The Concise English-Irish Dictionary launched today

 

A new English to Irish dictionary will include translations of words such as coronavirus, pandemic, and banana bread into the Irish language.

The Concise English-Irish Dictionary will be launched by President Michael D Higgins, on Foras na Gaeilge’s Facebook Page, later today.

Joining the president will be a host of household names such as, Dara Ó Briain, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, and Mary McAleese as they share their experiences with, and grá for the national language.

The new dictionary contains 1,800 pages, over 30,000 entries, 85,000 word senses, and 1.8m words in contemporary English and Irish.

Produced by Foras na Gaeilge, the dictionary is the first major English-Irish dictionary to be published in over 60 years. Tomás de Bhaldraithe’s seminal English-Irish dictionary was published in 1959.

President Higgins said: “It was a privilege to launch the new English-Irish dictionary website in 2013 and I’m delighted to be able to celebrate the final stage of the project today, the Concise English-Irish Dictionary. 

"This dictionary follows on in a proud tradition of Irish-language lexicography, including famous works by Niall Ó Dónaill, Tomás de Bhaldraithe, and Pádraig Ó Duinnín.

The president said dictionaries are critical tools for any language community. 

"They allow communities to express themselves confidently and effectively in their own language, while also preserving the richness — the saibhreas — of a language. I congratulate Foras na Gaeilge, the dictionary team, and everyone who was involved in this historic achievement.” 

Some interesting additions include translations of banana bread (arán banana), social distancing (scaradh sóisialta), pandemic (paindéim), and coronavirus (coróinvíreas).

Chief editor Pádraig Ó Mianáin said of the new dictionary: “The New English-Irish dictionary brings Irish-language lexicography into the third millennium with its emphasis on currency in both Irish and English and its coverage of all levels of language use, from formal to informal and from written to spoken. 

"The new English-Irish dictionary has been online since 2013 and now attracts over 2m users worldwide annually, with over a quarter of them from overseas.

“When the online version was completed, production of a printed version began. In order to produce a one-volume dictionary, over a third of the content in the online dictionary, which contains 48k entries and 145k word senses, had to be left out and the remaining content had to undergo significant editing and reformatting. 

"We are delighted that the dictionary is now available, and to have this opportunity to launch it with the President today.”

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Farming 'vital as Welsh language stronghold'

Farming's importance to Welsh must be recognised in post-Brexit plans to support the industry, the man in charge of promoting the language has said. Welsh language commissioner Aled Roberts said funding had to be focused on helping family farms survive. Census figures suggest 43% of agricultural workers speak Welsh, compared with 19% of Wales' population.The Welsh Government said it wanted to help the sector ensure a sustainable future for the language .Mr Roberts was responding to the recommendations of a recent report about how farmers could help the government meet its goal of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Before the pandemic, Farming Connect researchers held workshops across the country, visiting agricultural shows and the National Eisteddfod to canvass opinion. Eirwen Williams said the findings were timely given ministers were looking at designing a new system to replace EU agricultural subsidies.

She said the main theme was that people wanted to see support for family-run farms, which play a "vital" role in supporting Welsh.

It was said they do this by enabling families and young people to stay in rural areas, leading to thriving schools, businesses and the long-term sustainability of the language."Many felt there should be a cap on how much one business can receive - to hinder farms getting bigger and bigger," Ms Williams said. "And that there should be support mechanisms especially targeted at the smaller farms."Mr Roberts said he would write to the government to discuss the report's findings. "This sector is a stronghold of the language," he said. "As we consider the shape of things after Covid and after Brexit, there is a danger that this is not part of the consideration.

"Without the agricultural subsidies recognising the importance of the family farms to the Welsh language, there will be erosion."There's also a need for the government, through the crisis that we've been through, to actually ensure that support is given to maintain organisations that are important in rural life, such as the Young Farmers' Clubs."

The report also called for changes to the planning system to help keep young people in rural areas by supporting farm diversification and rural enterprises, as well as facilitating the building of new houses on farmland, particularly in areas where demand for second homes had pushed up property prices.

Measures are needed too, the report said, to protect Welsh place names to ensure the language and heritage remain visible. Young Farmers' Clubs (YFC) were praised for supporting and promoting Welsh and it was recommended the funding they get from Welsh Government be formalised.

