On behalf of the Living Tongues Institute, it has been our pleasure to collaborate with cultural non-profit organization Breizh Amerika on the creation of the new Brezhoneg Living Dictionary.
A searchable, mobile-friendly tool containing 300+ entries in Brezhoneg with accompanying audio recordings, and translations into English and French, this project will help create visibility and access to the language across the Breton diaspora in Europe and North America.
On a personal note, this project makes me particularly proud, because my great-grandfather Joseph-Marie Gallon was a fluent Breton speaker. An immigrant from northern France to Canada in the early 20th century, he often sang and performed in his mother tongue. Although he never transmitted the language to his children, who grew up speaking French and English, his daughter Cécile Gallon (my grandmother) lovingly recalled him speaking in Breton and always felt a connection to the language. My memory of her affection for it stays with me until this day.
D’un point de vue personnel, ce projet me rend particulièrement fière, car mon arrière-grand-père Joseph-Marie Gallon parlait couramment le breton. Un immigré du nord de la France au Canada au début du 20e siècle, il chantait et jouait souvent dans sa langue maternelle. Bien qu’il n’ait jamais transmis la langue à ses enfants, qui ont grandi en parlant le français et l’anglais, sa fille Cécile Gallon (ma grand-mère) se souvenait affectueusement qu’il parlait en breton, et elle a toujours ressenti un lien avec la langue. Le souvenir de sa joie reste gravé dans ma mémoire jusqu’à aujourd’hui.
Program Director
Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
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