Breton language movement win a huge victory: students can take two baccalaureate exams in Breton

While traveling in Finistère, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer announces that high school students can take two baccalaureate exams in Breton. This is particularly the case of math as claimed by the students of Diwan high school Karaez.

"I answer them that there are two possible subjects in Breton, explains the Minister of Education, and that it can be the mathematics even if it is a little particular you will recognize it because it is a language a little universal Normally you can pass it almost in any language, even if sometimes you have to make some comments, so we have been flexible on this subject saying again that it is possible to pass two tests in Breton. "

Link to the students movement Bak e Brezhoneg

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Campaign to request Kernewek to be added in facebook

Facebook help system and found a link to where you can request a new language be added to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/106059432853074

Please consider clicking this link and requesting that "Kernewek" be added to Facebook. There is a little box to write a reason in which you might want to mention the growing community of speakers or the protected minority status of Cornwall or what have you.
It may not do anything, but if enough people do it, it just might. It certainly can't hurt to try.

Please also share this post or the link and ask your friends, whether Cornish or not, to do the same! The more people that ask, the more likely we're listened to. Meur ras.

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Parents ‘being disenfranchised’ by new Irish language schools

The decision to designate two new primary schools in Dublin as Gaelscoileanna “disenfranchises parents” and “provides less choice,” the largest multidenominational patron body has said.
The Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it was seeking expressions of interest from patron bodies to run four new primary schools opening over the next two years.
The schools are Carrigaline in Co Cork; Donabate in north Dublin; and Saggart/Citywest and Sallynoggin/Cherrywood, both in south Dublin. The department said the schools in Donabate and Saggart/Citywest would be taught in the Irish language because there are no Gaelscoileanna in those immediate areas.

By other side a Dundalk school is at the centre of a row over the withdrawal of Irish language-taught subjects have threatened legal action after accusing staff of trying to silence their concerns after the board of management was ‘reconstituted’. 
Coláiste Lú, an aonad at English-medium school Coláiste Chú Chulainn, has already seen walkouts from pupils over a decision to reduce the number of subjects taught through Irish.
An aonad caters for students who wish to be educated mainly through Irish in areas where it is not feasible to have a stand-alone Irish medium secondary school.
Now, parents say that the school, which is run by principal Thomas Sharkey, is trying to deprive them of a voice on school governance by “re-constituting” the Board of Management.
The current board met first in 2016 and is now due to be re-organised, meaning new nominations must be made.
However, when the nomination form, seen by TheJournal.ie, was sent out to parents on 18 October it asked people to nominate two parents or guardians “to the Board of Management of Cólaiste Chú Chulainn one male and one female”.
It did not specify that there would be one representative for each part of the school – the English-language main school and the Irish-speaking aonad.
The constitution of the Coláiste Lú Parents Association, which was adopted in 2013, states that the association will have “one parent representative on the Board of Management; their brief is to reflect the opinions of all parents at board meetings and to report the views of the board as appropriate”.
To parents, who have organised in response to what they say is an ongoing threat to the future of Coláiste Lú, this is an attempt to remove their voice from the board.
In a statement, the parents council said:

The Principal, acting as secretary to the Board of Management sent out a letter to all parents of the school advising of appointment of new parents representatives using procedures that he had devised which ignored the criteria in the Constitution.

A legal letter, sent on behalf of the Coláiste Lú Parents Council to the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board and seen by TheJournal.ie, warns that “unless our client is afforded its legal right in this regard it seems unavoidable that litigation will follow”.
Sharkey declined to comment when contacted by TheJournal.ie. The Louth and Meath Education and Training Board did not respond to a request for comment.
“We get the sense that there is an ulterior agenda,” Aidan Kinsella, the secretary of the parents’ council, said.
Parents have long been concerned that the school is slowly moving away from its commitment to the aonad and the Irish language.

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Rally in Paris to save lesser used languages in the French State

On November 30, the associations of defense and promotion of the regional languages ​​of France (Alsace, Brittany, Basque Country, Corsica, Occitania, Catalonia and abroad ...) organize a demonstration (peaceful) in front of the Ministry of the National education that, by means of a recent reform, endangers the teaching of these languages.

In addition to the event that we invite you to participate, you can also sign the petition. An appointment is made at 11 o'clock in front of Sainte-Clotilde church 23 B rue Las Cases Paris 7.
The Collectif Pour Que Vivent Nos Langues ​​sent this petition addressed to Jean-Michel Blanquer (Minister of National Education)


The languages ​​are Occitan-langue d'oc, Basque, Breton, Catalan, Choirs, Flamenco, Standard German and Alsatian dialect, Savoyard (Arpitan / francoprovençal), Languages ​​of Oli, Creoles and Indigenous Languages ​​of Overseas Territories. All resist, in France, not to disappear because they appear in the inventory of "languages ​​in danger of extinction" established by Unesco. Despite the global impetus for natural biodiversity and cultural biodiversity, finally, it can be considered and preserved, despite the international texts that govern human rights and the rights of peoples, the French State, despite multiple convictions on the part of the The UN continues its work destroying the millennium of the intangible heritage that are our languages ​​and our cultures.