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Ruth Keggin Gell new Yn Greinneyder, Manx Language Development Officer

Culture Vannin is delighted to announce Ruth Keggin Gell as their new Manx Language Development Officer. In Manx, the role is known as Yn Greinneyder, ‘the encourager or motivator’, and Ruth’s focus will be to promote, support and facilitate the Manx language within the community, as well as to help deliver the Manx Language Strategy.

Yn Greinneyder also works to develop and lead adult language courses, classes, conversation groups and projects, and promotes Manx through social and traditional media.

Director of Culture Vannin, Dr Breesha Maddrell, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Ruth to the team – she brings great strengths relating to all aspects of what is a demanding role, especially in terms of teaching experience, community engagement and advocacy for the language. Our work is about partnerships with the community, and Ruth’s engaging personality make her ideally placed to connect with new audiences.”

Ruth holds a BA in Music from the University of York and a PGCE from the University of Cambridge. She has a wide breadth of teaching experience from one-to-one tutoring, classes and workshops, through to large-scale lectures, and has taught music and Manx to a wide range of age groups. An active performer, she has released two solo albums of Manx Gaelic songs to critical acclaim, and has brought Manx language and music to worldwide audiences through tours, festivals, and appearances in national and international media. Ruth is also part of an inter-Gaelic vocal project ‘Aon Teanga:Un Chengey’, which celebrates the linguistic and musical links between the Isle of Man, Scotland and Ireland.

On-island, Ruth is an active part of Manx language and music communities. She sings with the Manx Gaelic choir Caarjyn Cooidjagh and vocal ensemble Tallis Consort, and helps to support Yn Chruinnaght Inter-Celtic festival and the DESC Manx Folk Awards.

Ruth said: “As someone who wholeheartedly believes in the value and importance of the Manx language, I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to become Yn Greinneyder. I am looking forward to working together with other groups and individuals who work hard to support and promote Manx, as well as collaborating with members of the team at Culture Vannin. I am excited to welcome new people to Manx, alongside celebrating those who already have a deep love for the language.”

The Manx language is one of the Island's most important cultural assets; it is an Island success story and something in which we all can take great pride. The Isle of Man is now looked to by many as an example of best practice internationally. Well-organised community based initiatives and targeted Isle of Man Government support over many decades mean that the Manx language is available for all ages to enjoy, within nurseries, schools, adult classes and the wider community. It is also a unique identifier for the business community and for the Isle of Man as a whole.

Ruth will initially work part-time before moving to full-time hours at the end of November. She can be contacted on manxlanguage@culturevannin.im

More about the Manx language, including free lessons and resources, can be found on www.learnmanx.com

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New Scottish Gaelic teachers

New Teachers: As you can see from the table below, this year we have 18 Newly Qualified Primary Gaelic Teachers and 12 Newly Qualified Secondary Gaelic Teachers taking up their posts. Attracting people to the teaching profession can be a challenge so it is encouraging to see these numbers coming through the different courses now available. There are a number of institutions, including Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, University of Edinburgh and University of Strathclyde, offering many different routes into teaching through a 1-year PGDE course or 4/5 year Degree course. With these courses being continually developed we hope that this will make it accessible for anyone who wishes to have a career in Gaelic teaching. The new immersion course at Glasgow University will, we hope, also provide an opportunity for adults in the Central Belt to achieve fluency in preparation for teaching.

 

Tidsearan Ùra:  Mar a chì sibh anns a’ chlàr gu h-ìosal, am-bliadhna tha 18 Tidsearan Gàidhlig Ùr Chlàraichte sa Bhun-sgoil agus 12 san Àrd-sgoil a’ tòiseachadh nan dreuchdan. ’S e dùbhlan a th’ ann a bhith a’ tàladh dhaoine gu obair teagaisg agus, leis a sin, tha e na adhbhar misneachd a bhith a’ faicinn na h-àireamhan seo a’ tighinn tro na diofar chùrsaichean a tha ri fhaighinn na làithean seo. Tha grunn àiteachan, nam measg Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann agus Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh, a’ tabhann diofar shlighean gu ruige teagasg bho chùrsa aon-bhliadhna PGDE gu ceum fad 4/5 bliadhna. Leis na cùrsaichean seo an-còmhnaidh gan leasachadh, tha sinn an dòchas gum bi e comasach do dhuine sam bith cùrsa a lorg a bheir dhaibh cothrom air dreuchd ann an teagasg Gàidhlig. Tha sinn cuideachd an dòchas gun toir an cùrsa bogaidh ùr aig Oilthigh Ghlaschu cothrom do dh’inbhich ann an ceann a deas na dùthcha fileantas a choileanadh mar ullachadh airson teagasg.

