We have compiled a list of links below that will help you get started on the trail of learning Cornish.
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The Cornish language is a minority language closely related to Welsh and Breton, and a little more distantly to Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic. Unlike Welsh and Breton though, it only has a small pool of speakers. More than one in four people in Wales speaks Welsh, and Breton still has hundreds of thousands of native speakers – so what is the situation in Cornwall?
Dolly Pentreath is frequently named as the 'last speaker of the Cornish language'. However, it would be more accurate to say that she was among the last monoglot Cornish speakers. This fish seller from Mousehole died in 1777. The records show that plenty of people in the village understood her and there was even enough knowledge of the language to write some phrases in Kernewek in her honour. It is sad that there wasn't a concerted effort to record her knowledge. The only phrase attributed to her was: "ty groenek hager du" (you ugly black toad).
Wella Kerew was a Cornish Language scholar who translated some chapters of the Bible in the late 17th Century. Born in St. Buryan in 1660 he spoke Cornish ...
This website gives you information about organisations who offer lessons, news, and support to Cornish speakers, learners and companies.
What is the Cornish Language?
The Cornish language is a Celtic language. It is similar to Welsh and Breton. Cornish, Welsh and Breton are thought of as 'P-Celtic' languages or Brythonic languages. Cornish is also related to 'Q-Celtic' languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. The way to quickly tell these languages apart is to look at words such as the translation of the English word 'son' and 'head'.
Cornish, like all the Celtic languages developed out of a civilisation in central Europe several thousand years before the development of the Roman Empire or Greek civilisation. The Celts eventually covered most of Western and Central Europe. By the time of the Romans, Britain, Ireland, France, parts of Spain, Belgium, Northern Italy and parts of the Balkans were all speaking Celtic languages. France was called 'Gaul' at this time, and spoke an early P-Celtic language called Gaulish. Spain and Portugal had traces of P-Celtic, but it is believed this is where the Q-Celtic languages developed.
There is a Cornish Language Partnership run on various funding schemes and based at Lys Kernow in Truro. You can find the office online at www.magakernow.org.uk. This is also a good place to enquire about classes, translations and support materials.
There is a weekly online 'radio' programme that can be downloaded from www.radyo.kernewegva.com.