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The Breton Language

The Breton Language. ‘ Defense de cracher par terre et de parler breton ’. Breton language- c1920. Warning not to speak Breton or to spit at school. The school system in Breton. By the 1970s the campaign to obtain some education in Breton was beginning to bear fruit.

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The Breton Language

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  1. The Breton Language ‘Defense de cracher par terre et de parler breton’

  2. Breton language- c1920 Warning not to speak Breton or to spit at school

  3. The school system in Breton • By the 1970s the campaign to obtain some education in Breton was beginning to bear fruit. • There had been some (private) education in Breton during the late 30s and early 40s but this came to an abrupt end in 1944. • The organization which has become especially associated with education in Breton has been DIWAN

  4. Diwan

  5. Diwan • The Breton-medium education movement began in 1977 in a place called Lampaul-Ploudalmegean (near Brest). Based on similar schools in ireland, Wales and the Basque Country, the first Diwan schools were kintergartens, and primary schools (1980). They were not funded by the state, but by voluntary contributions. • .

  6. Diwan • By 1988 they had established a Breton-medium college, and then a lycee in Lorient in 1994. • The teachers and the curriculum of the Breton-medium schools follow closely that of the State schools (French is introduced from the age of seven). • The emphasis is on the immersial method. Most of the children who first attend the Diwan schools speak French only.

  7. The Touban Law. 1994 • The Toubon Law, is a law of the French State mandating the use of the French language in official government publications, in all advertisements, in all workplaces, in commercial contracts, in some other commercial communication contexts, in all government-financed schools, and some other contexts. • Abve all, the Touban Law declares that the only language of state education must be French. • This was bound to impact Diwan sooner or later.

  8. Diwan and the constituional crisis • Yet, in the summer of 2001 an agreement was signed between the president of Diwan and the French Education minister Jack Lang. • This was to provide for the integration of Diwan into the public system of education. • Especially this would have provided much needed government funding for the training of teachers. • The creation of new schools (esp secondary schools). • Full recognition for Diwan.

  9. Diwan and the constituional crisis • Figures were set for an annual growth in the Breton language sector. • 12% annual growth in enrolment, 445 additional teachers. • The French authorities were more in favour of smaller growth. • However there was considerable reaction against the agreement from several quarters in Paris.

  10. Constituational Crisis • On December 27, 2002 the French Constitutional Council published the Financial Legislation Act for 2002. In this act the council touched on the question of regional languages in France stating that according to the Constitution, the language of France is French and therefore no other languages should be “imposed” as means of education in the French public education system. • This statement followed the decision of the Council of State to suspend the agreement with the Breton Diwan schools to be integrated in the national education system.

  11. Constitutional Crisis 2002 • Diwan responded that this is an attack against the whole pedagogical system and education through immersion, because it effectively rules out any other language than French as means of teaching. • “The situation is now worse than ever,” Anna-Vari Chapalain, Director of Diwan. • In a press release Diwan assured that it would use all possible juridical measures to fight for linguistic democracy in France and states that the only way to reach their goal is to achieve a change in the French Constitution

  12. November 2002 • Therefore, the French Council of State vetoed the agreement between Diwan and the French Education Minister. • They also ruled against public integration, and public funds for Diwan. • Diwan had funding other than that provided by individuals and occasionally other organisations. • However, another chance came with the proposed amendments to the French Constitution in 2008. • It was hoped that the regional languages would be integrated into the constitution.

  13. 2008- further reactions against Breton education • L'Académie française, the institution that defends the purity of the French language, issued a warning that recognising regional languages in the constitution would be "an attack on French national identity". In turn, local language militants criticised the academy as a ridiculous relic of outdated nationalism. • In the second round of proposed amendments to the French Constitution, deputies voted in favour of including a small reference to marginalized languages with the clause "regional languages are part of France's heritage".

  14. Change to the French constitution • In July 2008, the French Constitution was thus amended adding article 75-1, stating les langues régionales appartiennent au patrimoine de la France (the regional languages belong to the heritage of France). • This is an important step in the recognition of Breton and other minority languages of France; however, it doesn't explicitly give more actual recognition, rights or funds to these languages. • Most importantly, it does not provide them with any legal status.