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Conradh na Gaeilge celebrates that dual signage policy in Belfast is widely considered

 

A Belfast City Council committee has agreed to adopt a new bilingual signage policy for the city.

It will see 15% of residents having to consent to having a second sign in Irish erected on their street, down from the current two-thirds. Conradh na Gaeilge has been calling for Belfast City Council to amend it's dual street signage policy for a long, long time. This has been a hugely important campaign for the Irish language community for decades. We are nearly there, but full council will still have to vote next month. The current Belfast City Council dual signage policy is widely considered not fit for prupose, a policy that obstructed and denied language rights for decades. We have long argued that this policy be grounded in minority rights & follow guidance & duties in international treaties.

The new policy aims to deliver that. Any individual resident can now request signage directly from the council via email Council will then survey the street and where 15% of residents vote in favour (previously set at 66.6%), the sign will be erected. Non responses will be void.

This has taken a huge effort, outside of council to keep this campaign on the agenda, and inside of council, to get a strong and progressive outcome. Thanks to those parties who have championed this from the start & to those who have supported today. Go raibh maith agaibh

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Brittany's Regional Council announces exceptional aid (200,000 €) to help the Breton language immersion education network

The Diwan network is suffering from the coronavirus epidemic. Clearance sales, plant sales, concerts or canceled meals, the Redadeg, the race for the Breton language, postponed to 2021, events and festivals for the benefit of the Breton language and culture canceled this summer, these are all income from money that went missing this year. The charges, however, remain present for these associative schools where education is provided in the Breton language: any rents, salaries of non-teaching staff, all non-teaching costs, and even, for the most recent classes, teachers' salaries are paid by the network.

Result: 530,000 euros are missing to complete the network's budget this year, explains Lena Louarn, vice-president of the region in charge of languages ​​in Brittany. The Regional Council is therefore announcing exceptional aid: 200,000 euros to help the immersion education network, which should help it make ends meet.

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New edition of 'Bora Brav'

Nowodhow pur dha! Yma an dyllans nowydh a Bora Brav omma.

Great news! The new edition of Bora Brav-Learn the Cornish language, by Polin Prys, is here. 

It is suitable for people with absolutely no knowledge of Cornish. This book takes you from how to say hello etc right through to full conversations. It is use for the beginners, as well as in classes and it is excellent.

 

If you wish to order a copy you can by emailing  at kowethasanyeth@gmail.com. The book costs £11.99 with P&P an additional £3.50.

 

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County Kildare Gives Major Boost to the Irish Language

Linking the economic viability of the Gaeltacht to the advancement of the Irish language, the Language interest group “Cill Dara le Gaeilge” is leading efforts in County Kildare to support businesses that operate in Gaelic.

Linguists have long recognized the importance of the use of threatened languages in commerce as one of the elements leading to language revitalization.

“County Kildare has been recognized as having the fastest growing Irish-speaking population in the country. It now has eight Irish medium schools. The county also hosts Irish-medium pre-schools, community groups, youth clubs and summer camps.  According to the 2011 national census, there are now over 35,000 Co. Kildare residents who speak Irish regularly. “ Advancing the use of Gaelic in local commerce serves to strengthen Irish as skills in the tongue leads to employemnt security

“Cill Dara le Gaeilge” is a scheme focused on promoting business through the Irish language in County Kildare. The objective of the scheme is to provide information and support to businesses that wish to provide services to their customers in the Irish language.

Established in 2017, Cill Dara le Gaeilge aims to support businesses in County Kildare that wish to conduct business through the medium of Irish. Many businesses in the area have expressed an interest in using Irish as a language of communication with the public.

The Kildare Nationalist is reporting that the board of directors of Cill Dara le Gaeilge announced last week its intention to become the lead organisation for the greater Naas / Sallins area efforts for the advancement of the Irish language in local business.  

“Cill Dara le Gaeilge will be applying to Foras na Gaeilge under the Scéim Pobal na Gaeilge (Irish Language Community Scheme) on behalf of the Sallins / Naas area when that scheme reopens this year. “It’s time for full-time employees to work for the development of the Irish language in the area,” says Daithí de Faoite, Cathaoirleach of Cill Dara le Gaeilge. “An application from County Kildare under the Irish Language Community Scheme has yet to be successful but Cill Dara le Gaeilge now has a comprehensive plan to recruit employees and to support community groups in the area who are organising events through the medium of Irish as soon as we are accepted into the scheme.”

