ELL: Re: Anger and Dismay - Cornish language not signed up - European

[Marion Gunn]

Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
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I have just fwded Andrew Climo-Thompson's 2 msgs of today to
CELTIC-L at LISTSERV.HEANET.IE and elsewhere.

Suggest the Cornish contact, as a matter of urgency, the European Bureau
for Lesser-Used Languages, via the following website:
www.eblul.org (ALSO SEND FAXES to the number displayed on that site, and
contact the British branch of EBLUL, & MEPs).

Sad the man who sleeps when a brother cries (to put it too politely).
mg

--
Marion Gunn
Everson Gunn Teoranta
<http://www.egt.ie>

=====
Subject:
        Anger and Dismay - Cornish language not signed up - European
Charter for Regional or Minority
        Languages
    Date:
        Thu, 3 May 2001 10:19:50 +0100
   From:
        "Andrew Climo-Thompson" <andrew at clas.demon.co.uk>
     To:
        The academic network for Cornish Studies
<CORNISHSTUDIES at anu.edu.au>

Cothmans Wheg / Dear Friends,

The latest update on the European Charter is that the Cornish language
has *not* been signed up and therefore will receive no protection under
the treaty and probably little
in the way of future recognition or funding.

Please circulate this information to the widest possible audience and
request that they *urgently* write to the Department of Environment,
Transport and the Regions
(DETR) directly saying:

(1) It is unacceptable for Cornish not to have been given protection
under the treaty, and
(2) That this is matter of civil rights.

It is vitally important that this message comes from as many different
sources as possible and as soon as possible (particularly since there is
a general election in a few
weeks!).

If outside the UK, please contact your representative and ask that they
request an explanation from the UK government.

We have written to Beverly Hughes at the Department of Environment,
Transport and the Regions (the minister and department responisble) and
have requested a response
by 11 May.  We are planning our next steps should we receive no response
and will let you know in due course what the next steps will be.

A summary of the points raised with Beverly Hughes are given below for
your information.

Thank you very much in advance.
Gans pub bolonjeth oll,
Andrew R Climo-Thompson

>>>>>>>>>>

Treaty name - European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages
(Council for Europe Treaty 148).

1999 - MacKinnon report on the Cornish language commissioned by the
government (published April 2000 - reported positively
on the state of the 'living' language)

27 March 2001 the government ratified the Treaty, giving extended
protection to Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.
Protrection also given to to two dialects of English: Scots and Ulster
Scots, but NOT Cornish

Protection under the Charter is seen as an important issue:

(a) Prevents the linguistic heritage of Cornwall being undermined (this
is an everyday issue)

(b) Provide a basis for ensuring that bilingual children would receive
education in their Cornish mother tongue (many children
have been robbed of this basic civil right)

The government must not keep the Cornish language community waiting
indefinitely, either come clean and say Cornish will
not be included, or sign up Cornish to the treaty.

<<<<<


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