  15. The 2008 amendment to the constitution • http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/201 • The immersion method of teaching Breton was described as unconstituional.

  16. The European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages 1992 • This charter signed by most members of the European Union members seeks to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. • The UK eventually signed it in 2001 with respect to Welsh, Irish (N. Ireland), S Gaelic, Manx, Cornish, • France for constitutional reasons cannot sign ther Charter. • The states involved are expected to enact legislation to protect and promote these languages.

  17. The European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Charter_for_Regional_or_Minority_Languages

  18. Regional languages in France. (Major languages- Breton, Corsican, Catalan, Basque)

  19. Official recognition for France’s regional languages. • Clearly, a legal status for France’s regional languages would go a long way towards ensuring a future for such languages, including Breton. • For constitutional reasons, France has not been able to ratify the EU’s European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. So there are entrenched legal reasons for the lack of growth in the Breton educational sector. • Major political demonstrations are planned to take place in France on the 31st March. 2012 to demand official status for such languages in France. • Quimper\ Kemper. (Toulouse, Perpignan. Bayonne, Ajaccio, Strasbourg, New York,…)

  20. ManifestadegevidarBrezhoneg • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eNCKWM8X5jQ

  21. Immersion v streaming in Breton- • On the other hand, bilingual education was not seen as going counter to the constitution. • Parental demand ensured that bilingual Breton/French streams were created in the 1980s and 1990s. • Both Div Yezh and Dihun expose students to Breton but not in the immersive sense.

  22. Dihun 1990 A parents’ organization for the promotion of Breton in bilingual streams in Breton schools.

  23. Dihun • A Catholic parents’ association. • Its aim is to promote education of and in Breton, with the emphasis on streaming. • The emphasis is on bilingualism and multilingualism. • 60 schools in this sector. • ‘DIHUN a pour objectif le bilinguisme par les deux langues de proximité, le breton(ou gallo) et le français, complété par l’introduction d'une troisième langue dans le cadre du PMB’. • The association alsopromotes the use of Gallo in eastern Brittany

  24. Education (Breton) in Brittany today • In 2011, 14,174 students (about 1.55% of all students in Brittany) attended Diwan, Div Yezh and Dihun schools, a number growing yearly. Several years ago, the president of the Regional Council, Jean-Yves Le Drian wanted the number to reach 20,000 by 2010, though this has not been accomplished. • Some 4,500 to 5,000 adults followed a Breton language course (evening course, correspondence, ...) in 2007. The family transmission of Breton in 1999 is estimated to be no more than 3%.

  25. Some statistics regarding Breton education

  26. Primary Education in Breton

  27. Breton cities (communes) and Breton language education

  28. L’option de breton- Breton as an optional subject at school • This represents another entry into Breton language and culture in the school system. • Not immersion, not bilingual stream, but Breton as an option in the college or lycee. • Depends on popularity of the subject. From 6th grade. • ‘Cette option de breton au collège et au lycée présente tout de même un intérêt, non ? Que faudrait-il donc faire pour la rendre plus dynamique et plus attrayante ?’

  29. Gallo- Brittany’s other language

  30. Gallo • One fascinating aspect of the linguistic situation in Brittany is that like Scotland, it has in fact two lesser-used languages or speech-forms. • We have seen at length the situation faced by Breton in western Brittany or Breizh Izel. • However in the eastern part of Brittany, the language or dialect used has been Gallo, a northern dialect of French.

  31. Gallo • Although today the Gallo dialects have been very largely superceded by standard French, it was more widely spoken in rural eastern Brittany until recently. http://www.bertaeyn-galeizz.com/

  32. Regional Council for Brittany …..And the Breton language

  33. Regional Council for Brittany • There are in fact 22 administrative regions in France, of which Brittany Region is one. • It is a local council divided into two ‘assemblies’: • The Regional Council- which decides on regional policy and • Regional Social and economic Council, which acts as a kind of ‘thinktank’ for the Council.

  34. Regional Council for Brittany • The Council has 83 councillors. • The areas of responsibility are:

  35. Bilingual education • Diwan operate almost totally without any subvention from the French government, a recent decision by the French constitutional council (2001) declaring teaching exclusively in Breton unconstitutional, French being the official language of the Republic. Since the 1970s however, an increasing number of schools have adopted a system of bilinguism

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