History of the Breton Language

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 Armor

After the fall of the Roman Empire, successive waves of Bretons immigrated to Armor (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.