TES article about the new Cornish Language Saturday School !
MAGA ( the Cornish Language Partnership organisation partly funded by central government and european sources) is helping to financially support a new Saturday School Movement opening in Camborne. Skol dy’Sadorn Kernewek aims to offer pre-school children an introduction to the Cornish language. The TES, ran an article on the new pre-school , all to the good, but interestingly referred to Cornwall as ‘the only English county with its own language’ . The article also gave some translations for a number of phrases including the very positive educational phrases:
Shut up - taw taves/syns dha glapp
Don’t do that - na wra henna
Go and see the headteacher - Ke ha gweles an penndyskador
The bell is for me and not for you - An klogh yw ragov nyns yw ragowgh
Whilst the inclusion of more references to the culture of Cornwall in the educational press is most welcome the standard of journalism in this TES piece is poor. It’s assertion that Cornwall is an English county, for example, is contested by many Cornish people. Similary its choice of translated phrases seems to poke fun at Cornish language teachers. Surely there are more age appropriate phrases that could have been considered in an article setting out this new provision?