In 2019 Kildare became the first county in Ireland to publish an Irish language plan with a clear vision, specific objectives, structure and a list of actions to progress the language in the coming years. The range of the plan is from January 2019 to December 2023.

 Link

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Alasdair Whyte to continue as Gaelic Ambassador until 2021

Alasdair Whyte was named as Gaelic Ambassador of the Year at the Royal National Mod in Glasgow in 2019, where he was presented with his award by Deputy First Minister, and Cabinet Education Secretary, John Swinney.

In 2008 the Scottish Government invited An Comunn Gàidhealach to nominate someone who, in view of their outstanding work for Gaelic, was worthy of recognition as Gaelic Ambassador of the Year. Government officials arranged the sourcing of an appropriate award from a local artisan in the Falkirk area, where the Royal National Mod was taking place that year, and the honour was presented to Gaelic singing star Julie Fowlis. An Comunn is delighted that the Scottish Government decided to continue awarding this annual honour, and that an award has been presented to the Gaelic Ambassador of the Year at each Royal National Mod since then.

As a result of the unique situation facing us this year we had to consider how best to proceed. Although Alasdair has done sterling work in supporting An Comunn since his personal award was presented to him, he has not been able to fulfil everything he had planned and we are extremely pleased to announce that we have now agreed with Alasdair that he will continue his role as Gaelic Ambassador until October 2021.

An Comunn President, Allan Campbell said, “We are delighted that Alasdair is willing to continue in his role and with his responsibilities as Gaelic Ambassador with us for another year, and we very much look forward to seeing all that he plans to achieve over the coming year.”

 

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Cymdeithas Calls on trustees not to close the House of Welsh (Tŷ'r Cymry) center in Caerdydd

Cymdeithas yr Iaith has called on the owners of Tŷ'r Cymry in Caerdyddnot to sell the house, following a decision by current members of the trustees' committee to close the Welsh language center and sell the building. The house was donated by Mr Lewis Williams "to the Welsh of Cardiff" in 1936, and has been a major center of the language's history in the capital for over eighty years. Tenants of the building have moved out after being ordered to do so - which includes Cymdeithas yr Iaith, UCAC, Plaid Cymru and Tŷ'r Cymry cylch meithrin, the first cylch meithrin to be established in Cardiff.

Bethan Ruth, the national chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said: “The revival of the language in Cardiff has an important history for Tŷ'r Cymry, and there is no reason for that to end. We understand that maintaining a building like this is a pressure on a small crew that hasn't changed for a long time. But selling the building and closing the Welsh language center is not the answer - we are calling on the owners to pass the responsibility on to a new group that could re-establish the place as a modern Welsh language center on for 21st Century Cardiff.

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Comann nam Pàrant Coinneamh Bhliadhnail/AGM

On the 19th June Comann nam Pàrant hold its Annual General Meeting over Zoom. "Holding a Zoom meeting was a first for us, but we are very pleased that it worked well. We had over 14 in attendance with representatives from across the country. We are very pleased that our 3 officer bearers, Helen MacKinnon from Glasgow as Chair, Fiona Stephens from Edinburgh as Vice Chair and Gill Steele
from Aberfeldy as Secretary, are willing to remain in their roles for another year. Marsaili Dow also continues in her role as treasurer. We would like to thank them and the rest of the committee for their continued hard work in representing the Gaelic Medium parents’ voice across the country. We were also delighted to welcome Emma Burrows from Portree to the committee, great to have a representative from the Isle of Skye. With the ongoing threat of COVID-19 we plan to continue utilising Zoom as our meeting platform which should also make it easier for members to attend meetings.
Edinburgh Gaelic week for schools Due to COVID-19 we had to cancel our Gaelic School’s week in Edinburgh at the end of April. We had almost 400 pupils registered this year, and we were looking
forward to seeing them. We have worked with Our Dynamic Earth, one of the venues that we visit every year, to produce online Gaelic resources for schools.
There are now eight worksheets translated into Gaelic which have bee sent round schools. Topics include,Rainforests, Fish, Antarctica and Clouds. We hope that these resources are useful for teachers and have given pupils the opportunity to receive exciting resources in Gaelic. If there is any teacher or school who hasn’t received these and would like a copy, then please contact – innes@cnag.org

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Naoned: The teaching of Breton is gaining ground in schools

