It seems that the UK goverment does not consider Cornish culture and identity worth protecting like that of the Welsh under the terms of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. On 10 March 2005 in a meeting with Cornish campaigning group CharterWatch they said that "very few Cornish cultural bids are deemed acceptable for funding" even though they signed an agreement in 2002 with the Council of Europe to protect minority languages in the UK and "take resolute action to promote the Cornish language" [Article 7(1)c]." Instead of this millions of pounds worth of Priority Five Cornish distinctiveness funds are being re-allocated to tourism projects.
If you think Cornish culture and identity should be protected like that of the Welsh by the UK government under the terms of the treaty produced by the council of europe called the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities then please write or e-mail the UK home office and the Council of Europe Directorate General of Human Rights, Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. So far the Ulster-Scots have been awarded £4.2 million to promote their language yet Cornish - one of the oldest languages in Europe - has been allocated only £5,000 a year.
Council of Europe
Directorate General of Human Rights
Secretariat of the Framework Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities
F-67075 Strasbourg-Cedex
nicola.markes-goerlach@coe.int
Or:- The UK Home Office department for constitutional affairs.
general.queries@dca.gsi.gov.uk
See also:-
http://www.cornwall24.co.uk/article210.htm
http://www.coe.int/T/E/human_rights/minorities/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2410383.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/connected/stories/new_cornwall_language.shtml
What's the population of Cornwall? 500,000? How many speak Cornish? 1%? 0.5%? or 0.2%?
There is no natural Cornish speaker alive today I think. Wales on the other hand has lot bigger population and 33% naturally speak Welsh.
There is a difference.
I thought Cornish was a dead language, like Latin.
There are no native speakers of Cornish left anymore.
However, there are plenty of Welsh and Scottish Gaelic native speakers.
<I thought Cornish was a dead language, like Latin.
That's because it is, add to that Cornwall is just full of seaside resorts that hardly have any Cornish left but people from all over the UK, and even from US and Australia. The average Cornish person couldn't mutter a Cornish word or count to 10 in the Cornish language. The idea that Cornwall is some kind of seperate entity is stupid. It's been part of England for hundreds of years, the culture is no more different from the county next to it (Devon). Cornish would be better off learning Spanish/French/German instead.
It is true that at present there are probably only 3000 or so Cornish speakers but there has been great interest in the revival of the language in recent years and the number is rising with Cornish now being taught in some local schools. The UK government agreed in 2002 under the terms of Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities to "take resolute action to promote the Cornish language" but has so far failed to provide any worthwhile funding. Cornish people, like others in the UK, have little say in how their taxes are spent and some would prefer that money is invested in protecting our language, culture and identity rather than say waging a war in Iraq or building a Millennium Dome for example.
There are documents in the Duchy of Cornwall archives that point to Cornwall being a separate entity to England and it is the knowledge of Cornwall's hidden status that is behind the UK goverment's suppression of Cornish history and language, neither of which were until very recently permitted to be taught in local schools.
Some say that legally Cornwall is not a Shire county of England as historically it was treated as a seperate entity and was never 'incorporated' - something that still stands up in law. Westminster seems concerned that if the Cornish language gets promoted and Cornwall is seen as a distinct region, perhaps with it's own Assembly such as Wales, then there may be cries of 'why not us as well' from other English areas of Britain also claiming a special identity. The threat of a breakup of England and Britain is a worry factor for the UK government.
http://www.cornish-stannary-parliament.abelgratis.com
http://www.geecee.co.uk/CNMR/contents.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kernow_tgg/TGGhome.html
The French Republic won't be accused this time !
Agan Tavas:
Is it true that many Cornish people feel that they are actually entering England as soon as they cross the Tamar Bridge at Saltash? I am sure someone told me that sometime back. I know you start seeing the Cornish flag flying as soon as you cross over the bridge from Devon.
It would be great to see Cornish revived and that sufficient interest in the language can develop among residents of Cornwall. I'm really looking forward to going down there one day soon and explore another Celtic fringe region. Can you call a County a Region? From what you have said in here , I reckon so.
I believe there is a fairly strong link with Britanny..exchange visits and that sort of thing. Is that true also?
