Breton language
| Breton | |
|---|---|
| brezhoneg | |
Bilingual sign in Huelgoat in Brittany | |
| Pronunciation | [bʁeˈzɔ̃ːnɛk], [brəhɔ̃ˈnek] |
| Native to | Brittany (France) |
| Region | Lower Brittany |
| Ethnicity | Bretons |
Native speakers | 107,000 in Brittany (2024)[1] 16,000 in Île-de-France[2] (Number includes students in bilingual education)[3] |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin script (Breton alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | br |
| ISO 639-2 | bre |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:bre – Modern Bretonxbm – Middle Bretonobt – Old Breton |
Linguist List | xbm Middle Breton |
obt Old Breton | |
| Glottolog | bret1245 Bretonicbret1244 KLT Bretonvann1244 Gwenedeg |
| ELP | Breton |
| Linguasphere | 50-ABB-b (varieties: 50-ABB-ba to -be) |
Percentage of Breton speakers in each country of Brittany, 2018 | |
Breton is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger[4] | |
Breton (/ˈbrɛtən/, BRET-ən; French: [bʁətɔ̃]; endonym: brezhoneg [bʁeˈzɔ̃ːnɛk] ⓘ[5] or [bɾəhɔ̃ˈnek] in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of the insular branch instead of the extinct continental grouping.[6]
Breton was brought from Great Britain to Armorica (the ancient name for the coastal region that includes the Brittany peninsula) by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages, making it an Insular Celtic language. Breton is most closely related to Cornish, another Southwestern Brittonic language.[7] Welsh and the extinct Cumbric, both Western Brittonic languages, are more distantly related, and the Goidelic languages (Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic) have a slight connection due to both of their origins being from Insular Celtic.[8]
Having declined from more than one million speakers around 1950 to 107,000 in 2024,[1] Breton is classified as "severely endangered" by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.[4] Yet, the number of children attending bilingual classes rose 33% between 2006 and 2012 to 14,709.[3][9]
- ^ a b "Communiqué · Transmission et usage du breton et du gallo : résultats de l'étude sociolinguistique 2024 · Région Bretagne".
- ^ Diagnostic de la langue bretonne en Île-de-France. Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg.
- ^ a b Broudic, Fañch (2009). Parler breton au XXIe siècle : Le nouveau sondage de TMO Régions (in French). Emgleo Breiz.
- ^ a b Moseley, Christopher; Nicolas, Alexander, eds. (2010). Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (PDF) (3rd ed.). Paris: UNESCO. ISBN 978-92-3-104096-2. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022.
- ^ Bauer, Laurie (2007). The Linguistic Student's Handbook. Edinburgh University Press.
- ^ Diamond, Jared (2012) The World Until Yesterday New York: Viking. p.399. ISBN 978-0-670-02481-0
- ^ "Breton language". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Brythonic languages | Celtic, Welsh & Cornish | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Enquête socio-linguistique : qui parle les langues de bretagne aujourd'hui ?". Région Bretagne. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.