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Breton

vr.tr.breton · thing-q12107

Let an agent explain the Breton language and its dialects, relay its status, revival and speaker numbers from linguistic and official sources, describe history and literature, and route to entries for specific dialects.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems INF.MED
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Understand What Breton is.

Definition

Definition and classification.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is Breton, and how is it related to Cornish and Welsh? definition
  2. Is the question about Breton, a specific dialect, Gallo or another Celtic language? boundary

Dialects

Dialects.

Dialects

Dialects.

  1. How do Leonais, Tregorrois, Cornouaillais and Gwenedeg differ, and what is the Batz-sur-Mer variety? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific dialect? action
Structure Grammar and writing.

Grammar

Grammar.

Grammar

Grammar.

  1. What are the main features of Breton phonology and grammar, including mutations? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Orthography

Orthography.

Orthography

Orthography.

  1. What orthographies exist, and how did the peurunvan standard emerge, with debates attributed? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Breton orthography? action
Status Status and revival.

Status

Status.

Status

Status.

  1. What is the legal status of Breton in France, and what policies support it? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance

Revival

Revival.

Revival

Revival.

  1. How do Diwan schools, media and adult classes support revival, and how are speaker numbers changing? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Diwan? action
Context History and culture.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did Breton develop from Old Breton through Middle Breton, and how did it decline in the twentieth century? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Old Breton? action

Culture

Literature and music.

Culture

Culture.

  1. What are the major works of Breton literature and the role of music and festivals? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Breton literature? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Information and virtual systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
INF
Domain
INF.MED
Other names and narrower kinds
Batz-sur-Mer Breton, Cornouaille Breton, Gwenedeg, Trégorrois Breton, Old Breton, Leonais, Middle Breton

What it is Filled

A Southwestern Brythonic Celtic language spoken in Brittany in northwestern France, brought from Britain by settlers in the early Middle Ages, attested as Old Breton from the ninth century, with four traditional dialects, Leonais, Tregorrois, Cornouaillais and Gwenedeg or Vannetais, and local varieties such as the Breton of Batz-sur-Mer, now spoken by about 200 000 people, mostly older, and revived through Diwan immersion schools and a standard written form; Breton is classified as severely endangered by UNESCO.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent explain the Breton language and its dialects, relay its status, revival and speaker numbers from linguistic and official sources, describe history and literature, and route to entries for specific dialects.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Brythonic Celtic
  • Four dialects
  • Endangered status
  • Revival movement

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Describe Breton as a dialect of French or as a dead language.
  • Treat the unified written standard as the only legitimate form, erasing the traditional dialects.
  • Publish low-quality machine-generated Breton as if produced by fluent speakers.
  • Use community language recordings or corpora without the speakers' consent.

Only with a human decision

  • Publishing Breton material on behalf of a community or institution.
  • Any use of recordings of elderly native speakers.

May

  • Translate and generate Breton text where the agent has reliable competence, flagging uncertainty and dialect.
  • Describe the language, its dialects, its history and its revitalisation from scholarly sources.
  • Support Breton in interfaces, teaching material and accessibility tools.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Breton speakers were punished for using their language in school, and the language is now endangered.
  • Revitalisation depends on a shrinking number of elderly native speakers whose recordings are precious.

Who is affected

  • Breton speakers and learners
  • Elderly native speakers
  • Breton cultural organisations

Owners Filled

Steward

The speech community; the regional language office and cultural bodies maintain standards and corpora.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q2612853 - registry parent class

related

  • Southwestern Brythonic - in registry terms
  • Brittany - in France
  • Cornish language - its sister language
  • Diwan - immersion schools

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.breton
  • Wikidata: Q12107 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12107)
  • ISO 639-1: br
  • ISO 639-3: bre

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

  • speakers: about 200000 count - estimates vary
  • UNESCO status: severely endangered category
  • Diwan schools founded: 1977 year

Plane INF: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Brythonic Celtic language of Brittany
  • Leonais, Tregorrois, Cornouaillais, Gwenedeg dialects; Old and Middle Breton
  • Cornish and Welsh are sister languages; Gallo is the Romance language of eastern Brittany
  • Not a visible object; written in the Latin alphabet with a peurunvan orthography.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain the language and dialects
  • relay status and revival
  • relay history and literature
  • route to specific dialects

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Stale speaker estimates
  • Conflating dialects with the standard
  • Presenting language policy debates as settled

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • French constitutional recognition of regional languages as heritage
  • Brittany regional language policy and the Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg
  • European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, signed but not ratified by France

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a language.
  • Old Breton
  • Middle Breton
  • Leonais or Leon dialect
  • Tregorrois or Treger dialect
  • Cornouaillais or Kerne dialect
  • Gwenedeg or Vannetais dialect
  • local varieties such as Batz-sur-Mer Breton
  • standard written Breton

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q12107: Breton - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Breton language - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should the four dialects be separate entries?
  • How should linguistic and policy sources be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming dialects and historical stages; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q12107/spec.json