The development and presence of our respective Celtic languages in our everyday lives continues to grow in some interesting ways.

The below list highlights some developments that have allowed people to learn and use the different Celtic languages in different areas of their lives in the Brythonic Celtic speaking nations over the last couple of months.

Breizh (Brittany): "Stade de France: Rebirth of a nation"

The Breton national anthem `Bro Goz My Zadoù' was played to and sung by a crowd of 80, 000 people at a French football cup final in the Stade de France stadium in Paris on 9th May for the first time. The unprecedented event in the history of French league football became what Breton Agence Presse (ABP) called `la fête de la nation bretonne' (Breton national celebration), as the crowd attendance broke the stadiums attendance record.

The football match was played between Stade Rennais and En Avant de Guingamp with a surprise win for Guingamp who are in French Ligue 2.

The Breton anthem, Bro Goz My Zadoù (Old Land of My Fathers), is shared with the other Celtic nations of Cymru (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau), and Kernow, (Bro Goth Agan Tasow), who have the same tune, but different lyrics.

Bro Goz My Zadoù is however sung when the Breton national football team plays.

However, the Breton Football Association is not recognized by the French Football Federation and have therefore only been permitted to play twice in the last 20 years. Videos of the anthem being sung in Paris can be viewed on the ABP site here:

(voir le site)

Cymru (Wales): online learning – a different approach

A new free online course for Welsh learners was launched in April 2009, which uses a technique which is totally new to the Welsh language, but is based on recent innovation in the language learning world. The course is designed to enable students to learn in a simpler and faster way than through more conventional methods and there is no need to write or do any revision. Here is what some existing learners have said about the course:

"What an excellent course. My spoken Welsh has improved more this past fortnight than in three years of `formal' classes."

"This course is making a serious difference!! I went back to my Welsh for Adults class today, and I could speak with so much more confidence and fluency. I can really feel the difference. One of the other students has said he is not doing any other revision, just concentrating on these lessons from now on!!"

"As the lessons are aimed at complete beginners, I expected to not gain anything at all from them. However, after listening to the first lesson, it was clear that was not the case. Even though it uses vocabulary and patterns that I am already familiar with, it forced me to use them in different ways, to experiment with them, to say them and use them again and again, so I'm now able to talk completely fluently about those subjects!"

The course can be found here:

www.saysomethinginwelsh.com

Kernow (Cornwall)

A company selling Cornish pasties in Cornwall has embarked on a scheme, in conjunction with the Cornish language Partnership, to teach their shop staff words and phrases of the Cornish language, so that they can serve customers through the language.

WC Rowe initially approached the partnership for translation of words for one of their product ranges, but decided to follow this up with a request for incorporating the Cornish language further into their business. The Partnership subsequently produced a booklet and a CD for the staff members in WC Rowe's 15 shops in Cornwall. Paul Pearce, Director of Marketing for Rowe's said:

"There's been no pressure for our staff to learn Kernewek perfectly but everybody's actually really embraced the idea and it's been a very enjoyable project. The language is an important part of our county's heritage and its future, and many people that live here are passionate ,about keeping it alive. We felt that as a company that is proudly Cornish, Rowe's should definitely give it a go − it's our 60th anniversary this year, what better time to get involved?"

(voir le site)

(News item compiled by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot)

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

19/05/09

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