Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg

Vehicle of Ofis ar Brezhoneg

The Public Office for the Breton Language (Breton: Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg; French: Office Public de la langue bretonne) was established on 15 October 2010, in place on the Ofis ar Brezhoneg/Office de la langue bretonne created on 1 May 1999 by the Region of Brittany in France for the promotion and development of the Breton language.

Mission

One of its missions is to scientifically deal with socio-linguistic data. It must therefore act as an observatory of the Breton language (Arsellva ar brezhoneg) by publishing these data, and it must advise communes for bilingual signage and place names. It is the support of TermBret, the cooperative terminology service which publishes glossaries as specialty. Finally, it assists individuals, administrations and businesses who want to use the Breton language (42 administrations, associations or companies have made an appeal from 1 July 1999 to September 15, 1999).

Breton language

The Office participates in the promotion of Breton courses for adults. For the year 1998-1999, it has published an approach of the effectives of Breton courses for adults: 9,300 adults have followed a course (e.g. evening courses, correspondence). 6,700 have followed courses, of which 1,200 in Upper Brittany (550 in Ille-et-Vilaine and 462 in Loire-Atlantique). 165 organizations organise evening courses in Brittany and 28 outside Brittany (of which 15 in the region of Paris).

In 2003, the Office published a road map of Britanny in the Breton language (The map includes Loire-Atlantique^[1]).

Finance and organisation

The Office is now an Établissement public de coopération culturelle, a public institution run by a board of directors who represent local authorities and the Frence state, and presided by Lena Louarn, a coucillor elected in the Regional Council of Brittany. Before October 2010 it was an independent association also presided by Lena Louarn between 1999 and 2010, and had a budget of € 1 million, primarily funded by the Brittany Region. The seat is in Carhaix where its director Fulup Jakez. The Observatory of the Breton language (l'Observatoire de la langue bretonne) with the deputy director Olier Ar Mogn, is located in Rennes.

References

1. ^ Loire-Atlantique was part of Brittany until 1941. Some Bretons want Loire-Atlantique to be reattached to Brittany (see e.g. this site).

See also

• Cornish Language Partnership (Keskowethyans an Taves Kernewek) - a comparable body for the Cornish language.
• Welsh Language Board (Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg) - a comparable body for the Welsh language.
• Foras na Gaeilge - All-Ireland board for the Irish language.
• Bòrd na Gàidhlig - a comparable body for the Scots-Gaelic language.
• Coonseil ny Gaelgey - a comparable body for the Manx language.

External links

• (French) (Breton) http://www.ofis-bzh.org/