Breton endengered language

Breton

Endangered Language

It is spoken mainly in western parts of Brittany, and is also spoken in parts of eastern Brittany, and by Breton immigrants in other parts of France, and in other countries. The reason to Breton became a severely endangered language is because decades of suppression at the hands of the French educational system. There are an estimated 500,000 speakers, but this large number is deceptive in that most native speakers are above 60.The French government was spending one million euros a year to promote regional languages, by hiring bilingual teachers and funding organizations Ofis ar Brezhoneg. There were already 400,000 school children taking lessons in regional languages through out France.The Breton language will probably survive because there is the first generation of people coming through who were brought up bilingually in the schools; for example in the last three or four years you hear Breton spoken all over the places.