Brittany is a land situated “at the end of the world”. The Bretons are a Celtic ethnic group native to Brittany while Breton is Brittany’s historical Celtic language.
Breton is a part of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages to which Welsh and Cornish also belong. Breton used to be the language of the largest part of Brittany.
Brittany becomes a refuge in the 6th century for Celts migrating from southwest England to escape the advancing Saxons. From this derives the strong cultural link between the Cornish and the Bretons.
In these various regions Celtic languages survive through the centuries. There are two main groups: Gaelic, spoken in Ireland and Scotland and until recently in the Isle of Man; and Brythonic, the language in differing forms of the Welsh, the Cornish and the Bretons.
During 5th-11th centuries Breton emerged as a distinct language through gradual separation from Welsh and Cornish.
Breton
