Brezhoneg (The Breton Language)

[Menydh]

Brezhoneg: History of the Breton Language

The history of the Breton language began with the appearance of the Bretons in Britain in the 6th century BC. These Celtic people thus came after the Goidels (or Gaels) and the Picts. After the fruitless attempt of the invasion of Britain by Caesar in 56 BC, it was a century later (in 60 AD) before the Romans established a foothold on the isle and subdued the Bretons. Unlike the Celts on the continent (the Gauls), the Bretons were careful to conserve their language.

From Britain to Armorica

After the fall of the Roman Empire, successive waves of Bretons immigrated to Armorica (the coastal region of Brittany) and there founded kingdoms that soon unified under Nominoe against the Frank enemy (the Battle of Ballon in 845 AD).
In Britain the Breton kingdoms slowly collapsed under the pressure of the Saxons, and their battles gave birth to the Arthurian legend.
This ancient Breton language (Brythonic), which is spoken from the south of Scotland to the mouth of the Loire (from Dumbarton to St. Nazaire), is thus divided into three branches: Welsh and Cornish on the isle of Britain, and Breton on the Continent (where Gallic has disappeared).

From Brythonic to Breton


The history of the Breton language is divided into three periods:

1. That of Old Breton before the year 1000 AD. The oldest surviving manuscript in the Breton language (dating to the end of the 8th Century) comes from that epoch. It is kept in Leyden (The Netherlands) and predates by more than a century the oldest text referenced in French;
2. That of Middle Breton, from 1000 AD to the 17th century, which saw the edition of the Catholicon of Jehan Lagadeuc (the first Breton-French-Latin lexicon in 1499;
3. That of Modern Breton, illustrated in the 19th century by the publication of the Barzaz Breiz of Barzaz Breiz of La Villemarque (1849).

At the beginning of the 20th century, Breton literature was honored with the names of Malmanche in theater and of Kalloc'h in poetry. Then the GWALARN movement, founded by Roparz Hemon, became the origin of a modern Breton literature, with the story writer Jakez Riou and the novelists Abeozen and Youenn Drezen.
After the Second World War the literary revue Al Liamm took up the torch from Gwalarn and continued, with others, the publication of works by new writers.

Modern Breton

In 1908 took place the first orthographic unification, that of the three dialects of Cornouaille, Leon and Tregor (KLT), whereas Vannetais kept its way of writing.
In 1941 took place the second orthographic unification with the Vannetais (KLTG). This unified spelling is used today by the great majority of publications and teachers of Breton. It is characterized by the use of zh, in Breizh and brezhoneg for example.

Regulations for Breton in Education

In 1951, the Deixonne law authorized the teaching of Breton, which was prohibited until then.
In 1976 the first preschool was created, with a half dozen students. In 1994 DIWAN enrolled more than 1500 students from preschool through high school and foreshadowed the opening of new schools and colleges by preparing to open a high school. By 2000, the association included a high school and three colleges.
In 1978 the teaching of Breton was authorized as LV2, then as LV3 in 1982.
In 1981 the Breton degree was created, and in 1986 the CAPES, but it was not until 1989 that the creation of the DEUG was obtained.
In 1993 successive French governments, left and right, refused to sign the European Charter of Minority Languages and to recognize the linguistic rights of the Bretons.
In addition to Diwan, the students of the bilingual program of the college Charles Le Goffic de Lannion saw themselves refused the right of taking history and geography examinations for the college certificate in Breton.

In the Media

While there are occasionally radio and television broadcasts in Breton, there still are not channels broadcasting in Breton, as for example there are Welsh channels in Wales.
On the radio the local channels air several hours of Breton each week, but without the prospect of expansion.
Television less than one hour weekly, regularly shortened for sporting events, is far from satisfying the Breton-speaking public. There are no telecasts for children, nor for persons learning the language. It should be noted that France-3 receives more funding from the subsidies of the general council of Finistre than from the regional council for the development of these telecasts. The results: nothing. Where does the money go?