In the point of weakness that has come today, the educational situation, an essential vector of the transmission and vitality of our languages, is emblematic of this evil will. The law states that "the languages ​​and regional cultures belonging to the heritage of France, their education is favored ...". We note that not only is this law and conventions signed by the state respected, but that the various forms of education (optional, bilingual and immersive) are undermined by the politics of the current Minister of Education. National education Jean-Michel Blanquer. Even more than its predecessors, its policy leads to accelerating the decline of our languages, as demonstrated by its recent reform of the baccalaureate and its declarations to the Senate on May 21 against immersion education. Attacks against the teaching of these languages ​​are numerous.


The reform of secondary education and the organization of the baccalaureate has terrible consequences for all regional language flows, as evidenced by the ups and downs that show a dramatic drop in the number of students enrolled in regional languages.


Aliance Culturèla Arpitana ;
Association Alsace - Jùnge Fer's Elsàssische (AJFE) ;
Association des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes (APLV) ;
Association des Enseignants de Gallo ;
Association des Enseignants de Savoyard / Francoprovençal ;
Association des Parents d'élèves de l'Enseignement Public en Alsace (APEPA) ;
Association pour l’Enseignement de la Langue d'Oc Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (AELOC/FELCO) ;
Association pour le Bilinguisme en Classe dès la Maternelle - A.B.C.M. Zweisprachigkeit ;
Association pour le bilinguisme français-occitan dans l’enseignement public (ÒC-BI) ;
Association des Professeurs de Langue Bretonne dans l'enseignement public en Île de France (APLB KBDP) ;
Associu di l'Insignanti di/in Lingua è Cultura Corsa ;
Bak e Brezhoneg, lycéens Diwan Carhaix ;
Bressola ;
Centre Régional des Enseignants d'Occitan (CREO/FELCO) de l'académie de Toulouse ;
Centre Régional des Enseignants d'Occitan (CREO/FELCO) Lengadòc ;
Confederacion Calandreta ;
Congrès permanent de la langue occitane ;
Conseil International du Francoprovençal ;
Div yezh Breizh ;
Diwan ;
European language Equality Network (ELEN) – Réseau Européen pour l'Égalité des Langues ;
Eltern Alsace, Association des parents d'élèves de l'enseignement bilingue ;
Eskolim, Fédération des réseaux d’écoles associatives laïques immersives ;
Esquiròt ;
Euskal Konfederazioa ;
Fédération Alsace bilingue - Verband zweisprachiges Elsass
Fédération des Enseignants de Langue et Culture d'Oc (FELCO) ;
Fédération pour les langues régionales dans l'enseignement public (FLAREP) ;
Felibrige ;
Fonds International pour la Langue Alsacienne ;
Forum d'Oc ;
K.L.T. (Kerne - Leon - Treger), fédération des associations bretonnes du Pays de Morlaix ;
Institut d'Estudis Occitans ;
Kelennomp !, Association des enseignants de et en langue bretonne ;
Kevre Breizh, Coordination des associations culturelles de Bretagne ;
Mission Bretonne d'Île de France ; Ti Ar Vretoned
Parlemu Corsu ;
Practicalingua ;
Seaska ;

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A new Irish language project aims to enable Irish versions of Siri, Alexa and more by recording people speaking their native tongue

'Míle Glór’, a thousand voices, is an initiative from Irish Language technology project, ‘Abair.ie’, which is aiming to record 1,000 people speaking Irish.
The recording, which will be taken from people of all ages and dialects, both in gaeltachts and outside of them, will be used to develop Irish language versions of services such as virtual assistants ‘Siri’ and ‘Alexa’.

The project was launched at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival by Minister of State for Irish Seán Kyne, who said that it will help ensure that Irish speakers have options for tech services “not just here at home but across the world”.
The Abhair.ie team, based in Trinity College, will be producing the data needed to enable virtual assistants and other voice responsive tech and services to use the Irish Language.
Such tech is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in everything from our phones to smart homes, at work to recording messages and email, to conducting web searches and getting directions in the car.
The work of Abhair.ie is supported by the the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht which has provided funding of €235,000 to support the project.

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A new online course to learn Manx Gaelic

Manx Gaelic is the latest online language course being launched by a team aiming to revolutionise the way we learn languages.

