA EUN - EDO AN. That is the true rule: Er park e oa eun den o labourad

      Er park edo AN Den o labourad.

About the verbal adjective:

       For example: Skuiza -------Skuiz + UZ------Skuizuz.

                                Flaeria------flaer + uz --------flaeriuz.           

           One must say: Eun tamm kig flaeriuz and not Eun tamm kig O flaeria! (impossible in Breton!)

           In the same way: Labouriou skuizuz (and not labouriou o skuiza!)

A  wrong example by Denez:

              Eur straed hag  a zo o tiskenn brao war-du kreiz ker.

Instead of : Eur straed a zikenner brao gantaÒ war-zu kreiz kÍr.

                      Ne oa nemedon o cíhouzoud kement-se

Instead of: Ne oa nemedon HAG AOUIE......

Mistakes with names:

    Per Denez: Aer ar mor ennaÒ cíhwez ar bezin .(Sic)

   Instead: An r-vor, gant cíhwez ar bezin.

Both of them made lots of mistakes with prepositions.

About the time: Hemon cannot make the difference between the usual and the unusual.

            Ex: Díar zul-ze e oa eet da ober eun tamm tro war ar mÍz.

                             Da zul ez an dían oferenn.

                  Da zul: On sundays

                  Díar zul: On sunday.

Now you can regonize Denez' mistake: Díar zul, díar zul hepken ez een da weled vaeontr. (Da zul was enough).

About the verb TO HAVE:

  They use it in the same way as the French one. In fact to have can only be used as auxiliary or as property

     Gwelet am-eus Yann hirio - But: Gwelet am-boa Yann deh  (Not am-eus).

     Eun ti am-eus.

Hemon is responsible for this horrible mistake with Kaoud (am-eus) and Staga ha kreg.

      Staga with kaoud means : to attach

      Kregi with kaoud means: to bite.

For example: Staget am-eus ar hi. Kroget e-noa er bugel.

Hemon and Denez of course use this verb as to begin. But if you want to use staga or kregin as begin you must use the verb BEZA (not the verb Kaoud)

For example: Kroget on  gand va labour.(And not: Kroget am-eus va labour)!!!!!

The verb to have:

 There are two main ways of understanding it in Breton:

   The thing you have is a piece of yourself: beza da.

    Ex: An den-se a zo dezaÒ bleo hir - or better : An den-se a zo hir e vleo.

           Daou dour a zo dían iliz - An iliz a zo daou dour dezi - An iliz,daou dour dezi.

           (And not: An iliz he-deus daou dour : That could mean that the church has four towers!)

            Hennez a zo dezaÒ eur harr verroh  eged eben.

            Sometimes e pe war can be used: Ar voger a zo daou brenestr warni -

            An toennou a zo toullou enno.

You can take the thing you have away: Eun eurier a zo ganin.Eun tok a oa gantaÒ war e benn.

Sometimes the ways can be seen: Ar hi a zo ganin níeo ket din. Chas all am-eur er gÍr.

Hemon is completely wrong with a lot of verbs:

Ex:

    Koueza: In Breton you cannot fall down on a part of yourself.

                    Eet eo war e benn (Instead of: Koueza eo war e benn).

    From the English languages a few examples can always be found:

                    Koueza e karantez (to fall in love) That is impossible.

The correct form is: Karantez a zo deuet dezaÒ - dezo.....karantez a zo savet ennaÒ - enni - enno.....Boked ar garantez a zo digoret kenetrezo - Joa o-deus an eil e-keÒver egile.....

 Wrong with a lot of expressions:

Hemon said: Hag all means etc. He is completely wrong.

       Hag all means O konta kemend-se (Included)

        An oll a zo pedet díar fest-noz, touristed hag all.

        Ar haz e-neus debret al labousig, plu hag all.

        Other expressions can be found as ìtraou allî, ìme oar meî Kementízoî......

       You cannot use hag all whan the list isnít finished:

        Greet am-eus anaoudegez gand eur bern skrivagnerien, J.HÈliaz, K.Riou, N.Rozmor, ha me oar-me ! ha skrivagnerien all) but not ìhag all, hag all, hag all.

Roparz Hemon's main mistake:

   Have a look at:   pa zaver va zi until Pa zavont o zi

Hemon said PA ZAVER E DI. WHICH HOUSE, hers, his, the own house?

    It is the article which plays the role: Pa zaver AN ti (AN-UNAN)

    One must be very careful with this rule. The mutation is different:

     DouÈ e-neus laret e vefe red deom kared an DUD med gwelloh eo ive kared an Tud an-unan.

By searching a little it will be easy for to find other examples.

     Brao eo beza desket gand ar gelennerien, med braoh eo beza desket gand ar CíHelennerien an-unan.

      This is a good example of the only right way of the mutation K/Cíh.

         In fact Hemon and Denez forgot the last end for the preposition:

For example: Evidout.........evito - But for oneself? EVIDOR. Hemon forgot it.

        It would be impossible for him to say: Paouroh EGEDOR a gavER atao: Poorer than oneself can always be found.