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Original poster

Question for Welsh/Bretons

15 replies

MervynBunter · 04/09/2018 20:36

Watching Bake Off which has a contestant from Brittany. So DW and I were wondering, can a Welsh speaker and a Breton speaker understand each other?

Anyone know?

OP posts:

saturdaynightgin · 04/09/2018 20:55

No we can’t (I speak Welsh and French), although some words are similar

saturdaynightgin · 04/09/2018 20:57

Forgot to add that I did a project on the use of Breton in France compared to Welsh in Wales during my A Level so have some knowledge of Breton

BoogleMcGroogle · 04/09/2018 21:00

I'm neither Welsh nor Breton. But I remember going on holiday to Brittany with a Native Welsh speaking boyfriend. He found that much of the vocabulary is similar, so you can garner some meaning, but the pronunciation ( and influence of the French pronunciation system) and orthography are quite different though. I'm not sure how the grammar/ syntax overlaps.

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Bubblegum12 · 04/09/2018 21:01

We had a welsh teacher in school who was from Brittany - she said the languages are exactly the same?

She wasn’t a very good teacher mind you

BoogleMcGroogle · 04/09/2018 21:02

The other thing I know about Breton culture is that the cakes are pretty awesome!

ErictheGuineaPig · 04/09/2018 21:03

Dunno, but Manon is a popular Welsh name too!

MikeUniformMike · 04/09/2018 21:03

I've been told that it is possible by someone whose father was Breton.
If your Welsh is strong, you can figure out a lot of Breton words.
Breton: 'x' eo ma anv Welsh: 'x' yw fy enw (My name is 'x')
Thank you is Trugarez in Breton, or Diolch in Welsh but the welsh for Mercy is Trugaredd.

AndhowcouldIeverrefuse · 04/09/2018 21:05

I speak Welsh and have seen / heard some Breton. You can guess at the meaning of some words but you couldn't keep a conversation or read something without having a good knowledge of the other language. I guess it's a bit like English and Dutch?

Hopefully this gives you an idea OP.

DMCWelshCakes · 04/09/2018 21:08

Welsh first language here!

I can work out what place names mean & the vocab is fairly similar in places, but I couldn't have a conversation.

Original poster

MervynBunter · 04/09/2018 21:14

Thanks. Most interesting. My Welsh is limited to reading road signs.

OP posts:

Littleoakhorn · 04/09/2018 21:20

I thought that Cornish was also close to Breton???

MikeUniformMike · 04/09/2018 21:36

It is but there are very few Cornish speakers. Cornish is closer to Breton than Welsh, I think.

Just looked up one of my favourite welsh words and it is yod in Breton.

Moonflower12 · 04/09/2018 23:17

My grandma used to talk to the Breton onion sellers that used to come over to her school in Sussex. She could understand them and hold s rudimentary conversation with them. She spoke no French but Welsh was her first language. She'd speak Welsh and them, Breton.

Prawnofthepatriarchy · 04/09/2018 23:21

My DGF spoke nothing but Welsh until he was 13. He used to be able to carry on a conversation with the Breton onion sellers.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2018 23:25

Cornish and Breton would be closer, yes.

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