Cornish language

Cornish (in its own language Kernewek, Kernowek) is a Celtic language spoken in Cornwall (southwest Britain). It has an old tradition in literature, especially in the Middle Ages and the 16th century. Nevertheless this language has been harshly dominated by English since many centuries. It dwindled so dramatically that, at the end of the 18th century, it became close to extinction. But contrary to what one often thinks, Cornish was never completely extinct and it somehow survived in popular use through set expressions, songs and various words. The language has been revived since 1904 thanks to Henry Jenner, who has been followed by a network of enthusiats. Various, rival attemps of codification have been made during the 20th century. In 2002, the British government recognized Cornish under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and gave in 2005 a funding to protect the language. In 2008, after a lot of talks, the Cornish Language Partnership obtained an agreement for a common codification called Standard Written Form or SWF (in Cornish Furv Savonek Scrifys), which will be used by Cornwall County Council authorities.