Breton
PrintA language of France
225,000 (1989 ICDBL), decreasing. 1,200,000 know Breton but do not regularly use it.
West Brittany; East Brittany dispersed.
8a (Moribund).
Gwenedeg (Vannetais), Kerneveg (Cornouaillais), Leoneg (Leonais), Tregerieg (Tregorrois).
SVO, OVS, or, less frequently, VSO, depending on focus; prepositions; genitives, adjectives, relatives after noun heads; articles, numerals before noun heads; question word initial; probably 2 prefixes, up to 4 suffixes on a word; topic or focus first, verb second; verb affixes mark person, number of subject; passives; causatives and comparatives shown lexically; up to 3 consonants syllable initially, and 3 finally, one vowel; nontonal
Strong nationalistic movement demanding recognition, a place in the schools, media, and public life. 75% of the estimated 200,000–250,000 Breton speakers using Breton as an everyday language today are over the age of 65. A small number of children are learning the language but it is not clear if they continue to use it in adulthood (2007). Also use French [fra].
In 1914 reportedly 90% (about 1 million) of the population of the western half of Brittany spoke Breton. In 1945 it was about 75%, and today, in all of Brittany the most optimistic estimate would be that 20% of Bretons can speak Breton. Brittany has a population of roughly 4 million, including the department of Loire-Atlantique separated from official Brittany in 1941.