Breton language
Breton (Brezhoneg in Breton) is a Celtic language that is spoken in Brittany, in the north-west of France. Breton is closely related to Welsh, which is spoken in Wales, and to Cornish, which is spoken in Cornwall, in south-western Great Britain. All of them are Brythonic languages.
| Breton | |
|---|---|
| Brezhoneg | |
| Native to | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Native speakers | 206,000 (2007)[1] |
| Language family | |
| Writing system | Latin script |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | br |
| ISO 639-2 | bre |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously: bre – Modern Breton xbm – Middle Breton obt – Old Breton |
| Linguist List | xbm Middle Breton |
| obt Old Breton | |
| Linguasphere | 50-ABB-b (varieties: 50-ABB-ba to -be) |
Breton is less closely related to the Goidelic languages of Scottish Gaelic, which is spoken in Scotland; Irish, which is spoken in Ireland; and Manx, which is spoken on the Isle of Man.
Breton has about 240,000 speakers,[2]111 but that number is falling very quickly because the French government has a policy of using French. As such, Breton is considered to be an endangered language.
Example
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
| Breton: Dieub ha par en o dellezegezh hag o gwirioù eo ganet an holl dud. Poell ha skiant zo dezho ha dleout a reont bevañ an eil gant egile en ur spered a genvreudeuriezh.[3] |
English: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.[4] |
Breton Language Media
1911 poster with Breton slogan, Burzudus eo! ("It's miraculous!")
Map of the dialects of Breton.
Electronic information sign in Breton, Carhaix
Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg, the Breton language agency, was set up in 1999 by the Brittany region to promote and develop the use of Breton.
Bilingual sign in Gwened/Vannes
Sign in French and partly in Breton in Rennes, outside a school with bilingual classes
Flag of Brittany (Gwenn ha du)
.svg)
References
- ↑ Fañch Broudic, 2009. Parler breton au XXIe siècle – Le nouveau sondage de TMO-Régions. (including data from 2007: 172,000 speakers in Lower Brittany; slightly under 200,000 in whole Brittany; 206,000 including students in bilingual education)
- ↑ O'Reilly, Camille (2001). Language, Ethnicity and the State: Minority languages in the European Union, Volume 1. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 033392925X. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ↑ "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- ↑ "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". United Nations.
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This language has its own Wikipedia project. See the Breton language edition. |
