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'Invisible' in public, Gallo wants to make a name for himself on the boards

‘Invisible’ in public, Gallo wants to make a name for himself on the boards

It is a language spoken by approximately 191,000 people, according to Study by TMO . Regions Institute Its history dates back to 2018, roughly the same as Breton and its 207,000 speakers. In its grounds in Upper Brittany, an area that stretches roughly to the east of the line between Saint-Brieuc and Vannes, Gallo struggles to be visible in public.

Apart from a few cities such as Saint-Brieuc (Saint-Berieu), Fougères (Foujër), Iffendic (Fendic) or Liffré (Lifr), some communities display their name in Gallo on the city entrance signs. In Rennes, for example, the capital of Brittany in the heart of Gallo country, there is no trace of the bilingual sign “Rennes-Rennes” at the entrances to the city, while signs of Rennes-Roison are clearly visible.

Recognized in the same way as Breton

The unequal treatment that is difficult to pass on to the collective “Du galo en Bertègn” (Du Gallo in Brittany), which fights for “respect for cultural and linguistic rights in the country of Gallo. Because Brittany has two regional languages. Breton, of course, the most famous language, but also the language Welsh, a doïl language like Picard or Walloon. In 2004, the two languages ​​were also recognized as “the languages ​​of Brittany” by the regional council. “It’s an opportunity to have this linguistic richness,” asserts Raphael Guaplin, former president of the Gaelic Institute.

On 15 March 2022, when Jean Castex signed a specific agreement on the languages ​​of Brittany, Gallo was also entitled to his share of the pie, with special assistance for education and training in the Welsh language. “It is progressing but not as we want it because the gallo is still invisible in the public space,” confirms Raphael Guaplin.

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Signs to ‘Make Your Existence Real’

To alert elected officials to hide label language Critically endangered by UNESCOSo the group took up the pen and wrote a manifesto signed by 300 artists, academics, personalities, and about forty union structures in the area. “We want Gallo in the country of Gallo, it’s that simple,” its activists noted. And for this, the language must be displayed on road signs. “It makes the presence of the language a real thing, and it gives it citizenship,” says Nicholas Pourier, co-chair of the Kyrosa Society.

Disrespectful, Gallo apologists do not intend to decipher the signs in the Breton language on their lands. “It is by no means an opposition, the two languages ​​coexist very well together,” confirms Guillaume Girard, teacher and head of Granjagoul at Vitré. They still hope that their efforts will pay off and that signage in Gallo will soon flourish along the “Haote-Bertègn” routes.