After those of Marsauderies and Batignolles, the Camille Claudel school is the third public primary school in Nantes to offer a bilingual French-Breton stream. 517 students are currently enrolled in a bilingual stream in Nantes. 262 in the public (Marsauderies school, Batignolles school, Camille Claudel school, Rutigliano college), 197 in two Diwan association schools and 58 in the private sector, at Sainte-Madeleine school: The number of students almost doubled in Nantes in fifteen years

"They were much less a little less than twenty years ago", rejoices Pierre-Emmanuel Marais, municipal councilor at the town hall of Nantes in charge of cultural diversity. In 2005, still in Nantes, there were only 321. In particular, driven by the city (charter "Yes to the Breton language" signed in 2012), this increase is not limited only to the city of the dukes. There are also bilingual courses in Saint-Herblain, Blain, Saint-Nazaire, Savenay or even Guérande in the department.

In Camille Claudel, the opening should have been done a year ago, but there were too few registrations. "We knew it was an obstacle to go to a Rep + zone [reinforced priority education network], recognizes Pierre-Emmanuel Marais. Explain the French-Breton bilingual project to families who do not all speak French well, it was complicated. "Visant Roué, director in Nantes of the public office for the Breton language, explains that he did not have to convince the parents. “I informed them. In 2018, a socio-linguistic survey, launched by the Regional Council of Brittany, indicated that 82% of people questioned in Nantes were in favor of more teaching of Breton. "

More and more positions occupied by brittophones

Morgane, mother of Agathe, pupil of Camille Claudel, said to herself "why not? When we introduced him to the industry. "It's true that Breton is not used very much, admits this native Brestoise. But, we thought it was a great opportunity for our daughter, who doesn't have any particular difficulties. It develops culture, awakening and it will help in learning a new language later. "Help with employment for later? 1,600 full-time equivalent positions in which Breton is required are currently occupied (early childhood, education, media, local authorities, etc.). In 2006, there were only 900.

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Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek looking for an admin assistant

Yma oberen nowydh gans Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek. There is a new job with Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek. We are looking for an admin assistant for 10 hours a month, split evenly over the month. You will need a good working knowledge of Excel, Word and Email. The position will be based at our shop in Heartlands, Pool, but there is scope for some home working. A knowledge of the Cornish Language is desirable, but not essential.
For a job description or further information please contact Co-ordinator at kowethasanyeth@gmail.com or via 07821 782493
To apply please email your CV with a covering letter to kowethasanyeth@gmail.com by the closing date which is Friday 30th October.

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Div Yezh Breizh AGM held

Div Yezh Breizh, the association of parents of pupils at bilingual schools held its general assembly on Sunday October 11th morning in An Oriant. The association which encourages the teaching of Breton in public schools, addressed its events planned for 2021, some of which had to be postponed. A renewed office, reaffirmed projects and always the same determination to support the sector in various establishments (Nouvelle-Ville, Merville and at the College Brizeux). It thanked Thierry and Tugdual for the work accomplished and for the assurance of their support in future projects as well as to Nolwenn, Béatrice, Marina, Manon and Servane for their continued commitment within the office.
The first action will be in support of regional languages for parents of pupils in the Lorient public sector.

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Irish language in Donegal Gaeltacht at a critical point

Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle says the Government has failed to recognise the emergency that exists in Ireland's Gaeltachts. Addressing the Dáil, he said the Official Languages Act of 2003 "hasn't been fit for purpose for a long time".

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said the Government has failed to recognise the emergency that exists in Ireland’s Gaeltachts.

Addressing the Dáil yesterday, he said the Official Languages Act of 2003, “hasn’t been fit for purpose for a long time”.

He said: “And while I am happy to hear that the Government is introducing amendments – and indeed, we haven’t had sight of them – from what the minister says, they simply do not go far enough.”

Deputy Pringle said: “Once again, the Government is not listening to the people who are directly affected by this legislation.”

The deputy said the Government has also not listened to Coiste Gaeilge, who met with stakeholders in every Gaeltacht and with the Commissioner Teanga to produce a cross-party report in 2018 that contained 20 practical recommendations.

Deputy Pringle said: “In that report, the chair of the committee expressed serious concerns in relation to the lack of recognition of the emergency in the Gaeltacht and among the Irish-speaking community. This concern is not addressed at all in this bill.

“The people on the ground relayed to the committee that, unless supported, the Irish-speaking population of the country will be wiped out. We know that the population of native Irish speakers is at a critical point.”

