Cornish
PopulationA number of people under 20 years of age are first-language speakers. There are 500 speakers who use Cornish, and about 100 others who speak it fluently (2003). Ethnic population: 468,425 (1991 census).
RegionDuchy of Cornwall, southwest England. A few in Canada and Australia.
Alternate namesKernowek, Kernewek, Curnoack
DialectsRelated to Breton, Welsh, Gaulish (extinct), Irish Gaelic, Manx Gaelic, Scots Gaelic.
ClassificationIndo-European, Celtic, Insular, Brythonic
Language useReligious services are still held in Cornish. There are evening classes, correspondence courses, summer camps, children's play groups. There is a Cornish Language Board. It became extinct as a first language in 1777, but is being revived. Some children grow up bilingual in English.
Language developmentTaught in some schools. NT: 2000.
CommentsThere are a small number of second-language speakers in Canada and Australia. Christian, secular