Belgium

[E L Tonkin]

On 26 Apr 2001, MJ Ray wrote:

> I'm not sure (Scots or Irish) Gaelic is recognised.  Welsh is an
> official language in Wales.  There's also Cornish about, but nearly
> dead for all practical purposes.

As A Descendant Of Proud Cornish Ancestry I Resent That!! 
^^^ convincing enough? ;-)

Very few people are fluent in Cornish (although a number of people are;
see soc.culture.cornish... or is it a rec? or indeed
http://www.kernewek.currantbun.com/) However, modernday Cornish is heavily
based on Breton (fishermen from the two used to be able to meet
mid-channel and discuss the weather with no problems), although it is of
course a second language.

There are six surviving Celtic languages, Irish, Manx, Scottish, Breton,
Cornish and Welsh. Manx and Cornish died out and are now revived
languages. The URL above also adds that none of the Celtic languages are
recognised as one of the UK's official languages, which is all the FSF
probably needs to know. 

They are in use, however; I learnt Scottish (Gaelic) at school in my
childhood, and they also teach Welsh in schools- the two are of similar
status in that sense. Whereas one learns Cornish for fun. I believe that
schools/local government make the decision to teach these things - the UK
school curriculum allows a certain amount of time per week for such
pursuits(?)

> Are we off-topic yet?

Most definitely.

Kemer weyth,

em

// OLDSIG "All bad art is the result of good intentions." - Oscar Wilde 

/* START NEWSIG */ Processor: (n.) a device for converting sense to
nonsense at the speed of electricity, or (rarely) the reverse.  - Tonkin's
First Computer Dictionary