Paludier de Batz, from Mrs. Bury Palliser’s, Brittany and its Byways, 1869 – see pages 13-17. No. 144 December 2017 1 BRO NEVEZ 144 December 2017 ISSN 0895 3074 Editorial EDITOR’S ADDRESS & E-MAIL With this December issue of Bro Nevez I send my best wishes of Lois Kuter, Editor 605 Montgomery Road Ambler, PA 19002 U.S.A. Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat (215) 886-6361 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year [email protected] U.S. ICDBL website: www.icdbl.org State of the Breton Language The U.S. Branch of the International Committee for the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg (www.brezhoneg.bzh) Defense of the Breton Language (U.S. ICDBL) was continues to serve as an important resource for those incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation on October 20, seeking assistance in locating schools or adult classes, 1981. Bro Nevez ("new country" in the Breton language) is in expanding a public presence for Breton, and in looking the newsletter produced by the U.S. ICDBL. It is published for help with translation and learning resources. Its quarterly: February/March, May/June, August/September website is also an excellent source for basic information and November/December. Contributions, letters to the about the Breton language. The following statistics are Editor, and ideas are welcome from all readers and will be drawn from that website. They are my summary and/or printed at the discretion of the Editor. translation of information (from French). My apologies for any misinterpretations. The U.S. ICDBL provides Bro Nevez on a complimentary basis to a number of language and cultural organizations in Brittany Key Numbers for the Breton Language to show our support for their work. Your Membership/ 206,000 active speakers of Breton (TMO-Fañch Broudic Subscription allows us to do this. Membership (which 2007 survey) includes subscription) for one year is $20. Checks should be in Under 200,000 today’s estimate] U.S. dollars, made payable to “U.S. ICDBL” and mailed to Lois Kuter at the address above. 17,758 children in bilingual school programs - 2017 school year This newsletter can be sent as a PDF file attached to an e- [Diwan, Public schols and Catholic schools] mail instead of, or in addition to, the print version. Just let the Editor know how you would like to receive it. The e-mail By Department: version is much more colorful than the photocopied print Finistère 8,390 copy! Morbihan 4,556 Côtes d’Armor 2,592 Ideas expressed within this newsletter are those of the Ille-et-Vilaine 1,490 individual authors, and do not necessarily represent ICDBL Loire-Atlantique 730 philosophy or policy. Number of students by type of program For information about the Canadian ICDBL contact: Jeffrey D. O’Neill, PO Box 14611, 50 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Public schools 8,009 Catholic school 5,431 M8L-5R3, CANADA (e-mail: [email protected]). Diwan schools 4,318 Telephone: (416) 264-0475. 514 establishments with a bilingual program – 2017 2 167 Communes with a primary school bilingual program the pre-school level, a degree of growth not seen for 14 – 2017 years. In contrast, the Catholic schools have not had a development program put into place and have not 8% of pre/primary school establishments in Brittany have suceeded in gaining more than a few new teaching a bilingual program – 2016 school year posts. Diwan has also been challenged in winning new Finistère 16.9% teaching positions and also has the ongoping problem of Morbihan 12.9% finding public locations to open new sites. On top of this, Côtes-d’Armor 7.6% Diwan was hindered this new school year by the Ille-et-Vilaine 3.1% question of new contract funding needs for school aides. Loire-Atlantique 1.4% Also from the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg site: Top 10 Breton cities by number of bilingual school students - 2017 The sociolinguistic situation Rennes 808 Breton was classified by UNESCO as a “language Quimper 715 seriously in danger.” The development of teaching and Brest 649 politcal support from public powers have neverthess Carhaix-Plouguer 572 given positive signs for the future of Breton. Vannes 572 Lannion 545 The evolution of the number of speakers Nantes 539 Landerneau 449 Policies enacted to insure the exclusion of Breton in Plougastel-Daoulas 443 schools at the end of the 19th century (punishment of Lannilis 366 children who spoke it at school) strongly marked spirits and led to a rupture in the transmission of the language. 5,027 students taking a Breton option in the secondary school level – 2016 According to the survey by the INSEE during the 1999 census, 60% of Breton speakers were then over 60 Middle school 4,547 years old. Thus the number of Breton speakers High school 480 estimated at 206,000 in 2007 (TMO survey – Fañch Broudic) is probably siuated today at below 200,000. 