– 1 – Breton is… a language
Which means, from a linguistic point of view, it is a language, with its own own specific grammar, syntax and vocabulary, and not a dialect derived from French. Of course, it contains many words derived from French, just like French also has some words from Breton.
– 2 – Breton is a Celtic Language
Where French is a Latin language, Breton is from the Celtic branch of Indo-European languages, and is related to Welsh and Cornish (‘P’ Celtic languages) as well as to Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx (to a certain extend…).
When we look at old Cornish grammars (the last person speaking fluently the language is said to have died in 1777 – although there are groups of “neo-Cornish-speakers”), it really is very similar to modern Breton.
– 3 – Breton is a written language
Just because it is not an official language ( it is the only spoken Celtic language that isn’t recognised as an official or regional language), it is not taught in most schools doesn’t mean it can not be written. And indeed it has been written for centuries, The Leyde Manuscript (790) being a well-know example of old Breton.
– 4 – About 200000 people speak Breton
Last official survey in 2007 indicates that 206000 people in Brittany speak Breton (out of the 4,3 Million inhabitants in the province). In 1999, 61% of them were over 60 years.
More recent sources >here< (in French, but numbers are quite easy to understand 🙂 )
– 5 – 14 709 children get education in Breton at school
In 2012-13, 14 709 pupils (from age 3-18) get to study in Breton, within 3 systems:
In 2011 it represented 1,62% of the total number of Breton pupils.