Has anyone learned Brythonic as a second language in service of Druidry?

[Somerset bardParticipant]

Hi there. It’s such an interesting question! I am a keen linguist and decided to learn Welsh. I’m born and raised in England, but chose Welsh for various reasons – I lived in Wales for six years, I feel a connection to the country, and I also live in the southwest, where there is a strong presence of Celtic-language place names. I thought long and hard about Cornish, but opted for Welsh due to the richer variety of materials available and the ability to use it when I visit. I use an app called Say Something in Welsh, which I personally find really great.

I found that Dowrgi’s comment really resonated – what language is spoken by the wind and the oaks? Such a lovely question! From a personal point of view, I feel that learning Welsh, and speaking to my local landscape in it, helps me feel connected to my ancestors of place. I know that 1,500 years ago in my area, Celtic was spoken. If I speak Welsh to my local Nature, I wonder if that might stir an old memory of ‘ooh, I’ve not heard something like that for a long. long time’ and help with a level of connection somehow. I had a very powerful experience a few months ago – I was walking down a very old drover’s path, enclosed as a tunnel by trees, and I was speaking out loud practising some Welsh. Suddenly a bird of prey (I think a kite) flew out of a tree and down the tunnel in what seemed like slo mo. It was a beautiful moment of connection for me. Whether the Welsh helped or not, I don’t know. But it made me feel very connected all of a sudden.

Just my two pennies’ worth.

[DowrgiParticipant]

@Somerset Bard,

Hi there,

That was a very interesting revelation. Instinctively, I’d say that it wasn’t necessarily the words themselves, Welsh or not, but the intent behind the words.

Those old drover’s paths, what I’d understand as holloways or sunken lanes, are very, very ancient; there’s a lot of energy in those less trodden paths.

Bennathow,
/|\

[Somerset bardParticipant]

Hi Dowrgi,

Thank you for your comment. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about intention. I think me learning Welsh is a way of me showing intention and respect, and fostering connection with the land. Who knows how many languages have been spoken in this area over the millennia. I suppose Celtic represents as far back as we can tangibly go, but the landscape will have been communicated with in many tongues over many lifetimes.

Holloways definitely seem to me to be very magical places. I feel very blessed that I have some in easy reach!

[Vanessa SpenceParticipant]

I’m interested in learning some Welsh, even if my use for it would be to understand the stories and poetry of the Mabinogion. I am more familiar with Gàidhlig and Gaeilge, and listen to a lot of Irish and Scottish Gaelic songs and stories, where the stories are interwoven and similar to many of the Welsh ones. The history of Brythonic is very interesting, though. We do at least have three surviving P-Celtic languages to gain some knowledge of the ancestral Brythonic, though. Welsh, Cornish and Breton. I feel that our lands should never lose their heritage languages, despite what Westminster says. English is, of course, dominant and the language of business and commerce, so it has a rightful place, but we want to live in peace, right?

Alban Eilir /I\

MrsBlackbird

• This reply was modified 6 months, 4 weeks ago by Vanessa Spence.

[DowrgiParticipant]

Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). Recently, the UK government upgraded the status of Cornish within this legal framework to Part III, granting it the same high-level protection as the other Celtic languages. While the Welsh language is protected by the Welsh Language Act (1993) and holds de jure official status in Wales, Scottish Gaelic is protected under devolved Scottish law. Meanwhile, the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act (2022) officially recognises the Irish language and Ulster Scots.

Contrast this with France, where the 1958 Constitution mandates French as the sole official language. Regional languages, including Breton, hold no official status beyond recognition as part of the nation’s ‘cultural heritage’. To date, France has signed but not yet ratified the ECRML.

In the Republic of Ireland, Irish has enjoyed official status and constitutional primacy since the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922. This was further solidified by the 1937 Constitution, which designated Irish as the ‘national’ and ‘first official’ language. To support this, the state implemented mandatory Irish education and, for many years, required proficiency for public office. Yet, despite robust legislation, daily use of the language has declined, and the traditional Gaeltacht areas are shrinking.

Paradoxically, English remains the de facto official language of the UK; despite being spoken by over 90% of the population, there is no actual law stipulating English as the official language.

Fundamentally, the future of a language cannot depend on the ‘kindness of government’ alone; it depends on the enthusiasm of its speakers and the transmission of the language to the younger generations.

Bennathow,
/|\

[Sprite25Participant]

English remains the de facto official language of the UK; despite being spoken by over 90% of the population, there is no actual law stipulating English as the official language.

Fundamentally, the future of a language cannot depend on the ‘kindness of government’ alone; it depends on the enthusiasm of its speakers and the transmission of the language to the younger generations.

I strongly agree, I don’t believe in begging power for recognition. Even if they do as you ask; symbology that’s not backed by substance (which can exist without the symbol) is what I call “Fiat currency”. I wouldn’t turn down the legal changes that are useful, but like you say the real test is passing the language down and living it, not stamps on documents.

[DowrgiParticipant]

Why should Cornishmen learn Cornish? There is no money in it, it serves no practical purpose, and the literature is scanty and of no great originality or value. The question is a fair one, the answer is simple. Because they are Cornish.

Henry Jenner (1848-1934) – ‘father’ of the Cornish language revival of the early 20th century.

Where there is the will, there is the way.

[Author]

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