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(≡ nag); in answering a question, na, nac (≡ nag). The forms nid, nad, nac are used before vowels only; the forms ni, na before consonants, and a mutated g, as ny wnn … ny allaf w.m. 21 ‘I do not know … I cannot’, na at > nād § 201 ii (2) ‘let not’ (nid allaf is not in accordance with traditional usage).—With infixed pronouns: ni’m, na’m, ni’s, nyw etc.
The initial mutation after ny na in Ml. W. is as follows: p‑, t‑, c- spir.; b- rad.; m‑, ll- rad. or soft; d‑, g- soft; r̔- not shown (r- may be r̔- or r‑). But na (nac) takes the soft of b‑, m‑, ll‑. In Mn. W. ll- is always softened; b‑, m- are generally softened, though the rad. remained also in the Early Mn. period, and persists in ni bu etc. beside ni fu; p‑, t‑, c- spir. In Early Ml. W. ny relative softens the tenues.
Examples:—Ml. W.: p‑, ny forthint b.b. 34 ‘they cherished not’; t‑, ny thykẏa w.m. 14 ‘avails not’; c‑, ny chan b.b. 31 ‘he sings not’; b‑, ny byẟ w.m. 4 ‘he will not be’, ac na bo b.b. 54 ‘and that there may not be’; m‑, ny mynneis w.m. 18 ‘I would not’, ny mynn Ỻ.A. 148, na meẟ do. 147, but ny vynhei w.m. 58 ‘would not’; ll‑, ny lluit r̔euuet (‑t ≡ ‑ẟ) b.b. 8 ‘wealth avails not’, ny llesseint do. 63 ‘were not slain’, but ni laẟaf i di w.m. 8 ‘I will not kill thee; g‑, ny wnn, ny allaf above; d‑, ny tiuuc (≡ ny ẟiw(y)g) b.b. 8 ‘makes no amends’. Relative: corph ni glivit (‑t ≡ ‑ẟ) b.b. 20 ‘body that hearest not’; ny bara r.p. 1175.—Mn. W.: ni mynnaf I.F. p 97/179 ‘I will not’, ni feddodd W.Ỻ. C.Ỻ. 105 ‘he possessed not’; ni bu T.A. g. 251, ni fu T.A. § 37 iii (1).
(2) Before a noun, adj., pron., adv. or prep.: Ml. W. nyt, Mn. W. nid [rad.] ‘it is not’, used before vowels and consonants; indirect nat, nad [rad.].
Nyt gwaratwyẟ gwelláu b.b. 962 ‘it is no disgrace to reform’; Nid cur llavur urth din [read dim] da b.b. 7 ‘it is not pain to labour at anything good’.
ii. (1) The negative adverb na ‘no’ may answer any question introduced by a or ai; it may be used alone, but is generally followed by a neg. part., as na, nid hynny ‘no, not that’.
(2) A question introduced by a is answered in the negative by na, nac (≡ nag) with the verb; as A ddaw ef? Na ddaw ‘Will he come? No’; but if the verb is in the aor. (or perf.) the answer is nā́ ddo, sometimes written naddo, but wrongly, for the a is long, not medium as in a penult; thus A aeth ef? Nā́ ddo ‘Did he go? No’. Na ẟo w.m. 425.
(3) A question introduced by ai is answered in the negative
