Breton (the language of Brittany, France) and Welsh are separate languages with their own alphabet, words and grammar rules. But, there are some commonalities between them. They are both of Celtic origin, so there are some similar words in the languages. For example, ‘window’ is ‘ffenestr’ in Welsh and ‘fenestr’ in Breton; ‘dog’ is ‘ci’ in Welsh and ‘ki’ in Breton.

Both Breton and Welsh languages were once attacked by the establishment. From 1880 until c.1950, French authorities banned Breton in schools. Those caught speaking it were punished. Around the same time, the Welsh Not - a piece of wood - was given to schoolchildren caught speaking Welsh to stigmatise and punish them. Thankfully this doesn’t happen anymore, and people in Wales and Brittany make great efforts to keep their languages alive.

Brittany is a priority region for Wales. The links between the two are strong. They have a Memorandum of Understanding to work together and create a joint action plan to maintain cultural links and to boost co-operation.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3Lnqpnm5%2BifKKuzq6raJulocG2vsRoo6Kmm6h6o7HTsJyepl2srq2x0maYp5xdm7%2BiusKe