Glossika, a team of linguists and polyglots based in Taiwan, is dedicated to achieving fluency in a new language through a ’natural immersion self-training method’.

Adrian Cain, the Manx language development officer for Culture Vannin said: ’This is a fantastic addition to the already substantial body of on-line material available for the learner of Manx.


’It is also great that Glossika are providing the course free to learners as a way of supporting minority languages. This will be of long-term benefit to the language and culture of the island.’
The Glossika team has already analysed and launched over 60 of the most widely spoken languages from around the world and now in a joint project with Aberdeen University and Culture Vannin has made the course available in Manx.
The course, which consists of more than 3,000 sentences that increase in difficulty according to the needs of the learner, can be accessed free from Glossika at https://ai.glossika.com/language/learn-manx

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg meeting in support for Welsh-only name for National Assembly

A protest in support of a Welsh-only name for the Senedd has been held in Cardiff Bay.
Assembly Members rejected the motion last month, voting to give Welsh Parliament a bilingual name, but the final vote will be held next week.
Campaigners Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said giving the Senedd a Welsh-only name would "send a message about its status" in Wales. As David Williams explained:

It’s a question about the Welsh language’s place in public life. Over recent years, we have seen more and more attacks on the use of the language, partly because of the rise of the far right. Far too many people argue or accept that using Welsh is not normal or inclusive.
We believe ‘Senedd’ is a name that can unite us all, and it’s clear that the people of Wales strongly support that too. If we can all say “Dáil” or “Bundestag” without the need for an official English name, why can’t we do the same with Senedd? We call on our politicians to show confidence in our unique language, confidence in Wales and all its people – whether they speak Welsh or not.

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Yeth an Werin ha Myttin coffi, Lowenac, Cambron

It’s that time again, when we will be meeting to speak Cornish and drink coffee together. Fluent speakers and learners are welcome alike. There will be cards and board games. We’ll be meeting from 10.30, in the morning of course! until 1.30 p.m. The room is free and unlimited coffee is £2.50 per person. The car park is free. And every second Saturday each month going forward. 9/11/19
Sewena dhywgh why oll / and success to you all.

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Cooish celebrates the Manx language

The Cooish Manx Language Festival sees a number of events over two day that enables people to enjoy and use Manx Gaelic.

The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in interest towards the language and throughout the year there are events where both young and old can use some Manx.

The Cooish provides an ideal opportunity for everyone to engage with, speak a little (or a lot of) Manx and find out more about this remarkable cultural asset that we have in the Isle of Man.
Supported by Culture Vannin and Jeebin - The Manx Language Network - activities include a pop-up Gaeltagh at Marks and Spencer today (Friday) where people can drop in for a coffee and Gaelg.
The afternoon will see Mini Musicians holding a free session teaching Manx songs for children at Henry Bloom Noble Library, in Douglas, from 2pm-3pm.
There will be a lecture that evening at the Bunscoill Gaelgagh, in St John’s delivered by the Greinneyder.
And there will be a coffee morning at St John’s Methodist Hall tomorrow (Saturday) from 10.30am which will provide an opportunity for all to find out more about the language.
A wide range of organisations including Mooinjer Veggey, Yn Ã?heshaght Ghailckagh, Pobble and Culture Vannin will be available that morning to discuss what is available on the language front.
Find out about the advantages of bilingualism, sign up for classes, buy some books and discover how to improve your language skills.
The weekend will finish with a concert at Peel Sailing & Cruise Club on Saturday night hosted by Yn Chruinnaght.
The events provide an excellent opportunity to learn, speak and most importantly enjoy this great cultural asset.
More information can be found at www.learnmanx.com or on the Cooish and Learn Manx Facebook pages.
For more details contact Adrian Cain, Manx language development officer for Culture Vannin on 451098.

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1,000 bottles of cider for the Breton language schools

The Kuzul association has collected in the Aree Mountains a ton and a half of apples. The movement for the Breton language of Kommana will prepare a thousand bottles of cider to finance the language immersion schools in Brittany. Every bottle has a price of 2,5 €. 

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg Rally: Welsh-only name for Senedd

12pm, Saturday, 9/11/19
The Senedd, Cardiff Bay
Bethan Ruth Roberts, Jolyon Maugham QC and others

Come to call on our politicians to listen to the voice of the people who want a Welsh-only name for our Senedd ahead of a vote on changing the name. The name ‘Senedd’ is already used widely by people, whether they speak Welsh or not.

This is a chance to send a message to our politicians that the Welsh language is inclusive and belongs to us all, from every background. We celebrate and support everything that’s in Welsh only - like our national anthem - and we wish to see more and more of them.

Bring your own banner with ‘Senedd’ on it.

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