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Cornish Inspiration Calendar 2007
$14.95 (approx £8.50)
All place names in both Cornish &
English
Dates in English
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What is the Cornish Language?
The Cornish Language, known as Kernewek, is the ancient Celtic
language originally spoken by the native inhabitants of Cornwall. Cornwall is one
of the six modern Celtic nations; the others being Wales, Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and
the Isle of Man.
In the late 18th Century it died out as a community
language, with the last traditional speaker dying in Zennor in 1891. It
was successfully revived at the beginning of the twentieth Century and
today is widely spoken, with more books, music, films, CDs, learning
materials etc available than ever before (just look at our sales page!). However there was a disatrous split within the language community in the 1980's over modernising the spelling. This split MUST now be healed with a new compromise spelling system as proposed and which will be discussed at Tremough Campus on the 30th september 2006. Please give your support to this process.
It is now taught in some schools in Cornwall.
As somebody
once said Cornish never died, it just wasn’t very well. There has never
been a time throughout Cornwall’s long
history when nobody knew the language. The language is more alive now
than at any time in the last 250 yrs. Just go to many towns and villages
in Cornwall and you will
find welcoming signs in Cornish.
Frequently asked
questions & Urban Myths on Cornwall and Cornish
There
is always debate on the state of Cornwall and
of the Cornish language. Many do not believe it still exists or that it
ever did, preferring to believe that it is not a genuine language and
will never be officially recognised. Further protests are made with the
idea that Cornwall is an English County and has been for over a thousand years.
Well, let’s look at
the facts.
No county of England has its own unique language. The Cornish are Celtic and
predate the arrival of the English by several thousand years. No other English County has the right to a Parliament. Cornwall has
had this right for 800 years. In 1858 the Attorney General described Cornwall as a Palatine State extraterritorial to the English Crown. No other English County has its border set in place by Royal Treaty. Every
English county owes its allegiance to the English Monarch;
Constitutionally Cornwall cannot and does not. The Sovereign of Cornwall
is the Duke of Cornwall, Prince Charles. There has never been any lawful
annexation of Cornwall to England nor has Cornwall been party to any Act of Union. No other English County has been cited as a separate entity from England. In a survey of Britain in 1546 Britain was described as being divided into four parts, "the
fowerth inhabited by Cornish people". Cornwall was
once a Kingdom. In 1337 & 1338 five counties were identified as
existing within Cornwall. No other English County contains shire counties within itself. The European
Parliament designates Cornwall as a separate region of Europe, a
distinction given to no other English County. The Cornish Language is a direct descendant from the
ancient British language Brythonic which is the original native language
of Britain. In 2002 Cornish was officially recognised by the British
Government. There are estimated to be between 350 to 500 fluent speakers
and about 3,000 to 5,000 people with some knowledge. And finally there
are some people who do have it as a first language.
Still think we are just another
English County?
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