7,830 students having an introduction to Breton at the primary school level At the other end of the demographic chain among youth, the numbers are in constant progression.The Diwan 920 college students – 2016 schools created in 1977, complemented by bilingaul 462 in a Breton language track classes in the Public schoiols (Education Natonale) begun in 1982 and the Catholic schools starting in 1990 3555 adult learners - 2016 have seen enrollments grow each year, from the 3,237 in weekly classes preschool through high school levels (up 60% between 318 in intensive 3 or 6 month long training 2006 and 2016). With 17,024 students in the 2016 school year [17,758 in 2017] and planning for the The following is a bit more information from Ofis Publik development of bilingual education undertaken by the ar Brezhoneg for the 2017 school year: Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg in collaboration with the whole of the education community, the dynamic growth of The Academy (school district) of Rennes is schooling bilingual classes is a very important sign of confidence in 17,028 students in Diwan and the bilingaul public and the future of the language. Thus, the work of the Catholic schools. The Nantes Academy is schooling 730. Observatoire des pratiques linguistiques [of the Ofis This is a gain of 734 students – the strongest gain since Publik] projects that with a sustained development of 2009. Breton teaching, by 2020 to 2025 the percentage of speakers among children under 12 could become 12 new sites were opened in the pre/primary school level greater than that of the population as a whole. By 2040 and 8 new classes were opened at the middle school the number of Breton speakers could make an upward level, breaking the bar of 500 bilingual sites. climb after more than 100 years of decline. Each of the three school tracks had a rise in students, Today the “generation gap” is found in the 20 to 50 year but the rate in growth varied. The public schools profited olds. But there too, the number of learners has been from the State-Region convention and for the first time rising for weekly classes with 3,233 adults, as well as for since its creation in 1982, ten new classes were opened intensive training sessions for 3 to 6 months. The at the pre/primary school level, with an 8.6% increse at number of students in professional training went over the 3 300 mark in 2015/16, doubling the number since 2010. linguistic heritage. And it is an unecessary burden on To reinforce these tendencies, attention should be given parents who must fight in court for the name – in this to the development of pre-schooling options such as day case with support of the Breton organization Skoazell care and maternal assistants, to insuring continuity in Vreizh who has for many years supported those bilingual teaching through graduation, to the imprisoned or in need of legal defense because of their implementation of complete programs for introducting insistence on being Breton. students to Breton (now involving 14,000 students), to the development of training for adults, and diversification in post-baccalaureate options. Project to Support a Memorial to Nominoë Absence of a legislative statute Work is underway to raise funds The Breton lnaguage has been excluded for a long time for a monument to from the public space and is still the only Celtic language commemorate the victory of without a legislative statute. Nominoë over Frankish King Charles the Bald in 845 at the Thanks to the initiative of local governments and Battle of Ballon, located in organizations, the visibiliy opf the language has been Bains-sur-Oust (near the town much more developed over th past 30 years. Today, in of Redon in eastern Brittany). three dpeartments (Finistère, Morbihan, and the western This victory led to the part of Côtes-d’Armor) bilingual directional signage is recognition of Nominoë as the king of an independent systematicaly done. Communities have equally moved Breton kingdom. The organization Poellgor Gouel Ballon towards bilingualism in signs at the entry and exit of their (www.bretagne845.bzh) has as its aim the promotion of territories. Breton history and the modern sculpture planned as well as a statue of Nominoë will be supplemented with Progressively, other supports have become bilingual: educational information about the site and its importance in Breton history. Directonal signs Road name signs The project is supported by the Cultural Council of Electronic signage Brittany, the Regional Council of Brittany, the Cultural Paper borchures Institute of Brittany as well as local communities and Internet sites. individuals. Additional funds are needed, however to meet the goal of inaugurating the site in May 2018.