The Celtic Languages - Live or Die?

[Milesian]

Originally Posted by Slavni

Is there any connection between Gaeligue and Baskque languages?

The short answer would be "No"

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Slavni

Is there any connection between Gaeligue and Baskque languages?

Celtic languages are Indo-European and are totally genetically unrelated to the Basque, which is not genetically related to any other European language.

However, there are some speculations that there might be some contact or typological kinship between the Basque and the Celtic languages.

[Trefelin]

Welsh is by far the strongest of the remaining Celtic languages nowadays, so much so that it has now become fashionable to send your kids to Welsh schools and for them to get a better education. The demand has been so great that English language schools are now closing to accomodate the Welsh medium of education. When I say Welsh medium education, I mean bilingual education.

The cities of Cardiff, Swansea and the South Wales valleys have seen a dramatic increase inparticular.

[Yago]

Do you know what's the status of the Cornish language?

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Menydh

Do you know what's the status of the Cornish language?

Last time I read about it in a book written by a French linguist (I cannot remember her name), it seems that the language was (artificially) revived by a group of enthusiasts who started to speak it among themselves two decades or so ago, even trying to teach their children to speak it. The number would amount to only several hundred speakers by now.

[Yago]

Originally Posted by Marulus

Last time I read about it in a book written by a French linguist (I cannot remember her name), it seems that the language was (artificially) revived by a group of enthusiasts who started to speak it among themselves two decades or so ago, even trying to teach their children to speak it. The number would amou8nt to only several hundred speakers by now.

As far as I know the last Cornish speaker died in the late XIXth or early XXth centuries. The revival of the Cornish language was started soon afterwards. Currently there are two (or perhaps more?) grammar normatives.

[Breogan]

I found this about the matter...

Dolly Pentreath, the last monoglot Cornish Language speaker.

[Berrocscir]

Originally Posted by Menydh

Currently there are two (or perhaps more?) grammar normatives.

It appears there is about half a dozen:
Cornish language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by Menydh

As far as I know the last Cornish speaker died in the late XIXth or early XXth centuries.

Rather in the late XVIIIth century.
By the way, you can compare the linguistic policy between the UK and France just by thinking that Breton was the most spoken Celtic language alive in the begining of the XXth century. Now, probably the least...

[Trefelin]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Rather in the late XVIIIth century.
By the way, you can compare the linguistic policy between the UK and France just by thinking that Breton was the most spoken Celtic language alive in the begining of the XXth century. Now, probably the least...

It's such a shame that the French Government doesn't give a toss about Breton or any other native language of France for that matter.

[Breogan]

Originally Posted by Trefelin

It's such a shame that the French Government doesn't give a toss about Breton or any other native language of France for that matter.

or any native French People.

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Trefelin

Welsh is by far the strongest of the remaining Celtic languages nowadays, so much so that it has now become fashionable to send your kids to Welsh schools and for them to get a better education. The demand has been so great that English language schools are now closing to accomodate the Welsh medium of education. When I say Welsh medium education, I mean bilingual education.

The cities of Cardiff, Swansea and the South Wales valleys have seen a dramatic increase inparticular.

That is a positive development. But it should become language of the everyday life of the large strata of population and not only a medium for (bilingual) instruction.

[Yago]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Rather in the late XVIIIth century.
By the way, you can compare the linguistic policy between the UK and France just by thinking that Breton was the most spoken Celtic language alive in the begining of the XXth century. Now, probably the least...

Originally Posted by Trefelin

It's such a shame that the French Government doesn't give a toss about Breton or any other native language of France for that matter.

The linguistic policies of the Government of the Republic of Ireland are also interesting for comparison. In spite of pro-active policies in favour of Irish Gaelic and of the expenditure of millions, they have failed to make a strong revival of the language.

In contrast, it appears as if there are more Scottish Gaelic speakers in Scotland than Irish Gaelic speakers in Ireland. Although Scottish Gaelic has been largely relegated to the Western part of Scotland.

Although I haven't seen any joint figures of Gaelic speakers both in the South and in the occupied North of Ireland.

[Germanicus]

Originally Posted by wilpuri

I am interested in what you think is the future of these languages. Will they slowly die among native speakers and become extinct, only to be studied as second languages, or will they experience a renaissance and become dominant in their homelands once more?

I look forward to your answers, cheers.

The future is simple, Celtic language will be taught in schools, as is the Welsh language is taught in Welsh schools, however the dominant language in both Ireland and Wales will be English.
The EEC member nonEnglish speaking countries will adopt English as the no1 second language.

[Trefelin]

Originally Posted by Arthur Gordon Pym

That is a positive development. But it should become language of the everyday life of the large strata of population and not only a medium for (bilingual) instruction.

This is happening slowly too, most kids who are taught through the bilingual medium tend to speak bilingually at home with their siblings (when their parents are not bilingual). The language is starting to come full circle again now and you can hear kids playing in Welsh in the streets.

[Erganne]

Originally Posted by Breogan

or any native French People.

I do. Im learning Breton at the moment.But it's kind of tough without anybody to speak with. German or Spanish would be much more easier for me!

And the shame is that im half breton, my stepmother family is Breton, but none of us speak the darn language!

[Saephe]

Before genetic studies, before most of the Celtic craze of the late 90's (well, the late 90's wave at least) I was quite interest in the Celtic languages. Now that I think of it it was before the Internet as we know it so everything was by regular mail.

I ended up a reasonable assortment of learning material purchased mainly from Clodanna Teoranta through Conradh na Gaeilge. This included several cassette-based courses, dictionaries and grammar.

One rather funny thing that happened is that since I needed to know the correct addresses I sent a letter to the An Post (the Irish Embassy gave me the address) to request some sort of Yellow Pages. One month latter a parcel arrives at my parents door consisting of a one metre high collection of around 15 volumes, being the commercial and residential phonebooks of all of Ireland. I was a bit teased by it by some of my friends (in jest, of course) who speculated that in case of accident dialing 112 would take more time than expected, with the Atlantic and all.

All this to say that when I finally met more Irish people I was a bit surprised to realise that none of them actually knew Irish (remember, pre-Internet...) and that I was one "Conas ata tu?" more fluent than them. This is different of course in the Gaeltacht (which I visited, specifically around Connemara).

It should come without surprise that my position on the issue is strongly in favour of fostering and supporting the increase in native speakers of any of the Celtic languages.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Erganne

And the shame is that im half breton, my stepmother family is Breton, but none of us speak the darn language!

I'm only a 1/4. Where are they from? (Eastern or Western Brittany)

[Erganne]

My part of the family is from eastern brittany, Dol country and the like.

My stepmother family also seems to be from easter brittany,but much more in the south .

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Erganne

My part of the family is from eastern brittany, Dol country and the like.

My stepmother family also seems to be from easter brittany,but much more in the south .

Actually not far from mine (St Malo country). Then you should know that in this part of Brittany, they haven't spoken Breton in centuries.