In Public Life

There is no official statue for Breton in the public life. The fact that all of the governments, on the left or on the right, have always refused even the idea of a debate in Parliament on an ordinance of "regional" languages says much about the degree of broad-mindedness of the public authority on such a subject.
According to the revised Constitution of the Fifth Republic, "French is the language of the Republic". The Breton language will be therefore an anachronism of the Old Regime. French (as opposed to Breton, which does not exist legally) thus benefits from the protection of the Constitution and the laws, because although all citizens are equal, one single language is more equal than the others.
The law of 1975 that protects French is used against Breton, as too until now has been the royal edict of Villers-Cotterets in 1539, by the republican tribunals of today. The use of the Breton language in legal and commercial documents, as well as in publicity, is against French law. Bills or posters of festou-noz in Breton are therefore illegal.

Outlawed Breton

Breton (and those who speak it) is thus formally outlawed. France, which recognizes the rights of the ethnic and linguistic minorities except on its own soil, has always refused to sign Article 27 of the Declaration of Civil and Political Rights which would obligate it to respect the linguistic rights of Bretons. Likewise, it refuses today to sign the European Charter of Indigenous Minority Languages.

Do not confuse Breton with Gallo, which is a Romance language closely connected with French and spoken in East-Brittany.
As shown on the map, the eastern linguistic frontier of Breton drew back
during the course of history in a way that increased the influence of
our powerful French-speaking neighbor.
Meanwhile, under the influence of the media Gallo became more like French.

http://www.kervarker.org/en/whatisbreton_01_noid.html

[Gil]

Some comparisons:



About the word "Welcome", in many places one can see signs with "Degemer mat", but actually it's a completely wrong phrase in this context, for it means "good reception". When a Breton speaker needs to say "Welcome!" to someone, he says "deut mad oc'h" ("come well you-are").

(had to edit 'cause the table was all messed up.)

[Milesian]

Nice to see some of the lower forms of Celtic language getting some recognition j/k

If I get time I'll post some stories from various Celtic traditions, including Breton (Barzaz Breiz), Welsh and Irish (Tain).

[Gil]

I just checked out Daltai, it's a great resouce on pronounciation. You know of any similar site on welsh and other celtic languages?

[Rusalka]

Linguistically, Breton's closest surviving relative is Welsh but whereas Welsh is enjoying complete endorsement of the state for the past couple of years (their way of saying "sorry", I guess), Breton is considered an almost dead language. It's also sad to see that there are many more endangered languages within Europe such as Provencal. I also read that Irish Gaelic wasn't doing too well. I read reports that even though it's the official language of Ireland, a very limited number of people speak it in their daily life and that the Gaelic speaking area (the Western parts) are getting smaller day by day. I hope it won't come to that and Gaeilge will break through. Amongst Celtic languages apparently Scottich Gaelic has a rising rate of speakers, which is good to hear.

[Menydh]

Manji, this is a great resource for learning Breton:

http://www.kervarker.org/

[Frankiz]

I'm very pleased to read all these encouragements to my people wich has to face the most hostile of all European states against language diversity. France really wants everyone to speak only one language : french, which is considered as the most beautiful and clear of all, which has still to be prooved. English and other international and/or major languages are now taught (badly) by the powerful state educational system bu languages spoken in the french territories ie breton, occitan, flemish, corsican are fought with a rare efficiency and all in danger in a short term (except corsican perhaps). French people can't speak a foreign properly and are the worst ones of all Europeans in terms of language skills, pehaps equal with the British people who don't feel the necessity to learn other languages. For what I saw in this forum so far, there aren't a crowd of french nationalists here, they can't express themselves in english!
By the way, thank you Manydd for your quick but accurate résumé of the long and passionate history of the breton language.
Europe must keep its diversity!

[Menydh]

Salud dit Frankiz

I have some interest on the Breton culture and language as my family name happens to hail from Brittany. More exactly from the area of Morbihan. But that was something old, back to the times of the War of the League, when those ancestors landed in Laredo, Cantabria.

It will be nice having a Breton among us to give us more background on Brittany's history, culture, society, and past, present and future politics.

And yes. Europe's most preciated treasury is her varied diversity and peoples, and these must be preserved at all cost.


A galon!

[Frankiz]

a warm welcome is always pleasant!
I'll be delighted to teach and learn from breton History, culture and actuality, as I don't assert to be a specialist in these subjects.

what I can say as a beginner in breton is that it's a beautiful language!