Breton at a Crossroads: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Lenora A. Timm, University of California-Davis
Abstract
This paper examines the changing status of the Breton language over time, with particular emphasis on developments in the past century. Diglossic and oppositional relationships with French are discussed, as well as the shift in symbolic value accorded Breton in recent decades, the opposition between neo- and traditional Breton, and prospects for its persistence in the new century and millennium.
Keywords
Breton, Bilingualism, Diglossia, Language Shift, Language Restoration, Language and Identity, Language and Nationalism.
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Table of Contents
| 1. | Introduction |
| 2. | Bilingualism and Diglossia in Brittany |
| 2.1. | Overview of the diglossia concept |
| 2.2. | Diglossia in Brittany |
| 2.3. | Modernization and the reduced functions of Breton |
| 2.4. | The Years after World War II |
| 3. | The emergence of Neo-Breton |
| 3.1. | Early 20th century |
| 3.2. | 1968 to the present |
| 4. | The situation today; an oppositional dynamic between traditional and neo-Breton |
| 4.1. | Recent popular support for learning (Neo-)Breton |
| 4.2 | Breton in public life today and prospects for its prospering |
| 5. | Conclusion |
| Endnotes | |
| References | |