Deputy Pringle said Irish speakers still cannot interact with the state in Irish, despite constitutional recognition that Irish is the country’s first language. He also said the powers of the Commissioner Teanga were too limited. He said: “The powers of the commissioner must enable the commissioner to examine other legislation. Similar to the way in which we poverty- or gender equality-proof legislation, the commissioner must have the power to ensure that legislation recognises the emergency that exists.”

After two false starts, this is the third attempt since 2011 to amend the Act. Deputy Pringle said he looked forward to further discussions on the bill in committee.

He said: “We must start with the recognition that there is an emergency. There must be a strong statement in the bill that we are in an emergency. An urgent action plan to address this emergency is now needed.”

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Panel to ensure Welsh language is central to Council of Powys plans

An internal panel to promote Welsh at Powys County Council (PCC) would ensure the language is central to all future plans and workings at the regional authority, it will be claimed on Monday  October 19th.

At the next Democratic Services Committee meeting, setting up the panel is one of a number of tweaks to the council’s constitution which will be in front of councillors.

The panel’s purpose would be to make sure that the Welsh language is central to PCC’s plans and strategies, as well as promoting its use as part of a long term campaign to increase the number of speakers.

There would also be an aspect of oversight by checking that council services work according to the legal requirements of the Welsh Language Standards.

In July, the 2019/20 annual Welsh Standards report was approved at a meeting of the full council, but had contained some criticism from Welsh language commissioner, Aled Roberts.

Assurances were given that work  to improve the council’s use of the language is being done.

The report to the committee says: “Although there are several partnership forums that the council is part of which discuss the Welsh language, there isn’t an internal forum to discuss these aspects specifically within PCC.

“It is proposed that a new panel is established, under the Democratic Services committee’s structure, and report to that committee, to look at the council’s services and plans within a Welsh language context.”

If approved, the panel would meet every quarter and would be held in Welsh, with simultaneous translation provided for non-Welsh speaking councillors and officers.

The panel would be made up of the Chairman of the Democratic Services committee, Cllr Elwyn Vaughan, and portfolio holder for Welsh, Cllr Myfanwy Alexander, who would be be joined by a councillor from each political group.

If the committee vote in favour of creating the panel, that recommendation would then go before a future full council meeting for an ultimate decision.

Like all other government and public bodies in Wales, PCC is required to comply with the Welsh Language Standards, introduced under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.

This gave the language an equal legal status with English to make it easier for people to use Welsh in their day to day lives.

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith opposes Pen-Y-Bont Fawr school closure

 

Wales' Education Minister has been asked to step in to prevent the reorganisation of schools around Llanfyllin by Welsh language pressure group Cymdeithas yr Iaith. They group says Powys Council would be breaking the Schools Organisation Code which gives a presumption against closing rural schools if it went ahead with the plans, with which the council has agreed to progress with a business case.

The move would see Ysgol Pennant primary school in Pen-Y-Bont Fawr closed, with the council planning a new Welsh medium primary school at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, and an expectation that pupils from Ysgol Pennant would go there.

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Public Office of the Breton Language launches a campaign to conquer adults

 Conquering adults to bring the Breton language to life this is the aim of the Public Office of the Breton language. For the 21st year, the Public Office of the Breton Language is launching its promotional campaign which aims to appeal to the adult public.

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A Manx Gaelic primary school will become the first of its kind to be wholly run by the Isle of Man government

A spokesman hailed the move as as a "significant moment" for the resurgent Manx language. Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is the only school on the Isle of Man to teach lessons through Gaelic. Education minister Alex Allinson said the school had been an "intrinsic part of the Manx language revival". The change means teachers will be directly employed by the government and the school will be able to access services provided by the education department, such as special needs provision.


The work of the school had helped people better appreciate the importance of island culture and made Manx "a living language again", Mr Allinson added. Educational charity Mooinjer Veggey currently runs the school under a contract with the education department, which is due to expire at the end of the academic year. Following a consultation with parents, it was decided the department would take up the management of the school. Manx organisation Culture Vannin said the move was another sign the language was flourishing on the island.


Mooinjer Veggey director Phil Gawne said the school had helped about 170 pupils become fluent in Manx and "radically transformed the fortunes" of the language.  After falling dramatically from the end of the 19th century, the number of Manx speakers has increased since the 1990s and the 2011 census recorded more than 1,800 speakers on the island. Established in 2001, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh has grown from nine pupils and sharing premises to having its own facility in St John's and about 70 students.

