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| Abaoe 1995 | Brezhoneg · Français · English · Español · Deutsch |
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Yann, 2001-06-23 17:58:20 I realize this may sound like a very dumb or silly question, but none the less, it would be nice if someone could try to help me. I'll spend the year 2002 in Breizh, in Roazhon, and I would like to learn Breton before going there. I already get along without too much problems in the Irish and Welsh, so it's about time that I learned Breton too. The problem is that is quite hard to find any information about Breton, not as much as you can find about the other Celtic languages. I know that there are four main dialects, Gwenedeg, Kerneveg, Leoneg and Tregereg and I know where they are said to be spoken. But if I've understood the situation right, French is the main language in virtually all of these areas. I know that Roazhon is French-speaking. I would like to know if there are any areas left where Breton is actually used as the first language, like Irish is in na fíor-Ghaeltachtaí and Welsh is is Gwynedd, Ceredigion and parts of Dyfed. Are there any similar areas in Brittany? I would also be happy if you could help me chosing which dialect to learn. Trugarez deoc'h ha kenavo Re: Which Breton to learn Eric K, 2001-06-29 17:48:48 Hello, Yann Your question is not so silly. First, I'd like to speak a bit about the situation of the Breton language. There are four million inhabitants in Brittany and about three hundred thousand people able to speak Breton fluently (especially elderly). When my father (who is a fluent speaker) was young (in the 1950's), Breton was not teached and my father was not allowed to speak his language at school. Therefore, we cannot say there are now areas where Breton is used as the first language. You will hear people speaking Breton in the west part of Brittany (Breizh-izel), rather in small villages, and (as I said sooner) elderly people. In Roazhon, french will be more usefull but you will meet students who learn Breton. Concerning your question 'Which Breton to learn', I think we could say that the Breton language teached now is a unified form of several dialects. According to me, it is not usefull for a beginner to learn the particularities of each dialect. A galon. Re: Which Breton to learn Arian Iñigo, 2001-08-11 08:30:28 Hello, Yann. Although I do not know you personally, I can reply to your question on which dialect of Breton to learn. Even though the Gwenedeg dialect is known to be so different as to be closer to the Gaulish formerly spoken throughout the Loire Valley in ancient times, in reality all dialects of Breton will sound quite alike to the untrained listener. However, a person well-trained in Breton speech can distinguish between Gwenedeg and the dialect of the Cornouaille country (I do not remember the name right now). So, considering your level of Breton at the moment, do not pay much attention to the particularities between Breton dialects. Anyway, the Breton that is generally taught in schools is a unified language containing elements from all the dialects and the difference between the dialects themselves is not that great. So chances are that wherever you go in Brittany, any Breton speaker will be able to understand you without much difficulty. Of course, if you want to speak a particular dialect of Breton, it is up to you. However, it is not absolutely necessary, so the dialect problem is purely a matter of personal taste. | |
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