is cornish a dead language and?

Question

would it be understood by other celtic people

Answer 1

The language died out as an everyday language at the beginning of the 19th century. A recent revival of interest is based on the Middle Cornish period.There are a few people who speak it but it does not have the status of Welsh. I don't even think it has TV programs in that language (unlike Scots Gaelic) either.(I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong).

There are Cornish representatives who make a speech at every Welsh National Eisteddfod each year, just like those from other Celtic countries.

My first language is Welsh but I don't understand Cornish. A few words of Cornish are similar to other Celtic languages ('agus' is the word for 'and' just like in Gaelic.) but it would not be understood by other Celts either. An example would be the first line of the Lord's prayer..

our Father, which art in heaven.

ein Tad, yr hwn wyt yn y nefoedd...Welsh.

ár n-atheir atá ar neamh...Irish Gaelic

ar n-athair a tha air nèamh...Scots Gaelic

ayr ain, t'ayns niau....Manx

agan tas ny, us yn nef...Cornish.



Wrythoug is VERY Wrong...Welsh NEVER died out, even though the English tried their best by forbidding Welsh children (on pain of punishment [look up Welsh Not]) to speak in their native tongue. English was 'forced down the throats' of Welsh people (in their own country!!). Welsh people have proudly ensured that the language has now got equal status with English in Wales; indeed in some parts, like here in Gwynedd, all the council's business is conducted through the medium of Welsh ( with translations available for the [few] non-Welsh speakers.

People like wrythoug and A.Z. don't like this fact at all...they would like one world language..English...well, tough!..it ain't gonna happen!

Answer 2

It very nearly became a dead language and I seem to remember that the last native speaker died some years ago, but attempts have been made to revive it and many people are learning it nowadays. It is an EU policy to assist minority languages, which helps in its revival. http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cornish.htm

You wouldn't be able to have an easy conversation with a Cornish speaker as the speaker of another Celtic language, but in its written form it bears many similarities to Welsh and Breton. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/11-6-2002-29750.asp

Answer 3

When I go to Cornwall I'm always struck by how similar the Cornish place names are to Welsh place names

Answer 4

Cornish exchange into spoken via a minimum of one community interior the nineteenth century at Boswednack in Zennor. The final person monoglot died in 1777. there are particularly some different records of classic audio equipment interior the path of the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. John Davy of Boswednack is frequently credited with being the final speaker, he died in 1891, although a guy named John Mann, initially from Boswednack exchange into nevertheless alive in 1914 and consistently used Cornish to speak in as a newborn interior the 1830s-40s. Cornish exchange into revived via some 2d language newbies interior the previous due nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who found out it from lots of the final audio equipment and from written sources. There at the instant are concept to be over one hundred mom tongue Cornish audio equipment. Manx's "final speaker" died interior the 1970's yet there are nevertheless some human beings alive with a commonly happening understanding of the language. Like Cornish it exchange into rescued via linguists who found out it as a 2d language from the final audio equipment and that's now a mom tongue to a pair babies as quickly as back. Cumbrian died out interior the middle an prolonged time and there is rather little recorded of it. i do no longer know what you recommend via Welsh and Irish being ineffective, they are languages used for daily existence in many communities. Are you telling us that if a chinese language or Spanish speaker got here on your place you would be predicted to speak their language each and every of the time? As we are saying in Cornish - An lavar koth yw lavar gwir Nevra dos mas a daves re hir Mes den heb taves a gollas y dir The previous asserting is a real asserting good does not come from a tongue too long yet a guy with out a tongue loses his land

Answer 5

Yes it is dead but some do gooder may try to revive it, much the same as Welsh- a dead language dragged back to life for political reasons and now forced down the throat of 1000's of children for no good reason.

EDIT; Rolyn, good answer, you are of course correct on the history of the Welsh language. I am however correct in the fact that it was revived for political reasons. What is wrong with one common world language?

Answer 6

sorry mate it is a dead language because cornwall can't be like scotland wales and england beacuse it's part of england and well cornish people talk english and well I don't think cornish language is going to get bigger well who knows it might be big one day but for now it dosent stand a chance.

Answer 7

There is a comparison between all celtic languages and cornish here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_language#Examples

Decide if you would be able to comprehend it if speaking welsh or whatever, yourself. :)

Answer 8

They are attempting to revive it, through measures such as conducting church services in Cornish. There are several different rival styles though. It's probably closest to Breton.

Answer 9

Virtually obsolete but there have been some moves to resurrect it.. A celtic language related to welsh...

Answer 10

Mebyon Kernow.

Answer 11

Yes it is and as for all you Cornish nasties otherwise known as the OO ARR A - Cornwall is just another part of England! - other English tourists spent their money there & turned it into what it is, also dont phuck with my London relatives living there!

Answer 12

i would love to learn cornish to kepp it alive.i am irish, and scottish with a tiny bit of cornish.the english just HAVE to kill everything dont they

Answer 13

not as much as welsh