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Avanti West Coast has introduced Welsh language information displays onboard its service

 

Avanti West Coast, with the support of the Welsh Language Commissioner, has introduced Welsh language announcements and information displays onboard its service to and from North Wales.

Working closely with the Commissioner, whose vision is a Wales where people can use the Welsh language in their everyday lives, Avanti West Coast has reaffirmed its commitment to the region with the last of the 20 modified trains entering service this week

The work was undertaken by Bombardier at their Central Rivers depot.

“This is a simple but important milestone, one that highlights our commitment to serving North Wales,” commented Tim Barton, Onboard Manager for Avanti West Coast.  “With new trains due to arrive in 2022, additional services next year to Llandudno and plans to move into new offices in Holyhead, the investment is set to delivery real benefits for our customers. It’s an exciting time.”

Aled Roberts, The Welsh Language Commissioner said: “We welcome Avanti West Coast’s commitment to the Welsh language. It is important that passengers in Wales hear Welsh, and realise that it is an official language in Wales. Not only is it an essential service for Welsh speakers, it also raises the awareness of our language among visitors.

“It is great that my officers had the opportunity to work with Avanti West Coast to provide this service. I look forward to seeing how the company will develop their Welsh language service further in the future.”

The news comes after Avanti West Coast reinstated its direct services from London to Holyhead and Wrexham earlier this month.

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Scillonian John Goody has been made Bard of the Gorsedd for his promotion of the Cornish language on the Isles of Scilly

 

A Scillonian has been made Bard fo the Cornish Gorsedd for his 'energetic promotion of the Cornish language on the Isles of Scilly'. John Goody of St Mary’s was initiated in absentia because of family health reasons and will be presented to the Grand Bard in September 2021 when the Gorsedd meets in Bude. John's bardic name is Jan Penrose a Syllan, (aka “John Penrose of Scilly”), Penrose being a family name traceable in St Just and St Buryan to the earliest written records. 

He joins shipwreck historian and author Richard Larn – bardic name Gonyas an Mor (‘Servant of the Sea’) – who was initiated in 2006, as the second living Scilly bard. John, 69, whose father was born in Newlyn, Cornwall and mother from St Buryan, said: “I’m over the moon. I knew about it back in February but there was an embargo on releasing the information.”He admits having worked hard for the distinction and looks on it as “a sort of lifetime achievement”.

He added: “It is the highest award Cornwall can give its own and means so much to me." His family came from Cornwall to Scilly in 1963 when his father Jesse – a renowned footballer – was appointed postmaster after a previous stint in the islands in the late 1950s.

John has been active over the past decade in the Cornish language sphere writing a Cornish-English dictionary and also a conjugated verb database. He is currently working on a dictionary for Mac computers. He was christened Penrose after his uncle who was a rear gunner in Lancaster bombers in the Second World War, surviving being shot down and incarceration in – and two escapes from – Stalag Luft 111, only to lose his life in a motorcycle crash at Newbridge while on his way to meet his girlfriend in St Just.

 

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20 new primary education sites in Breton language open

Despite very specific preparation conditions linked to the COVID-19 health crisis and the spring confinement which greatly disrupted the dissemination of information within families by the OPLB teams, the start of the 2020 school year confirms the dynamic booming Breton-French bilingual education.

For the first time, the bar of 20 new openings has been crossed in the first degree, all sectors combined. These new sites are spread over the 2 academies and the 5 departments. Concretely, 18 new sites are opening in the Brittany region and 2 in Loire-Atlantique. Diwan opens a third school in Quimper. Public education opens up 11 new pathways. In Finistère, the National Education is expanding its offer to the following municipalities: Rosporden, RPI de La Feuillée / Brennilis / Loqueffret, Brest (5th public site) and Plourin-lès-Morlaix. In Morbihan, 2 new sectors are opening in Lauzach and Ploemeur (2nd public site). In Côtes-d´Armor, the public is open to Ploubezre and Prat in Trégor. Finally, 3 new sectors are emerging in Ille-et-Vilaine in Rennes (5th public site), Vitré and Pleurtuit. Insofar as 19 openings were registered on the academic map of the poles, it is regrettable that only 11 new public sites were finally validated during this re-entry into the Rennes Academy, while 15 had opened last year. It will be a matter of remaining vigilant to maintain a good level of openness if we want to see the number of bilingual children really develop and thus hope to stabilize the number of Breton speakers in the future.

