Interceltic festival of lorient (Brittany) : symbolic action to ask for the right for our language to be recognized and learned
The breton language is in danger of death in the University of South Brittany (UBS).
Meanwhile, prestigious universities such as Harvard and Oxford offer linguistic courses that includes the breton.The option « Breton and celtic civilisation » has been wiped off the map. Another option entitled « Breton language », set up during the creation of the university, is now on the way to disappear too, while the university's celebrating its 20 years of existence. Dreary symbol.
This teaching has been reinforced by a position of university lecturer during a few years, then removed and replaced by a supply contract. No more information concerning the breton option is delivered : retention of informations or misinformation campaign ? In september 2013, new students were informed the breton option was no more taught… (see our pamphlet in 4 languages spread on the festival).
The university president, a diplomed linguist, has made the conscious choice of avoiding all references to the breton language in the university. This is why we performed a symbolic action in interceltic festival of Lorient to ask for the right for our language to be recognized and learned in University of South Brittany (UBS), especially when the future teachers are now trained in the academic cursus in universities. To date, there's no formation for the bilingual teachers in the Morbihan…
Overall, as we speak again of the european charter for regional or minority languages in France, the position of the breton language is reduced to a minimum in a festival where « interceltic » is the key word (we highly recommand to the festival-goers to walk with a magnifying glass to spot the few of breton in the festival's displays).
Is the festival really « celtic » when we know such notion also includes the languages ? Celtic languages, and especially the breton language, are considered as no more than a folkloric subject.
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