News
Cornwall Council considering use of Cornish in relations with citizens
Body to vote on November 4th on the adoption of Cornish Language Plan · Document foresees elemental Cornish language training for reception staff, call centres · Citizens to have the right to receive written answers in Cornish
Having some basic knowledge of Cornish could become a requirement for some Cornwall Council staff members if this public body approves a Cornish Language Plan on November 4th. The document, which is currently being discussed, is part of a broader strategy by the Cornwall Council to extend the use of the Celtic language, which is indigenous to this stateless nation of southwestern Britain.
According to the Cornish Language Plan, starting from April 2016 the Council should train its reception staff and employees of call centres so that they are able to use "some key phrases and greetings" in Cornish.
Speaking to The Guardian, a Cornwall Council spokesperson said this does not mean that the Council staff will need to learn and speak Cornish. Rather it points to a symbolic deference to Cornish users.
Another measure foreseen in the plan could nevertheless have a wider impact: citizens writing to the Council in Cornish should be receiveing an answer in the same language.
The use of Cornish decreased over centuries, to the point that over the 19th and 20th centuries it had no native speakers -only a handful of enthusiastic people continued to learn it, with no daily use of it.
Cornish is currently undergoing a revitalization process. It is protected in the UK under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. According to the 2011 census, 500 people in Cornwall have it as their main language. Most speakers have learned Cornish outside the family. In recent years it has been introduced in some schools in Cornwall.
The Cornwall Council argues that the use of Cornish "has accelerated over the last five years," and it further says that demand for the language "has grown." According to Council data, a new online course to learn Cornish has about 1,000 registered people.
The UK government announced last March it would be allocate £150,000 for the promotion of Cornish over a year.