Cornish Language

(Redirected from Introduction to Cornish)
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Flag of Cornwall Introduction to Cornish
Kernewek
Men an Tol, Cornwall

Cornish / ˈkɔːnɪʃ/ (Kernewek) is a Celtic language spoken in Cornwall. It is closely related to Welsh and Breton, and sits - linguistically as well as geographically - in between the two.

Cornish went into decline during the 17th and 18th centuries and ceased to be a community language, but it has now been revived and the number of speakers is growing. There are currently around 3,500 people with knowledge of the language and it is taught in many Cornish schools. Some young people have been brought up to be native Cornish speakers.

The language was protected under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages in 2003, and in 2008 a standard written form of the language was agreed, which is used in these lessons.

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