Néo-breton and questions of authenticity

Abstract

Attempts to revitalize Breton have led to the appearance of a learner variety of the language which is by no means universally accepted. This article reviews the major trends that commentators have taken with regard to this variety –néo-breton– and, as the variety of Breton most likely to survive into the twenty-first century, the likely domains where this variety will be used are examined. Differences with traditional Breton are discussed, as is the controversial nature of néo-breton in the eyes of somecommentators and native speakers. Within the field of language death studies, the appearance of ‘neo-’ languages has implications for the stages a language experiencing attrition goes through and whether these ‘neo’ varieties do realistically represent a future for the endangered language. An examination of the differing expectations of various groups invo l ved in the debate seeks to establish common ground between them, through making explicit the different aims of the groups and where these aims converge. As tentativas por revitalizar o bretón conduciron á aparición dunha variedade de principiantes que non é unanimemente aceptada. Este artigo pasa en revista as principais tendencias que os inve s t i gadores adoptaron fronte a esta variedade –o neobretón– e mais examina (como a variedade do bretón con máis posibilidades de supervivencia no século XXI) os campos onde será máis probable que se use. Coméntanse as diferenzas co bretón tradicional, tal e como se reflicte na controvertida natureza que posúe o neobretón para algúns investigadores e locutores nativos. Dentro do eido de estudo da morte das linguas, a aparición das ‘neo-’linguas posúe implicacións nos estadios que atravesa unha lingua en proceso de perda, e tamén en se estas ‘neo’ variedades realmente representan unha posibilidade de futuro para as linguas en perigo. O noso exame das diferentes ex p e c t a t ivas de varios dos grupos involucrados no debate pretende establecer un marco común entre os mesmos, explicitando os seus diferentes obxectivos e a súa posible evolución.

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