L’usage abusif du breton en 1902 : le point de vue du clergé

Abstract

In the space of a century, linguistic practices in Lower Brittany have been reversed to such an extent that it is difficult today to imagine what the levels of use of Breton and French were on the eve of the First World War. According to some hypotheses, at the beginning of the 20th century, Breton was still the only language known by the majority of the population, and the percentage of those who knew only French was still very low. In 1902, reacting to the decision of the minister Émile Combes to repress the abusive use of Breton in church, Mgr Dubillard, bishop of Quimper and Léon, and Henri Collignon, Prefect of Finistère, launched surveys to find out the linguistic situation in the department.

Keywords

• sociolinguistics
• Breton (language)
• language practices
• Church
• language change