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--- Mermaid Productions
<info@hidden.email> wrote:
> Thanks for all that information on literary vs.
> spoken Kerno. I'd no idea
> the situation was that complex and volatile!
The last two centuries have been quite the
adventure and no mistake!
> I'm curious to know, how much
> (if any) writing, publishing, journalism, etc.
> is done in Kerno these days, and if so, in what
> variety?
A lot less than might be expected. In the West
Country, of course, Kerno is still the usual
spoken language, so newspapers and popular
literature are produced in Kerno. Mind you, the
dialect of the West is a little different that
what you've seen thus far, but not so different
that it's not understandable.
Once the literary variety lost its "official"
status, it was largely abandonned. It was a
compulsory course in all levels of the school
system up to two years ago or so; and is still
compulsory in college curricula that will lead to
degrees in literature, education, law and for
those going into civil service.
> The literary register, despite all the
> differences and complexities?
It's death knell was really rung early in the
20th century when the Bible was at last
translated into Kerno. The translators chose the
spoken variety. Unhappily, they compromised on
the orthography, choosing a few conventions from
a number of competing forms. None of the language
boards were pleased by that, so this translation
was never 'consecrated' as the official language.
> One or more of the dialects and/or
> orthographies that various factions fight over?
This only adds another two layers to the trouble.
A newspaper in Esca will naturally write in
Eastern Kerno; a paper from Pednsang will
naturally be in Western Kerno. If either expect
sales in the other regions, they have to consider
publishing a version in the other dialect.
Not to mention that Kerno is an L2 in the eastern
hundreds, so a third version in Cornow Brow would
have to produced for readers in Sordunon and the
northeast.
> Is it sort of like the
> situation with Breton *here*, where there are
> several competing
> orthographies, and whichever one a person
> chooses immediately gives away his
> political sympathies, etc.?
That has been the case to an extent. Certainly,
the consistent use of ff and dd (for [f] and [D])
and f (for [v]) will mark one as the pro
Brithenig camp. Politically, they tend to favour
a return of proper Brithenig as the language of
education, government, etc. and often make use of
Cambricisms in their writings. Several
universities have proposed orthographies that
have been adopted by political groups, and
naturally consistent use of one of these will
mark the user as sympathetic to that political
position. Of course, most of the orthographies
intersect in many letters, so it's not always
immediately apparent.
As for your average Jockow in the Ystraza, he
doesn't care for politics as far as he can throw
a greased pig, and tends to spell what he writes
however he pleases. They roll their eyes at
literati and politicos alike.
> Or do they all just speak Kerno and write in
> Brithenig?
Soon enough, they will be doing both in
Brithenig. Or rather, Cornow Brow, which is the
increasingly popular variety of Paesan spoken in
eastern Dûnein. Paesan is, of course, a dialect
of Brithenig originating in the province of Ill
Paes. In that province is found the most
conservative form of Paesan and is 99%
intercommunicable with the Standard Brithenig of
Castreleon. Cornow Brow naturally has a lot of
Kerno borrowings, but the grammar is very true to
the Paesan of Dûnein.
Sigh. I'm going to have to go back and relearn
Paesan!
Padraic.
=====
Ne savem rhen cong quen dormises l' Etang; mays ieo savem que ne dormises rhen di solèz.
-- per tradicièn Ewrnor
.