Learning Breton / Deskiñ brezhoneg

    Demat deoc’h ! I have the immense pleasure of sharing with you, within the Learning Celtic Languages series, resources on how to learn Breton. This Celtic language from outside the British Isles, is a Brythonic language, thus partial intercomprehension does exist with Welsh and more so Cornish. Today, standardised Breton, or peurunvan, is composed of KLT and Gwenedeg. KLT stands for Kerne-Leon-Treger which were the main bishoprics of Lower Brittany. Gwenedeg, or vannetais, is spoken in Bro-Wened and is known as the most linguistically conservative form of Breton, it’s writing, pronunciation and certain words differ from that of KLT.

    Nota bene: Upper Brittany is everything not highlighted in bright colours on the map below, this is where people speak Gallo – the second language of Brittany. Similar to the relationship between Scots and Scottish Gaelic, Gallo is a langue d’oïl with an estimation of 191,000 speakers (2012).

Map taken from Atlas de Bretagne (2011), showing the linguistic variances of Brittany.

 

    It is believed that 5,5% of the population of Brittany speaks Breton, this gives us an approximation of 213,000 speakers (Région Bretagne, 2018). However, 40% of the population do have a vague notion of useful words and phrases ranging from a simple “Kenavo” (Good-bye) to “Emaon o vont da cheñch dour ar pesked” (literally, I’m going to change the fishes’ water – I’m going to the toilet). The same study follows up with stating that 73% of Breton speakers learned it at school. In Brittany, children have the opportunity to learn Breton from Primary School to University. It can range from 2 hours of optional teaching each week throughout their entire cursus to partial and, at times, complete immersion. The very first Breton immersion language school (Diwan) was opened in 1977 in Lampaul-Ploudalmézeau with just 5 children. Today, the Diwan group counts over 4,300 students (2019).  

 

Where to begin

    As someone born in Scotland and raised in Burgundy, I had no previous relationship with the Breton language. During my masters in Brest, I specialised in Irish but had the opportunity to follow Middle Breton classes. These classes, and my Breton-speaking entourage, led me to look into Breton language courses which are very popular here. After my masters I started a Breton course with Mervent in Quimper where I was taught Breton 35 hours a week for 6 months. This was followed by a “perfecting” course of 3 months and at the end of the course I sat the mandatory DCL (Diplôme de Compétence en Langue) exam where my level was evaluated following the CEFR. The DCL is free and gives you a level between A2 and C1. For those of you wondering, this is an in-person exam impossible to do online.

    Please note that most resources for learning Breton are through the medium of French. Therefore, you will find an asterisk when the resource happens to be in English.

 

For those with a peaked interest:

Herve ha Nora, by Armañs ar C’halvez.
Ni a gomz brezhoneg, by Mark Kerrain. (+ CD)

 

For those with a further desire to learn:

Oulpan 1, by Nikolaz Davalan, published by Skol an Emsav. (+ CD)
Assimil: Le Breton, by Divy Kervella. (+ Recordings and App)
Colloquial Breton, by Herve ar Bihan and Ian Press.* (+ CD)

For those who speak Welsh:

Llydaweg fel Llydawr, by Padrig an Habask.

Dictionaries  

    For a beginner’s paper dictionary, I recommend Francis Favereau’s Dictionnaire du breton contemporain. Yoran Embanner makes mini dictionaries for English, Welsh and Irish. They are far from exhaustive, but they are adorably small. For your online dictionaries, I highly recommend Geriafurch and the online version of Francis Favereau. There are unfortunately no online dictionaries in English that will take into consideration the possible mutations of a word. I have used Glosbe in the past and while it can work, when it does fail to translate something, it fails miserably. Termofis is amazing for professional and technical Breton, if you ever need to write a CV.
 

Translation
    Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg offers a Breton to French automatic translator which, although it has its flaws, can be very helpful when you are a beginner.

Apps and courses online
    As of this year there is an app to learn Breton through the medium of English with uTalk*. The app allows you to learn helpful and useful phrases with certain variations with both a female and a male voice.

    Alan Kersaudy offers a French version of SaySomethingIn for those who wish to learn Breton in 90 lessons.

    Malo Adeux offers personalised Breton classes for English speakers. Malo is very easy-going and understanding and he will help you get a good level of Breton. With beginners, Malo focuses on getting you to talk. He follows up with grammar later on if you so wish but his main goal is to get you speaking in an Oulpan kind of way. For more advanced students, he focuses on enriching your vocabulary and he provides written exercises so you can also practice that aspect of the language. 

 

	Price per month	Price per trimester
Basic price	€80 per person	€200 per person
Special price for students	€64 per person	€175 per person
Duo price (2)	€60 per person	€150 per person
Group price (3-4)	€40 per person	€100 per person

Prices correct at time of publication, they may vary.

    You can send him a direct message on Facebook or email him at ma2@gozmail.bzh.

    Skol an Emsav are the pioneers of intensive Breton classes and have offered in the past an online course through the medium of English, as talked about in the Celtic Students Podcast (Season 2, ep 6).