Greg:
Unless you are a Breton (which I very much doubt) I suggest you keep out of this thread....it is essentially BRITISH and therefore probably anathaema to you judging by your posts elsewhere. So, in best Anglo Saxon (which is also operative north of the Tweed) sling your hook, pal. Stay your side of the water....permanently.
Damian,
Your doubts are confirmed since I'm a Southerner (Occitany). However, my being on the wrong side of La Manche won't prevent me from appreciating your exquisite sense of humour rendered with consummate delicacy.
N'eus den nà tra heb e si hag alïes en deus daou pe tri (Breton proverb).
> Is it true that many Cornish people feel that they are actually entering
> England as soon as they cross the Tamar Bridge at Saltash
Yeah that's true. The funny thing about the Tamar Bridge is that you have to pay a toll of £1 to get out of Cornwall but not to enter Cornwall.
Cornwall despite it's great beaches, and clean sea waters really offers nothing more. The seaside resorts are full of "foreigners" (that's a term used to refer to English people), and the seaside resorts are like ghost towns in the winter and completely overpacked with tourists in the summer.
The Cornish who speak in proper Cornish accents live in towns like Bodmin (inland). The wages are the lowest in Britain and I think the county is actually one of the poorest areas in Europe. The people are very isolated types who keep themselves to themselves.
It's a good place to visit or a good place to retire at a very old age, but not a great place to live. That's from my two year experience of living there. I soon packed up and went somewhere else.
<<Yeah that's true. The funny thing about the Tamar Bridge is that you have to pay a toll of £1 to get out of Cornwall but not to enter Cornwall>>
JunJun:
Thanks for that information.....I did hear correctly then. I didn't know about that one way toll though on the Tamar Bridge.
The same applies on the Severn Bridge between England and Wales, that I know for certain. I'm not sure if I have this the right way round, but you pay a fee to cross the Severn Estuary from England into Wales, but not the other way round...you just sail across without having to open your wallet apparently. Just what is the thinking behind that one? The English are wealthier than the Welsh? The Welsh are more mercenary and want to rook the English "invader"? It's really cool to see all those bi-lingual road signs everywehere as soon as you cross the English/Welsh border. Even so, the English words always appear above the Welsh. It's a wonder some of the more ardent Welsh patriots don't whinge about that....could they not reverse that policy alternately or is that too complicated an exercise?
Greg:
Bonjour et merci bien, mon ami. Close neighbours often have spats....our two countries have been at each other's throats for centuries....being at loggerheads is the best way to describe it I think. A "love-hate" relationship, but in the end I reckon it's a case of "Vive l'Entente Cordiale".
Anyway, historically Scotland has always had a more amicable relationship with France than has England, which is interesting. Our lovely Mary was briefly married to the Dauphin, Francis II as he became, and French was her language of choice. So our links were and still are stronger. A bientot. (Sorry..no circumflex on my Sassenach keyboard).
Bien le bonjour à toi, cher Damian !
Les Écossais are indeed much appreciated in Gaul and so is their whiskey. As a matter of fact, many Écossais driving in France replace their ‘GB’ sticker by a bigger one reading ‘Écosse’. Not that they would fear any car-looting by infuriated locals. But arguably Scotland irresistibly wins more love than hate. I believe Welsh and Irish to be popular too, especially in the South where rugby is a religion.
"Un anglais italianisé,
Est un diable incarné”
“L'inglese italianizato,
E un diavolo incarnato”
“The Italianised Englishman,
Is a devil incarnate”.
(Italian proverb)
Mon ami Greg:
Vos mots gentils sont beaucoup d'apprecies - vous remercie, M Occitan. J'ai un grand probleme bien que - je n'est pas capable de comprendre le sens exact de ce proverbe Breton. Je me sens triste a cause de ceci.
Malheureusement je pas encore ai installe un programme sur mon ordinateur pour imprimer des caracteres francais sur mon clavier. Je ferai ceci bientot.
Earlier I said there was no circumflex on my Sassenach keyboard.....well, silly moi was wrong - there is... see ^. Only I cannae get it on top of the "O" where it belongs in French text. Quel domage...