Why I tried this

One of the things I have found most frustrating about using general AI chatbots for Cornish is that they are both useful and unreliable.

They can suggest learning activities, explain grammar in simple language and help organise my thinking. But when they actually produce Cornish, I become much more cautious. They sometimes mix spelling systems, invent forms or confidently “correct” things that are not wrong.

I wanted a different relationship with AI.

Instead of asking an AI system to know Cornish, I wanted it to help me work more effectively with grammar books, dictionaries and other reliable sources.

That led me to experiment with NotebookLM.

---

Demonstration

NotebookLM works differently from a normal chatbot.

Instead of relying on its general knowledge, you upload your own sources and ask questions about those sources.

For my Cornish notebook, I created a collection of grammar references, dictionaries and freely available documents that I trust.

Rather than asking:

Translate this into Cornish.

I ask questions such as:

• Based only on the uploaded sources, does this sentence appear to follow SWF?
• Which grammar rules are relevant here?
• Does this mutation look correct?
• Can you explain this rule in plain English?
• Which uploaded source discusses this point?

The answers are much more useful because NotebookLM is working from the material I have chosen rather than trying to invent an answer from its general knowledge.

---

What this shows

The most important lesson was that NotebookLM works best as a grammar assistant, not as a Cornish expert.

Instead of replacing grammar books, it helps me navigate them.

It can:

• explain difficult grammar more clearly;
• compare information from different sources;
• point me towards relevant sections;
• remind me of rules I have forgotten;
• help me identify possible problems in my own writing.

That saves a great deal of time.

I still make the final decision, but I reach that decision much more quickly.

For a language like Cornish, where reliable resources exist but are scattered across books, dictionaries and websites, this feels like a much safer way of using AI than simply asking a chatbot to generate Cornish.

The same idea could also work for many other minority languages.

---

Technical notes

Getting started is straightforward.

1. Create a NotebookLM notebook.
2. Upload a small number of trusted grammar sources.
3. Ask questions about those sources, rather than asking NotebookLM to write Cornish.

I deliberately began with a small collection because it was easier to test.

As the notebook grows, I expect to separate it into notebooks for different purposes, such as:

• SWF grammar
• dictionaries
• teaching resources
• historical sources

Keeping notebooks focused reduces the risk of mixing different spelling systems or language traditions.

Sources

I recommend starting with freely available material before adding commercial books owned by you.

Useful examples include:

• An Outline of the Standard Written Form of Cornish
• Akademi Kernewek SWF Dictionary (PDF)
• other freely available grammar documents

Modern commercial textbooks are often excellent resources, but I only upload them if I am entitled to use them.

The prompts I use

I have found these instructions particularly helpful:

Please answer only from the uploaded sources. Where there is uncertainty or disagreement, say so. Do not invent Cornish forms.

Another useful prompt is:

Please explain the grammar in plain English and refer to the uploaded sources. Avoid producing new Cornish unless it is directly supported by those sources.

These prompts encourage NotebookLM to behave like a research assistant rather than a language authority.

---

Problem: General AI often produces unreliable Cornish.

Solution: Use NotebookLM as a source-grounded grammar assistant.

Time to set up: About 20–30 minutes for the first notebook.

AI required? Yes.

Transferable to other minority languages? Yes.