Government digs deep for Cornish language
Local government minister Andrew Stunnell has just told me he's giving the Cornish Language Partnership £360,000 over the next three years, which should secure its future until well into 2015. You can hear the interview on Martin Bailie's programme this afternoon 5pm - 6pm.
Comment number 1.
At 23rd Jun 2011, dtrerise wrote:Good news for us tax payers who want to see Kernowek protected and promoted.
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Comment number 2.
At 24th Jun 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:But bad news for us tax payers who don't!
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Comment number 3.
At 24th Jun 2011, Rob wrote:Good point back of an envelope, but hey that's the way things are, our taxes go on things we don't all want. If I had my way we wouldn't be spending billions every year on foreign wars but hey that's just me. I am of course assuming your comment meant that you didn't like taxpayers money spent this way rather than you didn't want the language protected.....
Nice blog Graham, good to see you don't state 'to save the language from extinction' like on the main ´óÏó´«Ã½ Cornwall site, always makes we Cornish speakers wonder and worry if the Beeb might know something about our life expectancies that we don't know.
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Comment number 4.
At 24th Jun 2011, Dave the rave wrote:£1440 for each Cornish speaker. They'll be whooping it up down at the "St Piran's Arms tonight.
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Comment number 5.
At 25th Jun 2011, Kevrenor wrote:It isn't for those who do speak it Dave, it is for those who may actually want to learn it as part of their own heritage and culture IF it was actually made available to them - perhaps not you or backofanenvelope of course.
Given that London has been taking £300 million more out of Cornwall each than it puts back, it seems a mean, stingy concession that goes no-where near enough to what is needed.
Perhaps the Minister isn't across the fact that under the Council of Europe Charter, to which the UK Government is a signatory, it is clear that support for indigenous languages should be a state responsibility - thus squibbing our after 3 years shouldn't be an option.
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Comment number 6.
At 25th Jun 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:So we cut the coastguard service, yet pay to pander to a very small group on the fringe of Cornish society who want to speak a fallow language which was reinvented for disruptive political purposes. I know which I would sooner have. If they think one will mask the other they really need to research this more, this really is a handful of deeply despondent people living on the very tip of western of England who will never represent Cornish sentiment.
Political ABC, give a little bit with one hand whilst taking away a lot more with the other, they can fool those on the fringes but not those with there eyes wide open, the Cornish are losing significantly more than it is gaining nobody should be fooled by these pranks or jumping around claiming victory
Except the handful of people making a living out of this, who I hope sleep sound at night knowing they are the compromise for our unemployed brave men of the coastguard who did a vital service protecting out coasts
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Comment number 7.
At 25th Jun 2011, Dave the rave wrote:Oh please Kevrenor, not that "the government takes umpteen billion ££££££ a year more out of Cornwall than it puts back in" nonsense again?
It's been bust mate, it was no more real than any of the other nonsense that Cornish nationalists use to brand themselves victims.
Kevin Cahlill as now disowned that work, and the business magazine it was published in went bust due to poor financial management, says it all really.
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Comment number 8.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 9.
At 25th Jun 2011, youngcornwall wrote:I believe there is more than one version of the Cornish language, and there has been an on going dispute about which is the correct one to use. It will be interesting to see if the correct language gets the funding. If you know which is the correct language that is?
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Comment number 10.
At 25th Jun 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:Dave the rave with all due respect why argue with an Australian (krevrenor) who has never paid a penny towards Cornwall, England or Britain?
Grahams column here is clearly for local residence who pay for Cornish county services, Kevrenor like a few others just wants to misrepresent the Cornish sentiment, he is only here because a certain excessive website encourages anyone and everyone to spam this forum in the hope they can misrepresent the Cornish majority, YC is correct the Cornish language being moved is pure invention, but what real hurts is real services are being removed from the Cornish, along with real jobs and this is being pushed as an olive branch and the nationalists jump on it forgetting we have lost more than we have gained.
Who is selling out whom?
The thing is they are so quick to sell out when the majority have real concerns about the cuts being made, this is by anyone’s standards an utter waste of money, life is about compromise, but in no way is a few dozens people hobby a compromise for safety or quality of life and that is what this is, a hobby nowhere is cornwall is this language actually spoken by a community
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Comment number 11.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:I was not aware that the government were in such a position. Having to choose between providing funding for the Cornish language, or providing a "full" Coastguard service, must have had them up all night in a complete tizzy.
