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Breton-language schools do not receive funding from the national government, though the Brittany Region may fund them. [31] Another teaching method is a bilingual approach by Div Yezh [32] ("Two Languages") in the State schools, created in 1979. Dihun [33] ("Awakening") was created in 1990 for bilingual education in the Catholic schools.
In 1945, Breton speakers consisted about 75% of the population. Today, in all of Brittany, at most 20% of the population can speak Breton. 75% of the estimated 200,000 to 250,000 Breton speakers using Breton as an everyday language are over the age of 65.
The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, [3] following Paul-Yves Pezron, who made the explicit link between the Celts described by classical writers and the Welsh and Breton languages. [4] During the first millennium BC, Celtic languages were spoken across much of Europe and central Anatolia.
All surviving Celtic languages are in the Insular group, including Breton, which is spoken on continental Europe in Brittany, France. The Continental Celtic languages, although once widely spoken in mainland Europe and in Anatolia, [1] are extinct. Six Insular Celtic languages are extant (in all cases written and spoken) in two distinct groups:
It comprises the extant languages Breton, Cornish, and Welsh. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning Ancient Britons as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael. The Brittonic languages derive from the Common Brittonic language, spoken throughout Great Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period.
Common Brittonic (Welsh: Brythoneg; Cornish: Brythonek; Breton: Predeneg), also known as British, Common Brythonic, or Proto-Brittonic, [4] [5] is a Celtic language historically spoken in Britain and Brittany from which evolved the later and modern Brittonic languages.
In addition to French, several regional languages are also spoken to varying degrees, such as Alsatian, a German dialect (specifically Alemannic; spoken by 1.44% of the national population); Basque, a language isolate; Breton, a Celtic language (spoken by 0.61%); Corsican, an Italo-Dalmatian language; and various other Gallo-Romance languages ...
The languages traditionally spoken in Brittany are Breton, a Celtic language, and Gallo, a Romance language that forms part of the Langues d'oïl group. The region of Brittany used to be divided by an imaginary line into two subdivisions based on linguistic boundaries between Gallo and Breton.