“Because They Are Cornish”

Abstract

Amongst the Cornish people—even many enthusiasts—there has been a long-standing belief that the Kernewek (Cornish) language is useless. Kernewek is a Celtic language spoken primarily by a small cadre of activists in the British region of Cornwall. This paper addresses the difficulties they face when the use of Kernewek in public is seen as legitimate only on the grounds of either economic measures or as static cultural heritage. Drawing upon a data set of almost 70 interviews, this article examines and compares the motivations of language students and one non-user, in the process challenging the notion of “uselessness” and instead focusing on the four ways that its users employ Kernewek in their everyday lives without necessarily utilizing it as a medium of communication. Instead, Kernewek is located within a larger project of social transformation, altering users, their families, the broader ethnic community or the global environment.

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