Brythonic languages facts for kids

The Brythonic languages are a group of languages that belong to the Celtic languages family. They are spoken in places like Brittany (in France), Wales, and Cornwall (in the UK). Long ago, these languages were spoken across much of England too.

There are three main Brythonic languages spoken today:

• Breton (called Brezhoneg in its own language)
• Welsh (called Cymraeg)
• Cornish (called Kernowek)

Some other Brythonic languages are now extinct, meaning no one speaks them anymore. These include:

• Cumbric
• Common Brittonic
• Pictish (though experts still debate if Pictish was truly a Brythonic language)

Living Brythonic Languages

Let's learn more about the Brythonic languages that are still spoken today.

Welsh Language (Cymraeg)

Welsh is spoken by about 20% of the people in Wales. Across the whole United Kingdom, over 700,000 people speak Welsh. In Wales, both Welsh and English are official languages. This means they are both used by the government and in public life.

Breton Language (Brezhoneg)

Breton is mostly spoken in Brittany, a region in northwest France. There are also small groups of Breton speakers in other parts of France. Sadly, Breton is considered "severely endangered." This means fewer and fewer people are learning it, and it could disappear if efforts aren't made to save it.

Cornish Language (Kernowek)

Cornish was once an extinct language. This means there were no native speakers left. However, a special movement called the Cornish revival movement has helped bring the language back! Now, hundreds of people have learned Cornish. For most of these speakers, Cornish is a second language (L2), meaning they learned it after their first language, usually English.

Extinct Brythonic Languages

These languages are no longer spoken, but they are important parts of history.

Common Brittonic

Common Brittonic was widely spoken across Great Britain a long time ago. It stopped being commonly used around the 6th century AD. Over time, Common Brittonic developed into other languages, like Old Welsh, Cumbric, Cornish, and possibly Pictish.

Pictish Language

Pictish died out by the 12th century AD. As mentioned before, it's not fully clear whether Pictish was a Brythonic language or if it belonged to a different language family.

Images for kids

• 

  A robot illustration, often used to show content for children.

See also

A robot illustration, often used to show content for children.

In Spanish: Lenguas britónicas para niños