Cornwall Cornish Kernow ha Kernewek Celtic 132 Celtic

Cornwall & Cornish Kernow ha Kernewek Celtic 132 – Celtic Civilization II

Cornwall & Cornish • • • I Kern-Weahlas II Medieval Cornish Literature III Revolt IV Late Cornish V Dolly Pentreath VI 19 th c. Growth in Interest VII Language Revival VIII Orthographic Problems IX Education X Nationalism XI Revived Cornish Today

I Kern-Weahlas • • Roman term for the Celtic tribe of Cornwall was Cornovii Anglo-Saxons pushed west, formed kingdom of Wessex Isolating British Celts in their kingdom of Dumnonia In following centuries (5 th-10 th), pushed even further west and established the border at the Tamar River (10 th c. ) • Anglo-Saxons called the British Celts in this region the Kern-Weahlas (the Cornish Foreigners/the West Welsh)

Cont’d • Cornwall remained a distinct entity from England in Middle Ages, though under control of English crown as an earldom • Later became a Duchy • On maps, Cornwall was often referred to as “West Wales” • King Edmund drew up a charter in 944; styled himself as “King of the English and this British Province” (i. e. British Celtic) • Common use of phrase “in Anglia et Cornubia”

II Medieval Cornish Literature • • A flourishing literature developed in the Middle Ages Mostly Miracle Plays The Cornish Ordinalia A cycle of 3 religious plays (ca. 1400)

III Revolt • Language really began to decline in the Tudor period (1485 -1603) • New laws, taxes, and greater centralism • Gave rise to a Cornish rebellion • Army of 15, 000 attempted to march on London • Some victories along the way • Ultimately defeated in 1497 by Henry VII with an army of 25, 000 • Leaders of the revolt were hanged, drawn, & quartered

Cont’d • Act of Uniformity in 1549, introduced English language in all churches in Cornwall “Prayer Book Rebellion” • Caused riots, led to another revolt that year • “We, the Cornishmen, whereof certain of us understand no English, utterly refuse this new English. ” • Revolt ruthlessly suppressed by Sir Anthony Kingston on behalf of the Crown “as harsh as anything under Cromwell in Ireland or Cumberland in Scotland” • Thousands of deaths in Cornwall and Devon

IV Late Cornish • Some concern expressed over the declining language in the 16 th c. • Some writing done e. g. by Nicholas Boson: Nebbaz Gerriau Dro Tho Carnoak (A Few Words About Cornish) • Jowan Chy an Hor (John of Chyanhor) • Cont’d decline in 17 th • Edward Lhuyd visited Cornwall, learned the language, conversed with natives, collected MSS • Included a Cornish grammar and the story of Jowan Chy an Hor in his famous Archaeologia Britannica of 1701

Gradual Decline of the Cornish Language

V Dolly Pentreath • Dolly Pentreath, Mousehole, supposedly the last native speaker of Cornish, d. 1777 • Daines Barrington visited her and wrote an account of their meeting in the journal Archaeologia (Society of Antiquaries) 6 May 1775. • Mentioned 2 other younger women who interpreted her words • A Mousehole fisherman wrote Barrington a letter in Cornish & English and mentioned that there were 4 or 5 others in Mousehole who could speak the language. • Language was essentially gone as a community language by this point. • Some words existed as dialect in the English of Cornwall

VI 19 th c. Growth in Interest • Linguists in 19 th c. became interested in Cornish • Robert Williams, Lexicon Cornu. Britannicum (1865) • Edwin Norris, The Ancient Cornish Dramas • W. P. Jago, The Ancient Language & Dialect of Cornwall & English-Cornish Dictionary (1887)

VII Language Revival • Language revival movement formed in 1901, Cowethas Kelto-Kernewek (Cornish Celtic Society) • Henry Jenner, the father of the revival movement, Handbook of the Cornish Language (1904) • Also wrote poetry in Cornish • 1929, R. Morton Nance, Cornish For All, a new spelling system called “Unified Cornish. ” • Poems, plays, short stories, were being written

VIII Orthographic Problems • • • Problems with orthography Three writing systems 1. Unified Cornish (1935) 2. Kernewek Kemmyn (Common Cornish) (1986) 3. Late/Modern Cornish (1990) Kemmyn was adopted by the Cornish Language Board, and now used by 80% of Cornish speakers • Furv Skrifys Savonek (Standard Written Form or SWF) – agreed upon in 2008

IX Education • Kesva an Tavas Kernewek (The Cornish Language Board) • Took over all aspects of the revival movement • University of Exeter established an Institute of Cornish Studies in Truro (county seat of Cornwall)

Cont’d • • Dalleth (Beginning) 1979 Goal was to publish children’s books in Cornish Encourage bilingualism Promote opportunities for children to learn Cornish, such as through playgroups and school By 1984, 7 schools had Cornish-language courses 18 evening courses throughout Cornwall 2010 first Cornish language nursery opened http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Q 9 K 9 Wu_Jt. H Q

X Nationalism • With re-awakening of language interest came a re-awakening of Cornish nationhood in the 1930 s • First national political movement in Cornwall – Tyr ha Tavas (Land & Language) • Essentially a pressure group to lobby gov’t for support of Cornish interests • 1951, Mebyon Kernow (Sons of Cornwall) • Wanted domestic self-gov’t; successfully elected local gov’t officials • 1969, Cornish Nationalist Party, wanted even greater autonomy

XI Revived Cornish Today • No official status in the UK, though the UK gov’t recognized Cornish as a minority language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2002. • Today about 3, 500 people speak Revived Cornish to varying degrees (prob. 300 -500 fluent) • Pop’n of Cornwall is about 500, 000 • Some bilingual signage • Some support from the Cornwall County Council for the language