Komz a rit brezhoneg?
An examination of Breton’s status and reclamation efforts in France
France’s constitution acknowledges one official language: French. However, France is home to a multitude of minoritized and endangered languages, all of which are excluded by the government’s singular focus on the French language. Among these is Breton, a Southwestern Brittonic language native to Brittany, France.
Breton is a recognized minority language in France; yet, its recognition ends here. Simon Hooper declares that “despite its precarious situation, Breton has no formal status in France. It is not offered as a language of education in the public school system, the state makes no provision for regional language media, and it is not used in government or public services”. And, Wikipedia notes that “Breton is the only living Celtic language that is not recognized by a national government as an official or regional language”.
In considering France’s general political leanings in relation to its linguistic diversity, Al-Jazeera quotes Davyth Hicks, the chief of Eurolang, who expresses,
“‘France is a rogue state in terms of how it promotes its languages […] It says all these things about the promotion of human rights and equality elsewhere in the world, but meanwhile, on its doorstep, languages such as Breton have become seriously endangered’”.
Currently, Breton is considered to be a status 7 language, thus carrying the “shifting” label. According to Ethnologue, shifting languages are described as “the child-bearing generation can use the language among themselves, but it is not being transmitted to children”. And, UNESCO has labeled Breton as a “severely endangered” language.
Yet, according to a 2018 census, Breton is spoken by over 225,000 speakers in Brittany and Ile-de-France; how are these speakers responding to their language’s lack of recognition in France? Are heritage speakers of Breton — those who have Breton-speaking families, but were unable to learn the language themselves — represented in these statistics? And, how can speakers sustain their language for future generations?
Historically, there have been a number of Breton revival and preservation efforts. For instance, in 1925, Breton scholar and professor Roparz Hemon created Gwalarn, a Breton-language review which attempted to raise awareness of Breton and elevate it to the level of an international language. Since then, Gwalarn has been replaced by Al Liamm, and a number of other Breton-language publications exist, which contribute to a sizable body of Breton literature. Moreover, some original media exists in Breton, such as the sitcom Ken Tuch, and a number of comics, movies, and TV series have been translated in Breton.
Presently, one of the more prominent movements to preserve and continue the Breton language is the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg, or the “Public Office for the Breton Language,” which began campaigning in 2010 as a public institution to promote the pedagogy and usage of the Breton language in daily life, replacing the Ofis ar Brezhoneg, which was founded in 1999 by the Region of Brittany.
Another mission of the Ofis ar Brezhoneg is to collect, analyze, and distribute sociolinguistic data as a means of advancing its language revitalization efforts. Additionally, the Ofis works with TermBret, a service that publishes glossaries, and collaborates with companies and administrations that wish to integrate the Breton language into their operations.
Historically, this harkens to the Ofis ar Brezhoneg’s 2001 campaign, Ya d’ar brezhoneg, or “Yes to Breton,” which sought to encourage more businesses to use Breton and encourage the use of bilingual resources, such as signage and tourism materials. According to the Ya d’ar brezhoneg webpage, the campaign began in 2001 and involved over 170 groups from the private sector, and later, in 2004 and 2006, branched out to respectively include municipalities and inter-municipal structure.
Now, 778 private structures, 214 municipalities, and 14 inter-municipal structures have signed the Ya d’ar Brezhoneg charter. One of the campaign’s successes was emphasizing the significance of signage (street labels, advertising, etc.) in promoting a bilingual environment.
The organization’s website is available in the Breton and French languages and contains information and resources for Breton speakers and learners. According to the site, the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg currently offers Breton classes for children and adults, teaching tools, translation resources, and more.
Additionally, the Ofis encourages that learning Breton can lead to full-time job opportunities — “La langue bretonne est aussi un passeport pour l’emploi: l’Observatoire des pratiques linguistiques a répertorié 1500 postes équivalent temps-plein”, or “The Breton language is a passport to employment: The Observatory of Linguistic Practices listed 1,500 full-time positions” (author’s translation), elaborating that most of these jobs are currently in the educational field but are also spreading to management and media positions.
So, where does this leave Breton speakers? According to Michael Hornsby, author of Revitalizing Minority Languages: New Speakers of Breton, Yiddish and Lemko, “A report by the association Deskiñ d’An Oadourien (‘Teaching Adults’) (2004:3) estimates that there are at least 8,000 adults a year learning Breton in evening classes and language courses. More recently, this number is estimated to be just below 4,000 in 2014, according to Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg.
As for the younger generations, who are vital to ensuring the prosperity of a language in coming years, Hornsby notes that the Ofis “further records that there are some 15,840 pupils being educated in immersion (the Diwan network) and bilingual settings (Div Yezhin the public sector, and Dihun in the Catholic sector)”; a further 13,172 pupils across the entire age range of schooling received lessons in Breton as a discrete subject in 2013” (2015).
That being said, it is clear that education and pedagogy are essential to ensuring the continuation and preservation of a minoritized language, especially in Breton’s case, where it receives little to no formal recognition from the French government. And, institutions such as the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg are actively working to advance this education as much as possible.
For those wanting to learn Breton, or get involved with its sustainability efforts, there exist a number of online resources. For French speakers, the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg website has a page dedicated to resources available, including resources for learning and teaching Breton, in addition to translation information.
For English speakers, Eurolinguiste has a page of Breton language resources, which includes audio, text, and online resources for Breton learners. Among these websites are iTalki, Loecsen’s “Learn Breton” site, and the US Division of the International Committee for the Defense of the Breton Language. Another great resource for Breton enthusiasts and learners are Wikitongues videos ( 1 2 3 ) of native speakers using Breton.
With all these resources at your fingertips, will you say “Ya d’ar Brezhoneg”?
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