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Comment number 12.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:Do you really expect us to believe that the measly £360,000 that has been "awarded" to the Language, spread over 3 years, would be enough to keep ALL the current Coastguard stations open?
Such a paltry amount would probably not even cover one years window cleaning bill.
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Comment number 13.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:We understand that there are those who are not interested in the Cornish Language, and that there are also those who would deny all things Cornish, but to attempt to make such a comparison as that made above is purely ridiculous.
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Comment number 14.
At 25th Jun 2011, youngcornwall wrote:No but it would be money well spent.
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Comment number 15.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:This comment has been referred for further consideration. Explain.
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Comment number 16.
At 25th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:youngcornwall wrote:-
"I believe there is more than one version of the Cornish language, and there has been an on going dispute about which is the correct one to use. It will be interesting to see if the correct language gets the funding. If you know which is the correct language that is?"
As youngcornwall is well aware, the language partnership has settled the problem of different spelling versions of the Cornish language, with the introduction of the SWF, Standard Written Form, and there is no longer any valid argument over which is the "correct" spelling for the Cornish language. There never was any argument over which "language" is the correct one, as it is all Cornish.
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Comment number 17.
At 26th Jun 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:Here is a funny bit of trivia showing the untruths being spread about the Cornish language
Under the Wiki entry for the Cornish language it states
"...Determining a figure for the number of Cornish speakers depends on how the ability to speak the language is defined. One figure for the mean amount of people who know a few basic words, such as knowing that "Kernow" means "Cornwall", was 300,000; the same survey gave the figure of people able to have simple conversations at 3,000..."
LOL since when would knowing Kernow means Cornwall constitute speaking Cornish LOL
The truth is you would need to remove two zeros from those numbers mentioned in the Wiki articule whilst most would moot three; the language was invented by Jenner in 1904 as an extremist hobby only practiced down the very deepest depths of the western tip of our English county
Here is another bit of horse play on wiki which made me laugh
"...´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cornwall has a regular news broadcast in Cornish, and sometimes have other programmes and features for learners and enthusiasts..."
They live in a different world from the majority in Cornwall, so busy telling fibs they start to think it is the truth when it is not
You better post a few Blogs in Cornish Graham it seems according to Wiki it is common on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Cornwall, perhaps Western Cornwall has it own version of ´óÏó´«Ã½ news broadcasted, the mystery continues
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Comment number 18.
At 26th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:Saltashgaz wrote:-
"Here is another bit of horse play on wiki which made me laugh
"...´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cornwall has a regular news broadcast in Cornish, and sometimes have other programmes and features for learners and enthusiasts..."
They live in a different world from the majority in Cornwall, so busy telling fibs they start to think it is the truth when it is not"
Sunday afternoons, 5 o'clock, Rod Lyon brings you a review of the week's news in Cornish.
Check it out for yourself:- /cornwall/programmes/schedules
Who's telling fibs now?
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Comment number 19.
At 26th Jun 2011, Cornishinquisitor wrote:I would state that is fairly representative of the Cornish language.
Out of over 160 hours of broadcasting to Cornwall there are few minutes in Cornish, hardly something to brag about!
The Asians for xample have an entire network on the ´óÏó´«Ã½.
I agree with others waste of money, it is not going to improve Cornwall, work prospects, safety or quality of life in any way, just create division
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Comment number 20.
At 26th Jun 2011, youngcornwall wrote:Saltashgaz wrote
"...´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cornwall has a regular news broadcast in Cornish, and sometimes have other programmes and features for learners and enthusiasts..."
"They live in a different world from the majority in Cornwall, so busy telling fibs they start to think it is the truth when it is not"……..
Like going to extremes, ripping up TV licences in public because the ´óÏó´«Ã½ are not giving Cornwall enough coverage. The above quote just shows how silly some of these nats are.
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Comment number 21.
At 27th Jun 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:We don't have £360,000! We are broke.........
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Comment number 22.
At 27th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:Cornishinquisitor wrote:-
"I would state that is fairly representative of the Cornish language.
Out of over 160 hours of broadcasting to Cornwall there are few minutes in Cornish, hardly something to brag about!"
Hardly bragging, just stating fact in response to the accusation that it was a lie to say that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ did not broadcast in Cornish
Cornishinquisitor wrote:-
"The Asians for xample have an entire network on the ´óÏó´«Ã½."
Is it not disgraceful that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ ignores an indigenous language in this way. An Example of the problems faced by the Cornish.
Cornishinquisitor wrote:-
"I agree with others waste of money, it is not going to improve Cornwall, work prospects, safety or quality of life in any way, just create division"
1/ define improvement.
