“Ar vignoned ne roont ket / Etrezo pep tra a vez rannet” ► Friends do not give, they share everything.
The purpose of this post is to help keep alive an important tradition and culture at risk. The more we talk, learn, and share, the less it disappears.
While French is the only official language of France, there are many other languages here, including Breton. Swipe 👉👉 to see a map of the languages unique to the regions in France. And this is especially important if you want to live in a rural location! I often find that locals here have a combo-slang that makes me want to learn this language too.
Breton is a Celtic language (like Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx (from the Isle of Man)) originating in Brittany, Northern France. Local schools often teach this declining language to children to help preserve this important history and regional culture.
“Ar feiz a zibrad ar menezioù / Ar garantez a gas d’an neñvoù” ► Faith lifts mountains, love sends to paradise.
Breton is the only Celtic language still in use on the European mainland. Having declined from more than 1 million speakers around 1950 to about 200,000 in the first decade of the 21st century, Breton is classified as “severely endangered” by the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. However, the number of children attending bilingual classes rose 33% between 2006 and 2012 to 14,709.
“En doujañs emañ ar garantez” ► Love lies in respect.
If you’d like to hear the Breton language spoken, a quick YouTube search will give you the opportunity to hear this ancient Celtic language.
Bisous and big 🤗 hugs from France,
Shannon
Map image and statistics source: Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_France
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breton_language