goulennet eo bet ganomp lakaat war wel stad ar brezhoneg e Breizh e-kenver stad Gall. krouet hon eus ur respont buan a-walc’h rak e oa ret respont evit derc’h pa hon eus resevet ar postel. setu pezh hon eus kaset d’an UNPO.
we have received from the UNPO a mail with questions regarding state Breton Language in Brittany. we answered pretty quickly because we had to answer yesterday. here is the answers to the UNPO.
nous avons reçu un mail de l’UNPO nous posant des questions sur l’état du Breton en Bretagne. nous avons répondu rapidement car il fallait répondre pour la veille. voici les réponses que nous avons apporté à L’UNPO.
First of all thank you for the questions. There is chances that the answers will not be full by now because we got the mail on short notice meanwhile we will try to give as full answers as possible.
– How do current French laws and policies affect access to education in the Breton language, including immersive education, and how do these national constraints interact with the EU’s commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity?
- The French constitution says that the one and only language spoken under the French republic is French (French constitution, October 4th 1958, article 2). The French republic is one of the few countries in the world with one official language. Since French is the only language allowed in the administration there is no nationwide policy whatsoever for other languages. All other languages ar considered as foreign language even those of autochtone people like Breton. Worst than that, Breton language has been forbidden in everyday life. It is impossible to find any official paper written in Breton. After the 1870 war, Breton language has been forbidden in French territory schools along with Corsican, Basque, Gallo (the second language spoken in Brittany) and many others. In 2020, the Region Bretagne and the French Republic agreed on a chart and signed it. The goal was to teach 30.000 children in the two languages of Brittany by 2027. In 2025, the number of children learning in and through these languages was under 20.000. Teachers are missing to reach the number of children promised. To make sure it will not be possible to a lot of people teach in Breton language, the French Republic hightened the required level in the language. Until 2024, a B2 level was required; nowadays, a C1 level is required. Hidden behind the commitment for a better teaching, the aim of the French Republic is to justify the reason it is not reaching to its promise because there are supposedly not enough teachers. Even worst, the number of teachers in post which are allowed to go to a Breton language course in order to teach in this language is limited. Every year, there are teachers which are denied the right to go to a course because the number of sits was reached – while the course centers struggle to fill their spots. The fear of losing their post in maintained in the teachers that do not speak Breton language. Breton language courses are in the hand of the Region Bretagne which represents ⅘ of Breton territory: ⅕ of Brittany is forgotten on purpose because of the department Nantes being under control of another region. As Brittany is considered by the French government as a full part of France, it has not a single ounce of autonomy. Not politic nor educational. The French educational system, which is homogenous in all parts of France, teaches knowledges that are disconnected from the land where there are taught. So that Breton language and History are not taught in Brittany’s schools, except in a tiny part where Breton language is used. Monolingual schools in Breton were founded by the association Diwan, but the French government refuses to fund them. Under 10% of the children learn the Breton language. Today, it is spoken by 107.000 people (cut in half under 10 years), while it was spoken by over a million in the 1950’s and was the mother tongue of the majority of Bretons before 1900. Every right won for the Breton language is won after long and tireless efforts from Breton activists. In the public media, there is no official channel in Breton on television or radio. The channel France3 broadcasts a few 3 minute long shows in Breton (An taol lagad) but it is always taken from air when there is something more important like heavy rains anywhere in the world or sport. The fact that Breton language is harrased on French media has led to actions against French media in Brittany (the explosion of the tv/radio antenna Roc’h Tredudon in 1974 to protest against French policy regarding Breton language on tv). Seen from Britanny, the EU’s commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity is a joke.
– Have EU initiatives in education, culture, and youth (e,g, Erasmus plus, Creative Europe…) supported or failed to support the preservation and transmission of the Breton language and culture?
- There is no EU policy regarding the Breton language.
– Do EU social and cohesion policies (including ESF+) address the specific needs of Breton speakers, or do they overlook linguistic exclusion because it is not framed as a socio-economic issue?
- There is nothing planned regarding the Breton language within EU policies.
– Do you consider that Breton minority issues are visible within EU institutions (European Parliament, Committee of the Regions, EU agencies)?
- Breton minority issues are made invisible by French policies. Whenever the Breton people asks fo rights for their languages, it is answered that it is not a matter of urgency nor a matter of national interest. The French government considers the Bretons as French so it does not have to make more efforts to save, develop nor preserve the Breton culture and languages. Since there is no such thing as a Breton people to the eyes of the French government there could be no rights attached to them so nothing to tell the EU.
– Should EU institutions allow greater use of regional and minority languages such as Breton in their functioning or documentation?
- Of course it should! We are convinced that with every tool usable today, the language diversity should not be a problem. Automatic translators are available from the shelf even though it needs to be perfected when it comes to the Breton language. We, Bretons, are a people of Europe and denying us our right to speak our languages that date back to the dawn of time is the first step to erase from the face of Earth. Breton is the last Celtic language on the continent even though it comes from the British Isles. All other continental Celtic languages are dead, erased or consumed by stronger languages. At the beginning, the European Union’s promise was peace for People of Europe. Many conflicts start with the oppression of a people’s identity. Peace comes with the right to live with the heritage of our ancestors, which is our language and culture.
