Breton/Breton dialects

Introduction to Breton

Breton dialects

The dialects of Breton as identified by ethnologists are Leoneg, Tregerieg, Gwenedeg, and Kerneveg (in French, respectively: léonard, trégorrois, vannetais, and cornouaillais). There are no clear borders between those dialect areas because the language varies slightly from one village to the next. Compared to the other dialects, the Gwenedeg dialect is somewhat more distinct due several pronunciation specificities.

The following table shows common and local expressions :

Example of Gwenedeg

Me zo ganet é kreiz er mor
Tèr lèu ér mez ;
Un tiig gwenn duhont em-es,
Er benal 'gresk étal en nor
Hag el lann e hol en anvez.
Me zo ganet é kreiz er mor,
E bro Arvor

Excerpt from Pédenn én Téoéldeed, in Ar en deulin from Yann-Ber "Bleimor" Calloc'h (1913)

**Example of Gwenedeg**
Gwenedeg	Peurunvan	English meaning
Me zo ganet é kreiz er mor	Me zo ganet e-kreiz ar mor	I was born in the middle of the sea
Tèr lèu ér méz ;	Teir lev er-maez ;	Three leagues outside;
Un tiig gwenn duhont em-es,	Un tiig gwenn du-hont am eus,	A small white house I have over there,
Er benal 'gresk étal en nor	Ar banal 'gresk e-tal an nor	Broom grows in front of the door
Hag el lann en hol en anvez.	Hag al lann en holl an ardremez.	And heather all around.
Me zo ganet é kreiz er mor,	Me zo ganet e-kreiz ar mor,	I was born in the middle of the sea,
E bro Arvor.	E bro Arvor.	In the country of Arvor.

Example of Leoneg

Digeri a reas he divreh d'he muia-karet heb en em renta kont. Pokad a reent dibaouez an eil d'egile, o muzellou o tañva evid ar wech kenta mel dous ar garantez.

Excerpt from Ar Vastardez from Yann-Vadezour Lagadeg (1993).

**Example of Leoneg**
Leoneg	Peurunvan	English meaning
Digeri a reas he divreh d'he muia-karet heb en em renta kont.	Digeriñ a reas he divrec'h d'he muiañ-karet hep en em rentañ kont.	She opened her arms to her beloved boyfriend without realizing.
Poka a reent dibaouez an eil d'egile,	Pokat a raent dibaouez an eil d'egile,	They kissed each other without end,
o muzellou o tañva evid ar wech kenta mel dous ar garantez.	o muzellou o tañva evit ar wech kentañ mel dous ar garantez.	their lips tasting for the first time the sweet honey of love.

Breton spellings

After several attempts at unifying the spelling, two main spellings exist : the peurunvan ("completely unified" spelling) and the skolveurieg ("university" spelling).

This course uses peurunvan as it is today the most commonly used.

Peurunvan accomodates for dialectal differences. Most notably, the notation "zh" - used in the name "Breizh" ("Brittany") - must be interpreted according to the dialect spoken.

In Leon, it will be most often interpreted as "z" (therefore Breizh is pronounced "Breiz").
In Gwened (and some part of Kerne), it will often be interpreted as "h" (therefore Breizh is pronounced "Breih").

The transcription of "c'h" is also subject to confusion or criticism as pronunciation may widely vary according to the regions.

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