2/ define quality of life.
3/ look at the above posts, and you can see where the "division" originates
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Comment number 23.
At 27th Jun 2011, youngcornwall wrote:Cornishinquisitor wrote
" quality of life in any way "
Speaking a different language will give those that have very little or no confidence in who they are a feeling of more self worth. It will make them think they are more Cornish than those who do not speak the language.
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Comment number 24.
At 27th Jun 2011, Cornishinquisitor wrote:from above - 3/ look at the above posts, and you can see where the "division" originates
To answer your question P_T it is you whose comments resemble quotes that have jumped out of an Edward Lear book, you seem to ask endless questions in your quest for knowledge and spout fables of time long since past. You certainly act as a wonderful sanity check for the Cornish public.
We live here in Cornwall we know the language is not spoken, thus we do not need to pass go or collect £200. The truth stares at us every day; I know you will hound me so please accept this is closing comment from me. Perhaps a little forum etiquette from you is in order, debate is meaningless if all you want to do is wait for everyone to agree with YOUR fictitious views of Dickens Cornwall, it is just never going to happen
You did ask, perhaps next time you learn to not ask a question as you might not like the answer
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Comment number 25.
At 27th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:youngcornwall wrote:-
"Cornishinquisitor wrote
" quality of life in any way "
Speaking a different language will give those that have very little or no confidence in who they are a feeling of more self worth. It will make them think they are more Cornish than those who do not speak the language."
This is simply not true, I do not speak Cornish, apart from as very few words, and feel no less Cornish because of it. All those whom I meet who do speak the language have never expressed anything near the sentiment you are attempting to portray.
To make such a statement is a clear example of your (deliberate?) misunderstanding of the whole issue.
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Comment number 26.
At 27th Jun 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:YC - It will make them think they are more Cornish than those who do not speak the language.
The amount of times we debate these issues and yet it always returns to one thing, the meaning of the word Cornish, to answer this we do not look to the fringes but to the mass. As mentioned above
Cornishinquisitor - debate is meaningless if all you want to do is wait for everyone to agree with YOUR fictitious views of Dickens Cornwall
It really does not matter what small insignificant victories the nationlists claim, in the end the truth is absolute. Cornwall has evolved into an English county and a very small amount of people are unhappy with this, the same people you will find in any society seeking any excuse to divide and thinking they can rule.
But the answer to this topic can also be found in another comment above spammed out by the usual suspect
At 06:34 27th Jun 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:
We don't have £360,000! We are broke.........
It does not matter what the amount is, jobs are being cut all around Cornwall, to save this utter waste of tax payers money.
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Comment number 27.
At 27th Jun 2011, youngcornwall wrote:This comment has been referred for further consideration. Explain.
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Comment number 28.
At 27th Jun 2011, Coynt wrote:This comment has been referred for further consideration. Explain.
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Comment number 29.
At 28th Jun 2011, P_Trembath wrote:Cornishinquisitor, I am flattered that you consider my contributions to this board to be on a par with such literary greats as Lear and Dickens.
You talk of "forum etiquette", and yet it seems that to you, and a few others, that this means that if someone holds a different opinion to you, then it is fine to insult them, to call on others not to "debate" with them, to claim that any response from them to a post of yours is evidence of their "hounding" you. You clearly have no idea what "forum etiquette" really is.
To get back on topic, we are not broke, if we are able to bail out other countries, then we are not that hard up. The paltry amount that has been given to the language partnership, is a very small drop in a very large ocean. These are my tax's that are being used as well as everyone else's, it is good to see them being spent on something useful for once.
What we should actually be discussing here, is why has the government provided so little money? £360 over 3 years, is next to nothing, it should be at least 10 times that amount.
On the other hand, if you feel that this amount is "bad", go and check out how much they are giving to help "Ulster Scotts", that will really make your blood boil.
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Comment number 30.
At 28th Jun 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:YC - It is clear you have a sixth sense, and know what people think without them saying a word. I will let you fill the rest in---------------------------------------.
An apt quote from Lear
But when the sun was low in the West, The Dong arose and said, -
"What little sense I once possessed. Has quite gone out of my head!"
His job is to smoother rather than mother, wasn’t Lear famous for his books of nonsenses, it all falls into place,
I see the thisiscornwall has been more honest in the reporting of this waste of money
"...Recent MAGA projects include a translation service providing Cornish house names, wedding speeches and tattoos..."
Somehow I knew tats would be involved
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