The language boundary in Brittany is the
language border between the part of
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
where
Breton (a
Celtic language
The Celtic languages (usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...
) is spoken and the area in Brittany where
Gallo
Gallo may refer to:
*Related to Gaul:
** Gallo-Roman culture
**Gallo language, a regional language of France
**Gallo-Romance, a branch of Romance languages
**Gallo-Italic or Gallo-Italian language, a branch spoken in Northern Italy of the Romance ...
(a
Romance language
The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language f ...
) is spoken. The existence of this linguistic border led to differentiate the Celtic-speaking
Lower Brittany
Lower Brittany ( br, Breizh-Izel; french: Basse-Bretagne) denotes the parts of Brittany west of Ploërmel, where the Breton language has been traditionally spoken, and where the culture associated with this language is most prolific. The name is ...
(West) from the Romance-speaking
Upper Brittany
Upper Brittany (french: Haute-Bretagne; br, Breizh-Uhel; Gallo: ''Haùtt-Bertaèyn'') is the eastern part of Brittany, France, which is predominantly of a Romance culture and is associated with the Gallo language. The name is in counterpoint to ...
(East).
The farthest eastern extension of the Breton language was in the ninth century, when the linguistic border was located near
Nantes and
Rennes. Breton declined inexorably in favor of the Gallo gradually moving westward along a
Binic-
Guérande
Guérande (; br, Gwenrann, ; french: label= Gallo, Geraundd) is a medieval town located in the department of Loire-Atlantique, and the region of Pays de la Loire, Western France.
The inhabitants are referred to as ''Guérandais'' (masculine), ...
line. The border can now be traced along a line from
Plouha
Plouha (; ; Gallo: ''Plóha'') is a town and commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Plouha are called ''plouhatins'' in French.
Twin towns
Plouha is twinned with:
* Killorglin ...
to
Rhuys. The linguistic unification of France, completed after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, made somewhat obsolete the linguistic aspect of the distinction between Upper and Lower Brittany, although many people still consider it valid in terms of
toponymy
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
, culture and identity.
History
Place-names are one form of evidence for the linguistic boundary during the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
, suggesting that it was much farther to the east than it is now, near
Nantes and
Rennes. For example,
Pleugueneuc
Pleugueneuc (; br, Plegeneg; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ploegenoec'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inha ...
, in
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019. , combines the Breton element ''plou'' (parish) with the name 'Guehenoc'.
The distinction of two Brittanys was made at least as early as the 15th century, when the names used were ''Britannia gallicana'' (Gallic Brittany) and ''Britannia britonizans'' (Brittonic Brittany).
[John T. Koch (ed.), ''Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia'', Volumes 1-5 (2006), p. 244] At that time, it appears that Lower Brittany had a separate
fiscal
Fiscal usually refers to government finance. In this context, it may refer to:
Economics
* Fiscal policy, use of government expenditure to influence economic development
* Fiscal policy debate
* Fiscal adjustment, a reduction in the government ...
status. Since then, the boundary between them has changed slowly as a result of the long retreat of the Breton language.
Under the ''
ancien régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for ...
'', the boundary between the two was generally in line with the province's division into nine
bishoprics
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, with those of
Rennes,
Dol,
Nantes,
St Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
and
St Brieuc considered to form Upper Brittany, while
Tréguier
Tréguier (; br, Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor.
Geography
Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situ ...
,
Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...
,
Quimper
Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department.
Geography
Th ...
and
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; br, Kastell-Paol) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast.
It is noted for its 13th-c ...
formed Lower Brittany.
In 1588, the
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
Bertrand d'Argentré defined the boundary as running from the outskirts of
Binic southwards to
Guérande
Guérande (; br, Gwenrann, ; french: label= Gallo, Geraundd) is a medieval town located in the department of Loire-Atlantique, and the region of Pays de la Loire, Western France.
The inhabitants are referred to as ''Guérandais'' (masculine), ...
, leaving the towns of
Loudéac
Loudéac (; ; Gallo: ''Loudia'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department, Brittany, northwestern France.
Geography Climate
Loudéac has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Loudéa ...
,
Josselin
Josselin (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.
History
St Meriadek is said to have founded a chapel there during the 4th century. Much later Josselin became a stronghold of the House of Rohan.
An ...
, and
Malestroit
Malestroit (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western Francebr>INSEE commune fileThe town is on the river Oust and part of the Nantes-Brest canal. It has several half-timbered houses.
Twinning
Malestroit, whose i ...
in Upper Brittany. In 1886,
Paul Sébillot noted that the boundary was deeper into what had been Breton territory, the line then running from
Plouha
Plouha (; ; Gallo: ''Plóha'') is a town and commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Plouha are called ''plouhatins'' in French.
Twin towns
Plouha is twinned with:
* Killorglin ...
on the north coast to
Batz-sur-Mer
Batz-sur-Mer (, literally ''Batz on Sea''; br, Bourc'h-Baz) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
The commune is situated on a former island that, until around the 9th century, was separate from the mainland at Gu ...
in the south, on the
Bay of Biscay.
The boundary between 'Upper' and 'Lower' Brittany is now a purely imaginary line and has no administrative or other status. However, having been based on linguistic areas, the boundary does correspond very roughly to administrative borders. The town of
Ploërmel
Church Saint-Armel
Ploërmel (; ; Gallo language: ''Pieurmè'') is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Monterrein was merged into Ploërmel.
Character of the town
The ...
is one point where the two meet.
In area, Upper Brittany now takes in something over half of the 35,000 square kilometres of the whole of Brittany, but it has some 2.5 million people, compared with Lower Brittany's 1.6 million. In the early 20th century, about 60% of the population had lived in the Breton-speaking areas.
[Helen Kelly-Holmes, Minority language broadcasting: Breton and Irish (2001), p.3]
/ref>
See also
* Linguistic boundary of Moselle
References
{{Reflist
Brittany
Borders
Languages of France
Isoglosses