We must salute in this new school year the work of Catholic education which opens 6 new courses in the first degree in Plouedern and Trégunc in Finistère, in Plerin in the Côtes-d'Armor, in Mordelles in Ille-et-Vilaine and in Monterblanc and Kervignac in Morbihan. It has been 15 years since Catholic education opened up so many new courses in a single start to school.
In the Nantes academy

National Education is opening 2 new courses in Nantes (3rd public site) and in Saint-Nazaire where only Diwan had been present for 29 years. In the Loire-Atlantique department, the National Education Department has never opened 2 new public sites in a single start. After opening a branch in Blain last year, this is also the first time that public sites have opened in this department two years in a row. This inflection is remarkable. It is clearly the fruit of the work of the OPLB in the field with all the actors, groundwork that will have to be continued and deepened further in the years to come in this academy which still does not have a development plan. bilingual education.

All these openings confirm the strong growth dynamic of Breton-French bilingual education with an increasingly dense network of schools (in Finistère, for example, there are only 2 municipalities of more than 5,000 inhabitants left without any bilingual education: Penmarc'h and Plouigneau) and an ever more pronounced interest of families in learning Breton.


The second degree is also developing

Bilingual streams also continue to be structured in secondary education. The big news for the start of the school year is the opening of a second Diwan high school in Vannes, the result of several years of work by the Diwan network with the support of Breton communities.

For its part, national education opens a new course at the college of Callac. Finally, Catholic education is also strengthening its network by opening 4 new courses. First in middle school in Fouesnant and Carhaix in Finistère as well as in Vitré in Ille-et-Vilaine but also in the high school of Sainte-Anne d´Auray in Morbihan.In all, between the two academies, there are therefore 26 new courses that are emerging in this new academic year (20 in the first degree and 6 in the second).

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No money for Cornish Language this year

 

Doubling down on the criticism they have recently received from the Council of Europe for not supporting the Cornish language enough, Cornwall Council have been given notice that there will be no money to promote the Cornish language this year. In his Leader’s announcements at this morning’s Cornwall Council cabinet meeting Julian German said

“Unfortunately the Prime Minister seems to have forgotten his Cornish roots” – referring to the PM’s father Stanley Johnson, who was born in Penzance – “as we have seen, the government has been criticised by the Council of Europe for not meeting its international obligations to the Cornish under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. We have also received from government a letter saying that they will not be providing any funding for the Cornish language in this financial year.”

The council leader, who is a fluent Cornish speaker himself, continued “I’ve raised this with our MPs and have also asked government direct how they will be meeting their international obligations under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages to support and promote Cornish”

The government provided £200,000 for the promotion of Cornish language and culture in the 2019/20 financial year.

In reference to the Cornish language the Council of Europe said in its recent report that the Government should “devolve the necessary responsibilities to Cornwall Council enabling it to effectively promote Cornish”.

It said that “immediate action” was needed to devolve responsibility and provide funding to Cornwall Council to promote the Cornish language.

But in response to the proposals the Council submitted to government for funding of Cornish culture and language projects in the 2020/21 financial year, the Department of Local Government and Communities responded,

“I regret to inform you that we will not be providing direct funding to Cornwall Council for such projects in the 20/21 financial year”

The letter continues,”Though this will not be the news you were hoping for in regard to the funding of specific projects, I do want to reiterate our commitment to continuing to support and  promote Cornish language and heritage under both the European Charter for  Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.”

“The UK Government will also continue to formally represent Cornwall on the British-Irish Council’s Indigenous and Minority Languages working group. While full membership of the British-Irish Council remains available only to devolved nations, we will continue to work with you and regularly attend meetings at an official level to ensure that Cornwall Council’s views are considered, as we know that this forum is a great place to share best practice and ideas with others on the preservation and promotion of minority languages.”

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Breton Students Protest: Breton as a living language at the baccalaureate and not as an option.

Breton as a living language at the baccalaureate and not as an option. At the Kreisker high school in Saint-Pol-de-Léon, the students do not give up and reaffirm their wishes, supported by the teachers, their parents and KLT.

The mobilization to defend the possibility of passing Breton into a living language B has been going on for almost a year. The 22 Kreisker high school students concerned, their teacher, and their parents received the support of Kerne Leon Treger (KLT), the federation of Breton associations in the country of Morlaix. Hervé Lautrou, its president, who wrote to the rector of the academy at the end of August, was present on Thursday, October 8, with Kristian Le Mener, director of KLT, to support the students. 

Protest in Montroulez

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