 

    Kwizh Breizh allows you to learn a few things in a similar way to Duolingo.

 

In person courses
Each year, the University of Western Brittany organises the CRBC Summer School. Spanning over two weeks in the middle of June, people from all over the world can come to learn Breton in Quimper as well as visit historical landmarks.

Kamp Etrekeltiek Ar Vrezhonegerion, or KEAV, organises each year one or two weeks in full Breton immersion in Carhaix. A certain level of Breton is expected before applying to this summer camp because the goal is to only speak, live, and celebrate through the medium of Breton. I would suggest applying if you have a B2 level or higher. The summer camp costs €300/week and is unsurprisingly well-known by Welsh speakers who have been going to the camp since its beginnings in the 1950s.

Created after WW2, Ti ar Vretoned is a hub for Breton culture in Paris. If you live in the Paris area, you can follow Breton classes and learn to play a traditional Breton instrument and play in a bagad (band).

For French speakers there is the possibility to do intensive courses with various associations (Mervent, Skol an Emsav, Stumdi, Roudour and Kelenn). These courses span over the course of 6 or 9 months, 35 hours a week. If you do the right paperwork, are eligible, sign up through Pôle Emploi (French equivalent of Job Centre) then the course will be paid for by Région Bretagne (and you may receive a living allowance). If you wish to do this course independently then the price will vary from €3,000 to €7,000.

There are many universities that provide Breton classes and/or Erasmus programs for students:
Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Université de Rennes 2, Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, University College Dublin, NUI Galway…

Media and social media
I find Bali Breizh to be a very interesting show for learners. Each week, the presenters visit a different place in Brittany and talk about the people who live in those parts of the country. New episodes are uploaded each Sunday on France 3 Breizh’s YouTube channel and have French subtitles. France 3 Breizh’s YouTube channel also has other entertaining shows for everyone. I particularly enjoy Diwiskit ac’hanon and the children’s program Na petra ‘ta. 

Rhisiart Hincks from Aberystwyth University has a YouTube channel with short lessons teaching Welsh speakers Breton. Maïlys Princé, a Groix native, has a YouTube channel named Bretonne where she teaches a few words and phrases. She also puts forward authors and activists via interesting themes. Maïlys is also available on TikTok, as is Gwenvaël Balnois with KomzBrezhoneg*.

 

Breizh VOD is the “Breton Netflix”. The website has original Breton productions or dubbed content. Whether you enjoy crime shows (Fin ar Bed) travel game shows (Foeterien) or want to relive your childhood by watching Room on the Broom, BreizhVOD has plenty to keep you entertained.

Brezhoweb is a personal favourite of mine as it is a free online platform of truly amazing content. A new part of the website, Bed ar brezhoneg, is dedicated to put forward the crème de la crème of Breton language podcasts, books, events and music. If you want to see more Breton on your TL, you can always follow Bed ar brezhoneg on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Bed ar brezhoneg segment of Brezhoweb.

 

    For our friends across the pond, Breizh Amerika is a non-profit organisation that promotes relations between Brittany and the United States of America.

Festivals
    My favourite place to speak Breton is during the many musical events that we have during the year. Festoù-noz and festivals are where you will find Breton speakers. Here are a few where you are bound to hear and speak Breton. 

    I think at this point, everyone has heard of the Lorient Interceltic Festival, but if you haven’t the FIL is the largest music festival in France. Welcoming over 800,000 people every year, it is home to the famous Celtic Nations’ Parade. Gouel Broadel ar Brezhoneg is a biennial festival that takes place in Langonnet at the end of June, beginning of July. On years when GBB is not on, Ar Redadeg, a non-stop relay race that lasts 8 days in May will keep you entertained. Hosted in November, Yaouank is the biggest fest-noz of the year welcoming over 6,000 people in Rennes.

    If you are interested in knowing when your favourite band is playing next or if there are any hot festoù-noz in your area, then the Tamm Kreiz app is made for you!

 
Radio and Podcasts
    All Breton language radio stations can be found on RadioBreizh’s brand new website. Petra c'hoari ganit ? is a podcast for our gamer friends that would like to hear all about the newest and coolest video games. I’ve personally been really enjoying Radio Kerne’s selection of diverse and interesting podcasts available on Apple Podcasts.

Books and Magazines
    When you get comfortable with your level of Breton, you may want to start reading. For that I highly recommend the Priz ar Yaouankiz books published by Keit Vimp Bev. Ranging from Middle Grade to Young Adult, they are written in a simple way whilst teaching you new vocabulary. KVB also publishes a journal named Ya. Each issue includes articles, crosswords and even articles in Gallo.

Published by Skol an Emsav, #Brezhoneg is a magazine composed of articles of different levels and under each one you will find the hardest words translated. Skol an Emsav also publish Bremañ which is the next level, it is entirely in Breton and requires a B2/C1 level.

Dreist, you now have all the tools you could possibly need to get started and much more…

Chañs vat deoc’h ha ken ar c’hentañ !
 

Sophie Haggarty (She/They)

MA Celtic Studies, University of Western Brittany

English teacher for Diwan