| The subject of dead languages has come up a lot | | | | counting in Cornish later in her honor. They had |
| for me lately. In a recent conversation, I | | | | been using it all along. Sure, it's not fluency but |
| mentioned my desire to learn Cornish, a Celtic | | | | bear with me on this. |
| language closely related to Welsh, and the | | | | There was also a 'revival' of Cornish that began |
| response I got was "Oh, yeah, that's a dead | | | | almost as soon as Dolly died. A small community |
| language, right?" I quickly came to the defense of | | | | of non-native Cornish enthusiasts (many of whom |
| Cornish, a language alive and well by my | | | | may have learned from native speakers) |
| standards, but what began was a lively debate on | | | | maintained the language until more popular revival |
| what exactly constituted a dead language and | | | | movements took over. Kept alive by enthusiasts, |
| whether or not Cornish fit the suit (yes, that was | | | | it seems that Cornish never actually died. |
| a Johnny Bravo reference). | | | | Although there isn't a need to establish a direct |
| I won't get into all of that particular debate now | | | | 'lineage' from the native speakers of pre-1777 to |
| (articles on that subject are fast on the heels of | | | | modern times, I think it helps to provide a real |
| this one) but I'd like to explain my take on | | | | connection between the speakers of Cornish then |
| Cornish, why it never died and why it is alive and | | | | and today. A small cadre of non-native speaking |
| well when there are, at best, a few thousand | | | | enthusiasts have kept the language 'in trust' until a |
| people who understand it, and a few hundred who | | | | larger community of native speakers were |
| are actually fluent. | | | | prepared to take it up again, as it appears they |
| By most accounts, the last native monoglot | | | | are now doing. |
| speaker of Cornish was Dolly Pentreath, who died | | | | There are official government-recognized bodies |
| in 1777. So, if we assume that the death of the | | | | with tax-dollar budgets, local church services and |
| last native monoglot speaker is a reasonable | | | | road signs in Cornish. There are festivals, public |
| requirement for a language to be considered | | | | gatherings and competitions to promote the |
| dead, then that's it. Cornish is a dead language, | | | | language. There is a recent and official recognition |
| right? Not so fast. | | | | as a European language. The people of Cornwall |
| First of all, by some accounts, Dolly Pentreath | | | | are acting as if Cornish is not a dead language nor |
| wasn't a monoglot speaker of Cornish. She could | | | | a dying language, but a living and growing one. |
| speak English but simply refused to do it, or so | | | | It is exactly this attitude which makes Cornish a |
| legend would have it. Cheers to Dolly. Secondly, | | | | living language, now that the larger community has |
| there is plenty of evidence that there were other | | | | taken it up again. There are thousands of |
| polyglot (bi-lingual with English) speakers of Cornish | | | | languages worldwide that are dying and will truly |
| at the time, and of living use of the language | | | | be dead because the indifferent communities |
| between 1777 and the present. It's possible the | | | | around them don't care, and the people who |
| people of Cornwall never completely let it go. | | | | speak them can't see the cultural treasure which |
| There are accounts of Cornish fisherman counting | | | | they possess. The people of Cornwall are realizing |
| in Cornish right up until the 20th century. I doubt | | | | what they have, and if Cornish is a living language |
| the fishermen of Dollys time stopped counting | | | | to them, it will be a living 'native' language to their |
| when Dolly died and neither did they start | | | | children. |